Chapter 9 Chapter Four

Before the Ninth Prayer A learned conversation between William and the herbalist Severinus We walked past the parish, and came out by the door we had just entered.Ubertino's words still echoed in my head, word for word. I ventured to say to William, "That man is... odd." "In many ways he was a great man. That is why he is eccentric. Only insignificant people seem normal. Ubertino could become one of the heretics he helped burn, or he could become a cardinal of the Holy See Bishop, he is very close to both these inappropriate positions. When I talk to Ubertino, I always feel that hell is heaven seen from the other side."

I didn't quite understand what he meant, so I asked, "Which side?" "Ah, yes," William understood my problem, "this matter is related to whether there are many aspects, or whether there is a whole. But don't pay attention to what I say, and stop looking at the door." He said, A light pat on the neck as I turned my head to look at the carving over the entrance again, "They've scared you enough for today, all of them." When I looked back towards the exit, I saw another monk standing in front of me.He was about the same age as William, and greeted us warmly with a smile on his face.He said he was Severinus of Chamventa, a monk herbalist who was in charge of the baths, sanatoriums, and gardens.If we want to familiarize ourselves with the paths inside the monastery, he is happy to guide us.

William thanked him and said that when we entered the monastery, he had noticed the lush vegetable garden, and it seemed to him that there were not only edible plants but also medicinal plants, although they were covered with snow. "In spring and summer, when all kinds of plants bloom, the garden will sing more beautiful songs to the Creator," said Severinus a little apologetically, "but even now, in winter, the herbalist's The eye can still see through the dead branches of plants that are about to sprout again, and he can tell you that this garden is richer and richer in color than any flora record, and as beautiful as the pictures in those books. Besides, good herbs are in It will also grow in winter. I have harvested other herbs and put them in bottles in the laboratory. There is also the root of the rhubarb tree, which I use to treat colds; A poultice for skin diseases; crushed and ground snake wood rhizomes, which can be used to cure dysentery and some women's diseases; pepper helps digestion; coltsfoot can suppress colds; and gentian helps the stomach and intestines to absorb; The juniper of potion; the medicine made from the root of the old tree is good for the liver; the rhizome root soaked in cold water is the most effective in treating mucositis; and the grass, you must know its efficacy."

"You have so many kinds of herbs, and they are suitable for different climates. How do you do it?" "On the one hand, I would like to thank God for the mercy of setting our plateau back from the mountains and facing the sea, so that the warm sea breeze blows from the south, and the north is protected by woods. On the other hand, thanks to the teachers who taught me, a poor student, I have learned a lot of skills. Plants can grow in places with bad climate, as long as you use the surrounding terrain and pay attention to their nutrition and growth." "But you also grow plants that are only for food?" I asked.

"Ah, my young friend, edible plants heal the body, and too much of anything can make a man ill, if eaten in moderation. Take the pumpkin, for example: it is clammy in its nature, and quenches thirst, but If you wait until it is rotten to eat, you will have diarrhea, then you have to mix some mustard paste with salt water and apply it on the stomach. Let’s talk about onions, its nature is warm, and eating a little bit can enhance sexual ability ( Of course this is for people who haven't sworn like us), but eating too much can make one's head heavy, and drinking a glass of vinegared milk can make the headache less." And he said slyly, "It's also young There is a good reason why many monks always do not eat onions, and use garlic instead. Garlic is dry and hot in nature and can detoxify, but eating too much will make people angry. On the contrary, peas are diuretic and extremely nutritious, which is very beneficial, but It also causes nightmares. Much milder than some herbs, though. Some herbs give people horrible visions."

"Which ones?" I asked. ※Bandhammer School & E-Book of Fine School※ "Ah, our trainee monks want to know too much. There are some things that only herbalists can know: otherwise reckless people will eat randomly, and the consequences will be disastrous." "But you need a little hemp," William interjected, "or realgar or comfrey, to suppress the illusion. I hope you have these good herbs." Severinus glanced at my mentor: "Are you interested in herbology?" "Just a little interested." William said modestly, "Because I have read "Health Science" by Ubud Beshesim."

"The New Journal of Herbs by Abel Eshan." "Or Erukasim Elimita. I don't know if there is a copy here." "A most beautiful book, full of brightly colored illustrations." "Praise be to God. And the Tales of Herbs by Platialius." "That's a great work too. And Aristotle's Flora and Vegetables, translated by Alfred of Surreyshire." "I hear that was not written by Aristotle," said William, "just as it has been found that he was not the author of Causality." "Anyway, it's a great book," said Severinus.

My instructor agreed of course, without asking whether he was talking about "Vegetable History" or "Theory of Cause and Effect".I don't know anything about these two works, but from their conversations, I deduce that they must be great works. Severinus concluded: "It would be a pleasure to chat with you about herbs to the fullest." "I feel the same way," said William, "but let's not break the rule of silence. I believe you have orders?" Said Severinus: "Over the centuries, the various orders have adopted rules according to different needs. The rules determine the holy words of God, but they are not worth studying. However, you also know that our orders have grown to the point where they must To intervene in the affairs of gods and men. Also, the rules dictate living in dormitories, but sometimes it is right to give monks a chance to meditate at night, as our monks here each have their own dormitory. For silence This problem, the rules are very strict, and the same is true here, not only the monks who do manual labor, but also those who write or read cannot talk to their brothers. However, the most important thing in this monastery is academics, and usually the monks exchange learning experience It is also helpful, so that any talk of learning is lawful and proper, as long as it is not at meal or prayer."

William suddenly asked: "Have you and Adelmo of Otranto talked a lot?" Severinus didn't seem surprised: "It seems the dean has already told you." He said, "No. I don't talk to him very often. He often stays in the office decorating books. In a certain On some occasions I have heard him discuss his work with other monks; Venantius of Salvimic, for example, or George of Burgos. In my lab." He nodded toward the Sanatorium premises. "I see," said William. "Then you don't know if Adelmo has visions?" "phantom?" "For example, as your herbs make people produce."

Severinus' body became very stiff: "I told you, I have carefully stored those dangerous herbs." "I don't mean anything else." William hastily clarified, "What I'm talking about is just a general illusion." "I don't understand," Severinus insisted. "I was thinking, a monk hanging out in the cathedral at night, according to the abbot - people who enter there during the forbidden hours ... something unexpected may happen. Oh, as I said, I am I was thinking that maybe he had some demon visions, so he fell off the cliff." "As I said, I seldom go to the office unless I need a book; but I have a herbarium of my own, by canon, in the sanitarium. All I know is Adelmo and George and Vince." Nantius is closer, and of course... Berengar."

Even I noticed Severinus' hesitant tone, and my instructor naturally didn't ignore it: "Berengar? Why did you say 'of course'?" "Berengar of Arundel, assistant librarian. They were about the same age, and had been Novices together, so they got on well. So I said 'Of course.'" "Oh, yes," said William. ※Bandhammer School & E-Book of Fine School※ To my surprise, he didn't pursue the matter any further.In fact, he quickly changed the subject: "I thought maybe we should take a tour of the cathedral. Would you like to be our guide?" "With pleasure." Severinus' relaxation was obvious.He led the way along the side of the garden and took us to the west side of the cathedral. "The door facing the garden leads to the kitchen," he said, "but the kitchen occupies only the western half of the downstairs. The other half is the dining room. The southern entrance, behind the chapel choir, has two doors The doors lead to the kitchen and the dining room. But we can go in here because the kitchen continues to the dining room." I went into the great kitchen, and realized that there was an octagonal patio as high as the whole cathedral; I later learned that it was a well, but without access, only with wide windows on each floor, The same as the windows on the outside of the church.The kitchen was black with smoke, and many servants were already busy preparing food for dinner.Two men stood at a large table, making a pie of greens, barley, oats, and rye, and chopping turnips, cress, daikon, and carrot.Another cook nearby had just dipped some fish in a mixture of wine and water, and sprinkled them with sage, parsley, thyme, garlic, pepper, and salt. Under the tower on the west side a great oven was open for baking bread; the fire was glowing with sparks.There is a large stove in the tower on the south side, and there are several boiling hot pots on it, which are purring and purring.The door to the cornfield behind the chapel was open, and at that very moment the pigman came in, holding pieces of pork from freshly slaughtered pigs. We went out through that door, and we came to the cornfield.On the easternmost side of the plateau, there is also a row of houses built against the wall.Severinus explained to me that the front ones were barns, then the stables, then the cowshed, the chicken coop, and finally the covered sheepfold.Outside the pigsty, the pig keeper was stirring a vat of pig blood to keep it from coagulating.As long as it is stirred quickly and properly, pig's blood can remain liquid for several days, which is because of the cold weather.Then they can make pork blood sausage. We went into the cathedral again, passed the dining room quickly, and walked towards the tower to the east. The dining room is between the east and north towers. There is a fireplace in the north tower, while the east tower hides a circular staircase leading to the office on the upper floor. The monks go upstairs to work every day.Two more stairs were also accessible, one behind the fireplace here, and one by the kitchen stove, both spiraling and, though narrower, much warmer. As it was Sunday, William asked if anyone was there in the office.Severinus laughed and said that for the Benedictine monks work meant prayer. The Sunday prayer time is extended, but the monks who have to study books will still stay upstairs for a few hours, usually exchanging learning experience and thinking about the "Bible". chapter Five After the Ninth Prayer They went to the scriptorium and met with many scholars, scribes and markers, and met a blind old man who believed that the false Christ was coming As we climbed the stairs, I saw my guide looking at the window by the stairs, through which the sunlight slanted down the steps.I was probably on the verge of becoming as clever as he was, for I noticed right away that the window was in a place that was out of reach of ordinary people.On the other hand, the window of the restaurant (the only downstairs overlooking the cliff) is not easy to reach, not to mention that there is no furniture placed under the window. When we reached the top of the stairs and entered the office via the north tower, I couldn't help but gasp in awe.This floor is not divided into two halves like the downstairs, so it feels extra spacious.The ceiling is arc-shaped, not too high (it is lower than the chapel, but still higher than the general synagogue), supported by solid columns, and contains a space with excellent light.For there were three large windows on each of the four longer walls, and one smaller window on each of the five outer sides of each tower; And the narrow windows allow light to come in from the patio. The large number of windows of various sizes makes this large room extremely well lit, even on winter afternoons.The glass windows are not as colorful as those in chapels. The square glass inlaid with lead frames filters out the purest sunlight without artificial changes, so the purpose of lighting for writing and reading is fully achieved.I have seen offices in many places, but none so bright as this one, where natural light pours in and brightens the whole room; the principles of the spirit shine brighter and more radiant, the source of all beauty and learning. source, is half due to the well-proportioned proportions of the room.To create beauty three elements must be present at the same time: the most important is integrity, for which reason we consider everything incomplete to be ugly; then proper proportion or harmony; lastly lightness and lightness; fact As long as the color is correct, we often say that something is beautiful.As beauty contains peace, so our desires are calmed by peace, goodness and beauty.I felt soothed inside and thought it must be a pleasure to work in this place. At this midnight hour, I feel that this is a joyous place to learn.Later I saw a scriptorium of similar proportions in St. Gall's Monastery, also separated from the library (in the other monastery, the monks all worked in the same place where the books were kept), but the configuration was not as perfect as here.There are desks under each window, and antiquities researchers, librarians, markers, and scholars sit at their own desks.Since there are a total of forty windows (this is also a perfect number, derived from the ten times of the square, as if the four virtues times the ten commandments), so forty monks can work together at the same time, although sometimes there may be only thirty. . Severinus explained to us that the monks who worked in the scriptorium were exempted from morning worship, sixth and ninth o'clock prayers, so that they could use the day's work, and they did not stop until dusk to attend evening vespers . ※Bandhammer School & E-Book of Fine School※ The brightest places were for antiquarians, the most eminent book decorators, scribes, and signifiers.On each desk were the implements needed for decoration and copying: horned inkpots, quills sharpened by the monks with their knives, pumice stones for smoothing the parchment, rulers for drawing lines before writing.Next to each scribe, or at the top of the slanted tabletop, there is a lectern, on which the transcribed ancient books are placed. That line is framed. Gold and many other colors of ink were also placed on some of the desks.The other monks are just reading the book and writing down their notes in their personal notebooks or writing boards at any time. However, I didn't have time to observe their work carefully, because the librarian came to us.We already know him as Malachi of Hildesham.There was a welcome expression on his face, but I couldn't help but shudder at the sight of such a strange face.He was tall and terribly thin, with big, clumsy limbs.He strode forward in a hooded black monk's robe, his appearance somehow disturbing.Because he had just come in from the outside, the hood had not been drawn down, casting a shadow on his pale face, and making his large, sad eyes appear sinister.There seemed to be many traces of enthusiasm on his face, but now it was no longer stimulated, and it was frozen on the facial features.Sorrow and sternness dominated the lines of his face, and his eyes were so deep that a mere look could read into a person's heart, and read secret thoughts; I don't want to touch them again. The administrator introduced us to many monks working in the office at that time, and explained their homework one by one. I admire their spirit of seeking knowledge very much.So I was able to meet Venantius of Salvimic, who translated Greek and Arabic and devoted himself to the study of Aristotle; Benno of Uppsala, a young man from northern Europe who studied rhetoric Friar; Emaro of Alexandria, who has only been here a few months, and who copies the books in the library on lending.There was also a group of book decorators, all from different nationalities: Patrick of Rommino, Rabano of Toledo, Magnus of Iona, and Waldo of Hereford. Of course, there are many monks who are specialized in learning, and the list of names is very exciting.But I must paraphrase the subject of our discussion, for in the conversation there emerged many useful clues to the subtle unease felt by the monks, as well as some truth. My tutor began chatting with Malachi the administrator, admiring the beauty and studious atmosphere of the office, and asking him about the procedure of working there, for he had heard everywhere about the library and was eager to consult the many books.Malachi explained to him what the Abbot had said: that the monks would borrow the books he wanted to read from the steward, and the steward would go upstairs to the library to get them, so long as their requests were legitimate and pious.William asked how he could know what books were in the bookcase upstairs.Malachi pointed to a thick catalog fastened to his desk by a small gold chain, and the titles of books were densely written on the catalog. William thrust his hands into the monk's robe, where his breast folded into an inner pocket, and pulled out something I had seen in his hands and on his face during the journey.It's a forked clasp, and it's constructed so that it snaps over a man's nose (at least his high, aquiline nose), like a knight on a mount, or a bird perched on a tree. tip.On either side of that prong, in front of the eyes, were two oval metal frames, between which were inserted almond-shaped pieces of glass as thick as the bottoms of wine glasses.William always liked to hold the thing in front of his eyes when he read, saying that it would help him see better, especially when the daylight faded, because after all people's eyesight weakens a lot with age.This thing is not used to help him see distant objects, but to see near objects; his eyes are sharp when it comes to looking far.Wearing this lens, he can read manuscripts written so lightly that even I can hardly read them.He explained to me that when a person passes the middle point of life, even if his eyesight is still good, the eyes will become hard and the pupils will be stubborn and uncontrollable. , there is no way to read and write.This is unfortunate indeed for those who have been able to transmit the best of their knowledge for many years.Therefore, the invention and creation of this instrument really makes people praise God.He also said this to me to support Roger Bacon's idea. This great scholar said that the purpose of learning is also to prolong human life. The other monks looked at William curiously, but they didn't dare to ask him any questions.I noticed that even in a place where reading and writing were so prevalent, that wonderful instrument had not yet arrived.These men, famous for their wisdom, were dumbfounded by a thing that my mentor had, which made me feel a little bit proud. William put on the lens and bent over the table of contents of the manuscript.I also went up to look, and we found that the library has a large collection of books, some titles we have never heard of, and some are the most famous. "The Five Bastions of King Solomon, The Rhetoric and Mysteries of Language, and The Mystery of Metals, by Roger of Hereford, by Aikwami, translated into Latin by Lobaud Enrico "Algebra", "Welcome to Taiki" by Cyril Idaka, "Breakthrough", "The Crisis of Sacred Obligation" by Libernas Maurus, and "The Alphabet" by Flavi Claude. "." My tutor read, "Brilliant work. But in what order are these lists arranged?" He quoted a sentence from a book, I don't know from which book, but Malachi must have It is very clear: "'The librarian must have a catalog of all books, carefully arranged in the order of subjects and authors. After the books are arranged on the shelves, they must be classified with numerical instructions.' How do you know the arrangement of each book Woolen cloth?" Malachi pointed to the footnotes next to the titles of each book.I read: "'Third, Rhyming Dictionary Fourth, Greek Poetry Reference Fifth'; 'Second, Rhyming Dictionary Fifth, English Literature Seventh'." And so on.I understand that the first number refers to the position of the book on the shelf, and the subsequent number indicates which bookcase; I also understand that some sentences refer to a certain room or a certain corridor in the library.I worked up the courage to ask for information on these last distinctions. Malachi looked at me sternly. "Perhaps you didn't know, or perhaps forgot, that only the librarian is allowed in the library, so only the librarian knows how to decipher these sentences." "But in what order are the books on this catalog arranged?" William asked, "I don't think they are arranged by subject." Judging from the alphabetical order, they are not arranged by author either; I learned it, but I didn't use it often at the time. "This library has been established for a long time," Malaki said, "all the books are arranged in the order of time when they were collected by this library." "Then these books are hard to find," William said. "But the administrator remembers it clearly, and knows when all the books were brought into the library. As for other monks, they can rely on the administrator's memory." He spoke as if he was talking about others, not himself.I understood that he meant the office held by him at that time, and that there were more than a hundred people before him, and their knowledge was handed down one by one. ※Bandhammer School & E-Book of Fine School※ "I see." William said, "If I want to find information about King Solomon's Five Bastion, you will tell me that the book whose title I just saw exists, and you know where it is upstairs. .” "If you really want to know all about King Solomon's Five Bastions," Malaki said, "but before I give you that book, you'd better ask the Abbot." "I hear that one of your best book decorators here has recently died," William went on. "The Dean has told me of his talent. May I see the manuscripts he decorated before he died?" "Adelmo of Otranto," Malachi looked at William suspiciously, "he is still young, so he only serves as a marginal decoration. His imagination is very rich, and he can conceive unknown patterns from known speculations. Astonishing, like a man joining a man's body to a horse's neck. His books are right here, and no one has touched his desk yet." We walked over to Adelmo's former workplace, where the half-decorated pages of the book still lay on the desk.Those are the best folios—the queens of the parchment—and the last one is still fixed on the table.The paper had been scraped with pumice, softened with chalk, and planed, and the sides of the paper had been punched with small holes with a pointed pen, where the artist's hand would draw the lines.A lot of words have been written on the first half of the page, and the borders of the pages have also been sketched.The other pages are all done. William and I looked at those pages and couldn't help but marvel.Painted on the edge, it depicts a world that is completely opposite to what we perceive. Through the beautiful book, it shows a universe that is true and false: the dog runs away when it sees the rabbit, and the deer chases after the lion. ; human hands grew from the backs of animals, feet grew out of a mass of coarse hair, dragons had zebra patterns on their bodies, and snakelike necks twisted into quadrupeds with a thousand knots; monkeys with antlers, mermaids Wings grew, and another person emerged from the back of the man without hands, and a man with a mouth full of sharp teeth growing on his stomach; a man grew a horse head, a horse grew human legs, a fish grew wings, and a bird grew Demons with fish fins on their backs, single-headed or double-headed and single-headed demons; they are obviously cows, but they have chicken tails and butterfly wings, women's heads are covered with scales like fishes, double-headed fire-breathing beasts and scorpion mouths The dragonfly, the centaur, the dragon and the elephant are mixed together.Half-lion, half-swan monster with its tail turned into a bow and arrow ready to shoot, anthropomorphic animals and animal-like gnomes come together; sometimes on the same page there are scenes of pastoral life, depicting farm scenes, farmers, fruit pickers The man, the reaper, the woman weaving, the sower beside the fox; the marten with a bow and crossbow climbing the towers and walls defended by monkeys.Underneath a dragon, the letter "L" is formed by twists and turns: a large snake wrapped around the body naturally turns around to form a big "V". Beside the hymns, there is a liturgical hour book, exquisite and small, about the size of a person's palm, obviously decorated not long ago.The writing on it is extremely small; the patterns in the margins are so invisible at first glance that they must be looked at carefully to see their beauty (you can't help but wonder what superhuman tool this painter could be in such a small space. achieve such a vivid effect).The margins of the entire book are filled with one tiny figure after another, as if by extension of nature; a mermaid, a flying stag, a fire-breathing beast, a human body that extends like a slug from the pages of the text.Somewhere, where "Holy, holy, holy" is repeated in three lines, there are three human-headed bodies, one bent down, one bent up, kissing each other; if you don't know the picture The profound spiritual meaning contained in it will definitely criticize it as a lewd painting without hesitation. I looked at it page by page, feeling both admiration and laughter, because the pictures made people feel happy, even though they were drawn on holy books. Brother William also smiled and said: "In my country, we call this pattern babewyno" "In Gaul they call them babouins," said Malachi. "Adelmo learned his art in your country, though he also studied in France. Baboons, that is, monkeys in Africa. A world turned upside down. , the house stands on the top of the minaret, and the sky is below and the earth is above." I remembered a poem I had heard in my country and couldn't resist reading it.Malachi followed my paragraph and read another paragraph. "You are very nice, Adso," he said, when he had finished reading, "in fact, the pictures say the country you can reach with a blue goose; where eagles catch fish in the river A bear chases a hawk in the sky, a lobster flies with a dove, and three giants are caught in a trap and pecked half to death by a rooster." A faint smile played on his lips, and the monks who listened a bit timidly to the conversation also laughed heartily, as if they had been waiting for the administrator's approval.While the others were still laughing, Malachi frowned.The monks praised poor Adelmo's skill and pointed to the marvelous paintings.Just then, we heard a stern and determined voice behind us. "There is no room for laughter in the sacred place." We turn around.It was an old monk who spoke, his back was slightly hunched due to age, his whole body was as white as snow, not only his skin, but also his face and pupils were also white.I saw that he was blind.Although the years have broken the body, the voice is still majestic, and the limbs are still strong.He stared forward as if he could see us.Since that time, when I saw him in action and in words, I always forgot that he was a blind man. His tone of voice revealed a gift for prophecy. "The man you've seen," Malachi said to William, pointing to the old monk, "is George, who is respected for his age and wisdom. He is the youngest in the monastery except Aliardo of Lotaferre." Sir; Alinardo is a monk who hears the confessions of monks and relieves them of their guilt." Then turning to the old man, he said, "Before you stands our honored guest, Brother William of Baskerville." "I hope my words have not offended you." The old man said in a concise tone, "I heard many people laughing, so remind them not to forget our canon principles. As the hymn writer said, if a monk because of keeping The oath of silence must suppress good speech, so he should avoid bad speech. Just because there is bad speech, it also has bad influence. That is, those who lie about creating forms, let the world see the past, present, and future, Quite the opposite of what happened every century until the end of the world. But you come from another order, where I've heard that even the most inappropriate laughter is tolerated." That's what he said, St. Benedict The order accuses the Franciscans of Assisi of their strange behavior, and probably every single Franciscan brother and bishop who speaks and behaves strangely.But William pretended not to understand his sarcasm. "Margins often inspire laughter, but they are also instructive," he replied, "as in admonishment, to excite the devout imagination of the masses, it is necessary to introduce examples, not only funny, but also instructive. The influence of persuasion. In the bestiary, every virtue and every vice is illustrated, and those animals represent the world." "Ah, yes," said the old man mockingly, without smiling, "any image can inspire virtue, so long as the masterpiece of creation is turned into a laughing stock. God's word is also drawn as a donkey playing a harp and an owl with a shield Plow the field, the ox yokes himself to plow, the river flows upstream, the sea catches fire, the wolf becomes a hermit! Take the ox to hunt the hare, ask the owl to teach you grammar, let the dog bite the flea, one-eyed The defense of the dumb, the dumb begs for food, the ants have a calf, the roast chicken flies to the sky, the cake grows on the roof, the parrot gives a rhetoric lesson, the hen impregnates the rooster, the ox cart pulls the ox, the dog sleeps on the bed, and all the animals put their heads on the ground Walking with feet in the air! What is the purpose of all this nonsense? A world that is the exact opposite of what God created, under the pretense of teaching divine concepts!" "But the Supreme Court of Ancient Greece also said," William said humbly, "that God can be seen only through the most twisted things. St. Victor's Hugh also reminds us that the more we turn similes into metaphors, the more The less the imagination is satisfied with the pleasures of the flesh, the less the imagination reveals the truth through horribly ill-fitting forms, and the more it perceives the holy relics hidden behind the corrupted motifs..." "I know the reasoning of this school! And I am ashamed to admit that when the Abbot of Crunac fought against the Sisters, it was our chief argument. But Saint Bernard said Right: He who paints demons and reveals the premonitions of all things in God, at last takes delight in the nature of the monsters he creates, finds pleasure in them, and ends up seeing only those with his eyes. You still have eyes, you can see Look at the capitals of this monastery." He pointed to the chapel outside the window, "In front of the meditating monks, what is the meaning of those grotesque patterns, those terrifying shapes and demons? Those dirty apes, those human beings Horse-bodied monsters, those half-human creatures with mouths on their bellies, one pair of feet, and ears as big as sails, those spotted tigers, those warriors in battle, those hunters with horns, and those single Monsters with multiple bodies and single heads? A four-horned beast with a tail like a boa constrictor, a fish with a four-horned face; here is an animal that looks like a horse in the front and a sheep in the back, and there is a horse with horns , and so on. Now monks find it more interesting to read a book than to read this article, and would rather admire a person's work than to meditate on God's law. Shame! Your greedy eyes and your smile!" ※Bandhammer School& Fine School E Book※ The old man stopped short of breath.I have a secret admiration for his vivid memory; perhaps he has been blind for years, yet he still remembers the evil patterns he condemns. I can't help but suspect that he might have been seduced by those paintings when he was still able to see, otherwise why would he describe it so hoarsely?I have often found that the most seductive descriptions of evil appear on the pages of books written by the most moral men, though their intent is to condemn.This means that these people, driven by the urgency to reveal the truth, do not hesitate to point out the alluring cloaks of sin out of love for God, so they tell others about the tricks of the devil.事实上，佐治的话反而使我渴望一睹我还没看到的老虎和猴子图案。但佐治打断了我的思潮，以镇定了许多的语气，又一次开口了。 “我们的天主用不着借这么愚蠢的东西对我们指出难关和窄路。它的寓言不会使人发笑，也不会使人恐惧。相反的，你们为他的猝死而哀悼的阿德尔莫，由他所画的恶魔中感受到欢乐，因而看不见它们应该表明的最终意义。他所遵循的都是魔鬼的途径——”他的声音又变得严厉而不祥，“所以上帝要惩罚他。” 写字间里鸦雀无声，最后打破沉默的是维南蒂乌斯。 “可敬的佐治，”他说，“你的美德使你失之不公了。阿德尔莫死前两天，你也在这写字间里辩论过一场。阿德尔莫的画尽管怪异荒诞，但他画这些图像的本意全是为了表达上帝的荣耀，借它们来说明天国的事物。威廉兄弟刚才提及古希腊最高法院的法官，说上帝透过扭曲的物体而存在。阿德尔莫那天也引述了另一位权威者阿基诺的话，说卑贱的躯体比高贵的躯体更能适当地解说神圣的事物。其一是因为人类的精神更容易自错误中得到解脱；事实上，某些产业很明显地不能被归为神圣之物，假如被描写为有形动产，便变得很不确定。其二，因为这种卑微的叙述更适合我们对上帝在这世间的所知，它在'否'中比'是'中更容易显形，因此和上帝最不像的东西更能够引导我们认知它，我们也因此知道它是在我们所说的和所想的之上。第三，借着这个方式，卑劣可耻的人更不能伤害上帝。换句话说吧，那天我们所讨论的问题，是了解真相怎么能透过既激烈又谜样的表现方法显示出来。我还提醒他，说我在亚里斯多德的著作中，发现了对这件事情极为清楚的说法……” “我不记得了。”佐治尖刻地打断他的话，“我是个上了年纪的人，我不记得了。我也许过分严格了些。现在不早了，我该走了。” “真奇怪你怎么会不记得。”维南蒂乌斯坚持道，“那是一场很有意义的讨论，本诺和贝伦加也都参与了。我们所讨论的是，暗喻和诗人们为了乐趣所创出的双关话和谜语，是否会以一种意，想不到的新方式引导我们思索许多事物，我还说这也是智者所应有的一项美德……当时马拉其也在场……” “假使可敬的佐治不记得了，那是因为他的年龄和心智疲惫的缘故……虽然别的时候却是很活跃的。”有一个修士接口说。 最初他的语气颇为激切，但等他意识到他要别人尊敬这位老僧的原意反而使人注意到老人的虚弱，他便压低了声音，变成了近乎道歉的低语。说话的是图书馆的助理管理员，阿伦德尔的贝伦加。他是个脸色苍白的年轻人，望着他，我不由记起了乌伯蒂诺对阿德尔莫的描述：他的眼睛就如一个春情挑动的女人所有。由于现在每个人都看着他，他有点羞怯地绞扭着双手的手指，仿佛想抑制内心的紧张。 维南蒂乌斯的反应很不寻常，他瞥了贝伦加一眼，使得贝伦加垂下了眼眸。 “好吧，兄弟，”他说，“如果记忆是上帝的献礼，那么遗忘的能力可能也是好的，而且也必须被尊重。我敬重年长的兄弟一时的健忘，可是我认为你的记忆应该比较鲜明，当时我们和你的一个好友都在这儿……” 我不敢肯定维南蒂乌斯是否特别强调了“好友”两个字，只觉得在场的人个个都感到困窘。他们每个人都望向不同的方向，而不看涨红了脸的贝伦加。 马拉其迅速以权威的口吻接腔道：“走吧，威廉兄弟，我带你去看看别的有趣的书籍。” 那群人散开了。我看见贝伦加恨恨地望了维南蒂乌斯一眼，维南蒂乌斯也不甘示弱地回瞪他。眼看老佐治就要离去，我被一种尊敬的情感所驱使，鞠躬亲吻他的手。这个老修士接受了这一吻，摸摸我的头，问我是什么人。我报出了姓名后，他的脸色闪耀出光彩。 “你有个伟大而又美丽的名字。”他说，“你知道蒙蒂埃昂德尔的阿德索是谁吗？”我坦白承认我并不知道。他又说，“他是一本巨著《假基督评论》的作者，在那本书中，他预见了将要发生的事情；但并没有很多人留意到他。” “那本书是在千年至福之前所写的，”威廉说，“书里的预言并未实现……” “那是对盲目的人而言。”这个瞎眼的老人说，“假基督的途径扭曲，步调缓慢。他在我们出其不意的时候抵达，并非由于使徒的推算错误，而是因为我们还未获知他的奸计。”然后他转头对着大厅，提高声音叫喊，使得写字间的天花板将他的声音折回，“他就要来了！别再浪费最后的日子对尾巴扭曲、皮肤长斑点的小恶魔发笑了！不要浪费最后的七天！”