Chapter 10 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.In fact, George's words made me long for a glimpse of a tiger and monkey pattern I hadn't seen yet.But George interrupted my thoughts, and spoke again in a much calmer tone. "It is not necessary for our God to show us the difficulties and the narrow way through such a foolish thing. His parables do not amuse or frighten. On the contrary, Adelmo, whom you mourned for his sudden death, Take pleasure in the demons he paints, and lose sight of the ultimate meaning they are supposed to signify. All he follows is the path of the devil—” His voice became harsh and ominous again, “so God will punish him.” There was a complete silence in the office, which was finally broken by Venantius. "My venerable George," he said, "your virtue has wronged you. You had a debate in this office two days before Adelmo's death. Absurd as Adelmo's pictures were, they His intention in painting these images was all to express the glory of God, and to use them to illustrate the things of the kingdom of heaven. Brother William just mentioned the judge of the Supreme Court of ancient Greece, saying that God exists through distorted objects. Adelmo also quoted that day In the words of another authority, Aquino, it is said that a lowly body can more properly explain sacred things than a noble body. One is because the human spirit is more likely to be free from error; The earth cannot be classified as a sacred thing, and if it is described as tangible movable property, it becomes very uncertain. Second, because this humble description is more suitable for what we know about God in this world, it is in the 'No' Easier to manifest than in 'is', so that which is least like God can lead us to know it, and we know it to be above what we say and think. Thirdly, by this means A despicable and shameful person cannot hurt God. In other words, the question we discussed that day was to understand how the truth can be revealed through a method of expression that is both fierce and mysterious. I also reminded him that I was in Aris In the writings of Dodd, a very clear statement of the matter is found..." "I don't remember," interrupted George sharply. "I'm an old man, I don't remember. Maybe I was being too strict. It's getting late, I should go." "It's strange how you don't remember," insisted Venantius. "It was a good discussion, and Benno and Belengar were involved. We were talking about metaphors and poets Did the puns and riddles invented for fun lead us to think of many things in new and unexpected ways, and I say that is also a virtue of a wise man... Malachi was there... ..." "If the venerable George doesn't remember, it's because of his age and mental fatigue... though he's active at other times," interjected a monk. At first his tone was rather impassioned, but when he realized that his original intention of asking people to respect the old monk had instead drawn attention to the old man's weakness, he lowered his voice to an almost apologetic whisper.It was Berengar of Arundel, the Assistant Librarian who spoke.He was a pale young man, and looking at him, I couldn't help remembering Ubertino's description of Adelmo: his eyes were like those of an amorous woman.With everyone looking at him now, he twisted the fingers of his hands a little timidly, as if trying to suppress the tension in his heart. Venantius reacted unusually. He glanced at Berengar, causing Berengar to lower his eyes. "Well, brother," he said, "if memory is a gift from God, then the ability to forget may be good too, and must be respected. I respect the fleeting forgetfulness of older brothers, but I think your memory should It's more obvious, when we were here with a friend of yours..." I'm not sure whether Venantius emphasized the word "friend" in particular, but everyone present was embarrassed.Each of them looked in a different direction than the blushing Belenga. Malachi quickly said in an authoritative tone: "Let's go, Brother William, I will take you to read other interesting books." The group dispersed.I saw Berengar look at Venantius with hatred, and Venantius glared back at him not to be outdone.Seeing old George's departure, I was moved by a feeling of respect, and I bowed and kissed his hand.The old monk accepted the kiss, patted my head, and asked who I was.His face lit up when I called out my name. "You have a great and beautiful name," he said. "Do you know who Adso of Montierandre is?" I confess I don't know.He added, "He's the author of a great book, A Commentary on the Antichrist, and in that book, he sees what's going to happen; but not a lot of people are paying attention to him." "That book was written before the Millennium," said William, "and the prophecies in it were not fulfilled..." "That is for the blind," said the blind old man. "The ways of the antichrist are twisted and slow. He arrived when we were not expecting him, not because the apostles miscalculated, but because we have not yet learned of his tricks." Then he turned his head to the hall, and shouted so high that the office ceiling echoed his voice, "He's coming! Don't waste your last days laughing at little devils with twisted tails and blotchy skin No! Don't waste the last seven days!"