Where you visit the rest of the abbey, William
draws some conclusions about the death of Adelmo, talking with his brother
glazier glass to read and ghosts for those who want to read too much
Then rang for vespers, and the monks set about to leave their tables. Malachi made us understand that we had to go. He would stay with his assistant, Berengar, rearranging things and (as he expressed) to prepare the library for the night. William asked him if he then closed the doors.
"There are doors that defend access to the scriptorium of the kitchen and the dining hall or the library from the scriptorium. Stronger than any door must be an interdict Abbot. And the monks have to use the kitchen and the dining hall and up to Compline. At that point, to prevent objects or animals, for which the interdict is not the case, may enter the building, I shut myself down from the portals, and leading to the kitchen and the dining hall, and from that hour 's Building remains isolated. "
went down. While the monks were heading to the choir my teacher decided that the Lord would forgive us if we had not seen the Divine Office (the Lord had much to forgive in the following days!) And asked me to walk a bit with him over the grounds so that we become familiar with the place.
We went from the kitchen, crossed the cemetery gravestones there were more recent, and others bore the marks of time, recounting the lives of monks who lived in past centuries. The graves were nameless, surmounted by stone crosses.
The weather was spoiling. A cold wind had risen and the sky was hazy. He guessed that the sun was setting behind the gardens and it was already dark to the east, where we went, past the church choir and reaching the back of the plateau. There, almost close to the wall, where it is welded to the east tower, the building, were the barns and swineherds were covering the jar with the blood of pigs. We noticed that the stables behind the wall was lower, so that we could look out. Beyond the sheer walls, the land sloped steeply below was covered with a fine pottery that the snow could not completely hide. I realized that it was the deposit of litter that was thrown out of that place, and descended until the hairpin which branched off the path along which the fugitive had ventured Brunello. I say litter because it was a large landslide on puteolente, whose smell coming up from where I leaned on the railing, obviously the farmers were to draw from the bottom in order to use this power for the fields. But the manure of animals and men, mingled with other solid waste materials throughout the ebb death that expelled from the abbey's body, in order to remain clean and pure in her relationship with the top of the mountain and the sky.
In the stables near the grooms were bringing back the animals to the manger. We walked the path along which extended from the side of the wall, various stalls, and to the left, behind the choir, the monks' dormitory, and then the latrines. Where the eastern wall bent towards the south, corner of the wall, there was the building of forges. The last blacksmith was putting away their gear off and the bellows, to start the Divine Office. William moved with curiosity about some of the forges, almost separated from the rest of the laboratory, where Monaco was putting away his things. On his desk there was a beautiful collection of colored glass, small, but larger plates were against the wall. Before him stood a shrine still unfinished, of which there was only the silver casing, but on which he was evidently embedding glass and other stones, with its instruments had reduced the size of a bud.
knew so Nicholas Morisset, glazier abbey. He explained that in the back of the forge is also blown glass, while in the front, where they were blacksmiths, glass-fixing leads to the assembly to make stained glass. But, he added, the great opera glass, which beautified the church and the building was already completed at least two centuries ago. Now there was limited to minor works, repair of failures of the time.
"And with great difficulty," he added, "because you can no longer find the colors of the past, especially the blue that you can still be seen in the choir, a quality so clear that a high sun pours in the nave of a light paradise. The windows of the western part of the nave, rebuilt not long ago, are not the same quality, and it shows on summer days. 'S useless, "he added," we no longer have the wisdom of the ancients, the era of giants! "
" We are dwarfs, "William admitted," but dwarfs who stand on the shoulders of those giants, and in our littleness we sometimes to see further than their horizon. "
" Tell me what you do best that they have not been able to do, "said Nicola. "If you go down in the crypt of the church which houses the treasures of the abbey, you will find relics of the exquisite craftsmanship that the monster that I am now building miserably," and he pointed to his work on the table, "wilt thou see those monkeys!"
"Is it not written that teachers must continue to build glass windows and goldsmiths shrines, where the masters of the past have been able to produce such beautiful and will last for ever. Otherwise, the earth would be filled with shrines, at a time when the saints whose relics TRAR are so rare, "William quipped. "Nor should settle forever the windows. But I have seen in several countries new works made with glass that we're thinking about a future world in which the glass is not only serving the divine offices as well as help to the weakness of man. Do you want to show a work-day, of which I am honored to have a useful example. " He put his hands in his robe and pulled out the slow left amazed that our interlocutor.
Nicola took the fork that William held out to him with great interest: "Oculi de vitro cum capsule!" He said. "I had heard from some one I met Jordan in Pisa! He said he had passed twenty years that had been invented. But I spoke with him over twenty years ago. "
" I think they were invented long before, "William said," but they are difficult to make, and it takes very skilled glassmakers. They cost time and effort. Ten years ago a couple of these glassy ab oculis legendum to have been sold to Bologna for sixpence. I had it a couple as a gift from a great teacher, Salvino degli Armati, more than ten years ago, and I have jealously guarded for so long as they were - which are now - part of my body. "
" I hope they let me examine one of these days, I would not mind producing similar, "said Nicola excited.
"Sure," agreed William, "but be sure that the thickness of the glass must vary according to which the eye must adapt, and you have groped a lot of these lenses on the patient for testing, until you find the good thickness .
"How wonderful!" continued Nicholas. "Yet many would speak of witchcraft and diabolical manipulation ..."
"You can certainly talk for these things of magic, "agreed William. "But there are two forms of magic. There's a magic that is the work of the devil and which seeks the ruin of man through artifacts which are not permitted to speak. But there is a magic that is the work of God, where the knowledge of God is manifested through the science of man, which serves to transform nature, and one of whose purposes is to prolong the life of man. And that is holy magic, which the scholars will increasingly need to focus, to not only discover new things but to discover many secrets of nature and the divine wisdom revealed to Jews, Greeks and other ancient peoples, and even today the infidels ( and will not tell you how many wonderful things in optics and vision science there is in the books of the infidels!). And all this knowledge will have to repossess a Christian Science, and return to the pagans and infidels tamquam ab iniustis possessoribus. "
" But because those who possess this science does not communicate it to all the people of God? "
" Why do not all God's people are ready to accept so many secrets, and it often happened that the custodians of this science have been mistaken for magicians bound by pact with the devil, paying with their lives who had the desire to make others share in their treasure knowledge. I myself, during processes in which someone was suspected of dealings with the devil, I had to look at me from using these lenses, using secretaries willing I read the scriptures I needed, because otherwise, at a time when the presence of the devil was so pushy, and everyone breathed, so to speak, the 'sulfur smell, I myself would have been seen as friend of the indicted. And finally, he felt the great Roger Bacon, is not always the secrets of science must go into the hands of everybody, because some might use this power for evil purposes. Often, the expert must show how magical books that are not magic, but just good science, to protect them from prying eyes. "
" You fear that so simple can make bad use of these secrets? " Nicola asked.
"As for the simple fear that they can only be terrified, confused with those works of the devil which too often speak of their preachers. See, I happen to know that skilled doctors were able to recover distillate medicines at once a disease. But they gave their ointment or tea to serve with simple chanting sacred words and phrases that seemed prayers. Not because these prayers had the power to heal, but because I believe that healing came from prayers, the simple swallow the brew and sprinkle them with the ointment, and so heal without paying too much attention to its effective force. And because the soul, well excited by the devout faith in the formula, it possessed better physical action of the medicine. But often the treasures of science must be defended against the simple but not against other scholars. We are now prodigious machines, which one day will tell you, with which one can truly direct the course of nature. But trouble if they fall into the hands of men who would use their power to extend the ground and quench their thirst for possession. I am told that in Cathay essay has mixed a powder that can produce in contact with fire, a great roar and a great flame, destroying everything for arms and arms around. Admirable artifice, if it were used to divert the course of rivers or crush the rock where there is by tilling the soil. But if someone would use to adversely harm their enemies? "
" Maybe it would be good if they were enemies of the people of God, "said Nicola devoutly.
"Maybe," admitted William. "But who is now the enemy of the people of God? John Louis emperor or pope? "
" Oh my Lord, "said Nicola fright," I would not just decide on his own something so painful! "
" See, "William said. "Sometimes it is good that some secrets remain hidden still under discussions. The secrets of nature are carried in skins of goat or sheep. Aristotle says in the book of secrets that you talk too much mysteries of nature and art breaks a seal blue and that many ills could follow. Which is not to say that the secrets should not be revealed, but it is for the learned to decide when and how. "
" So it is good that in places like this, "said Nicholas," not all books are available to everyone .
"This is another story," William said. "You can err on the side of over-talkative and reticent. I did not mean it is necessary to hide the sources of science. I think this is indeed a great evil. I wanted to say that dealing with arcane which can be born either good or evil, the wise man has the right and duty to use an obscure language, understandable only to his fellow men. The way of science is difficult and it is difficult to distinguish good from evil. Often, the scholars of modern times are only dwarfs on the shoulders of dwarves. "
The amiable conversation with my teacher had to take place in the vein of Nicholas confidences. Therefore winked to William (as if to say you and I understand why we speak the same things) and alluded to: "But down there," and he pointed to the building, "the secrets of science are well defended by works of magic ..."
"Yes?" William said displaying indifference. "Locked doors, strict prohibitions, threats, I guess."
"Oh no, more ..."
"What for example?"
"Look, I do not know exactly, I take care of glasses and books, but stories circulate in the abbey ... strange ... "
" What kind? "
" Strange. Say, a Monaco at night that he wanted to venture into a library and look for something that Malachi had not wanted him, and saw snakes, headless men, and men with two heads. I almost went out of the maze crazy ... "
" Why do you speak of magic, not diabolical apparitions? "
" Because even if they are a poor glazier are not so naive. The devil (God save us!) Does not attempt to Monaco with a two-headed snakes and men. If ever with lascivious visions, as with the fathers of the desert. And then, if it is wrong to put his hand on some books, why should the devil away from committing a monaco evil? "
" I think a good enthymeme, "admitted my teacher.
"And finally, when adjusted the windows in the hospital, I enjoyed looking through some books Severino. There was a book I wrote Secrets of Albertus Magnus: I was attracted by some curious miniatures, and I read the pages on how you can anoint the wick of an oil lamp, and fumigations therefrom procure visions. You may have noticed, or rather have not noticed yet because you have not spent a night in the abbey, which during the dark hours the upper Building is lit. From the windows, in some places, it shines a dim light. Many have wondered what it is, and there was talk of wisps, or the souls of the dead monks librarians who return to visit their kingdom. Many here believe. I think lamps are prepared for the visions. You know, if you take the fat ear of a dog and anoint a wick, who breathe the smoke of that lamp will believe that you have a dog's head, and if it will see him next someone with a dog head. And there is another ointment that makes people run around the lamp feel as big as elephants. And through the eyes of a bat and two fish can not remember the name, and the gall of a wolf, just a sliver burning that you will see animals that you got fat. And with the tail of a lizard you see all the things around as silver, and with the fat of a black snake and a fragment of the shroud, the room appears full of snakes. I know. Someone in the library is very smart ... "
" But it could be the souls of the dead librarians who make these spells? "
Nicola stood perplexed and uneasy:" At this I had not thought of. Maybe. God protect us. E 'late evening has already begun. Goodbye. "And he walked toward the church.
We continued along the south side: the right hotel for pilgrims and the chapter house with a garden, left the mills, the mill, barns, cellars, the house of novices. And all hurrying to the church.
"What do you think of what he said Nicola?" I asked.
"I do not know. Something happens in the library, and I do not think librarians are the souls of the dead ... "
" Why? "
" Because I guess they were so virtuous today that they stay in the kingdom of heaven to contemplate the face of divinity, whether this response you can meet. As for the lamps, if there are we'll see. And as for the ointments with which we spoke our glassblower, there are easier ways to get visions, Severino and know them well, you noticed today. It 'clear that the abbey you do not want you to penetrate the night at the library instead, and that many have tried or are trying to do it. "
" And our offense has to do with this? "
" Crime? The more I think the more I am convinced that Adelmo killed himself. "
" Why? "
" Do you remember this morning when I noticed the deposit of litter? As we climbed the hairpin, dominated by the east tower at that point I had noticed the marks left by a landslide: that is, a plot of land, more or less where litter accumulates, since rolling was slid under the tower. And that's why tonight, when we looked down, litter there appeared little snow-covered or just covered by the last of yesterday, not from that of recent days. As for the corpse of Adelmo, the abbot told us that was torn from the rocks, and under the east tower, once the construction ends overhanging pine trees grow. The rocks are at the point where the wall ends of the wall, forming a sort of step, and then starts dropping litter. "
" So what? "
" So what if you no longer ... how to say ...? less costly for our minds to think that Adelmo, for reasons yet to be seen, has thrown his own free from the parapet of the wall, and bounced on the rocks, which were dead or wounded, and fallen into mulch. Then the landslide caused by Hurricane that evening, he slipped and litter and the soil and the body of the poor in the east tower. "
" Why do you say that is a less costly for our minds? "
" Dear Adso, no need to multiply explanations and causes without them even has a strict necessity. If Adelmo fell from the east tower that must be entered in the library, someone has hit him first because it does not fit, I've found a way to come up with a dead body on their shoulders up to the window that has opened and has precipitated down the unfortunate. By my guess there are enough instead Adelmo, his will, and a landslide. Everything is explained using fewer cases. "
" But why would you kill? "
" Why would kill him? In any case, you should find reasons. It seems to me that there are undoubted. In Building an air of reticence, something we all are silent. In the meantime we have put together some hints, very vague indeed, on some strange relationship between Adelmo and Berengar. It means we'll keep an eye on the assistant librarian. "
While he talked, the office of Vespers was over. The servants returned to their duties before retiring for the evening meal, the monks were heading to the dining hall. The sky was dark and was starting to snow. A light snow, a small fluffy flakes, which would continue, I think, for most of the night because the next morning the whole plateau was covered with a white blanket, as I will.
I was hungry and welcomed with relief the idea of \u200b\u200bgoing to the canteen.
0 comments:
Post a Comment