which William and Adso enjoy the hospitality of the Abbot
happy and angry conversation Jorge
The dining room was illuminated by large torches. The monks sat along a row of tables, dominated by the abbot's table, located perpendicular to them on a wide platform. On the other side a pulpit, which had already taken place the Monaco that he would read during dinner. The abbot was waiting for us at a fountain with a white cloth to dry your hands after the sink, just the ancient councils of St. Pachomius.
The abbot invited William to his table and said that that evening, as I was too cool a guest, I would have enjoyed the same privilege, even though I was a Benedictine novice. The following day, he said paternally, I could sit at the table with the monks, or if my teacher had assigned some task, go before or after meals in the kitchen, where cooks would take care of me.
The monks were now standing at the tables, with the hood down buildings on the face and hands under the scapular. The abbot approached his table and pronounced the blessing. The cantor intoned from the pulpit Edentia pauperes. The abbot gave his blessing, and everyone sat down.
The rule provides for a founder of our dinner very park, but let the abbot decide how much food they actually need the monks. On the other hand is now in our abbeys greater indulgence in pleasures of the table. I do not mean those who, unfortunately, have turned into dens of wolverines, but also inspired by criteria of repentance and virtue provide the monks, intent almost always heavy work of the intellect, a nutrient not soft but strong. On the other hand, the abbot's table is always preferred, also because they often sit there for guests, and monasteries are proud of the products of their land and their stables, and the skill of their cooks.
The meal of the monks took place in silence, as of custom, talking to each other with our usual alphabet of the fingers. The novices and younger monks were served first, immediately after the food for all were gone by the abbot's table.
Abbot's table sat with us Malachi, the cellarer and the two oldest monks, Jorge of Burgos, the old blind man who had already known in the scriptorium and the old Alinardo Grottaferrata nearly century-old limp and fragile in appearance, and - I thought - absent-minded. We told him that the Abbot, already a novice in the abbey, had always lived there and he remembered the events of eighty years old. The abbot told us these things softly at first, because later it held the use of our order and in silence followed the reading. But as I said, the abbot's table we took a few licenses, and there was praise of the dishes we were offered, while the abbot was celebrating the quality of its oil, or its wine. In fact once, mix drinks, those songs reminded us of the rule where the holy founder had observed certain that the wine does not agree to the monks, but since you can not persuade the monks of our time not to drink, at least not drink until satiety, because the wine leads to apostasy even the wise, as noted by Ecclesiastes. Benedict said "our time" and referred to his now very far: just imagine the days when we ate at the abbey, after many decades of costumes (and I do not speak of my time, that now I write, except that here in Melk is greater indulgence in beer!), in short, we drank without exaggerating, but not without taste.
ate skewered meats, freshly slaughtered pigs, and I realized that was not used for other foods of animal fat or rapeseed oil, but the good oil Olive, who came from the abbey owned land at the foot of the mountain to the sea. The abbot made us enjoy (on his or her lunch) I saw that chicken prepared in the kitchen. I noticed that very rare thing, he also had a metal fork, or in the form reminded me of the lenses of my master, man of noble extraction, our guest did not want to get dirty your hands with food, and even offered us his instrument at least to take the meat from the large plate and place them in our bowls. I refused, but I saw that William gladly accepted and helped himself with ease from Lords of that thing, maybe not to try the Abbot that the Franciscans were people of humble extraction, and poor education.
Enthusiast as I was for all those good foods (after a few days of travel in which we were fed as we could), I was distracted by the course of reading while devotedly continued. There was prompted by a vigorous grunt of assent from Jorge, and I realized that was the point where it was always read a chapter of the Rule. Jorge I realized why he was so satisfied, after hearing this afternoon. In fact, the player said: "Let us imitate the example of the prophet who says: I decided, I will watch on my way to not sin with my tongue, I put a gag in my mouth, are dumb humiliating, I abstained from speaking of things also honest. And if the prophet in this passage teaches us that sometimes for the sake of silence you should refrain from even legitimate discourse, we must refrain from the most speeches illegal to avoid penalty of this sin! "And then he continued:" But the vulgarity, the foolishness and antics condemn us to perpetual imprisonment, in any place , and do not permit the disciple to open his mouth to make speeches of this kind. "
" And this applies to the marginalia of which was said today, "Jorge did not hold back from commenting in a low voice. "Giovanni Boccadoro said that Christ never laughed."
"Nothing in his human nature forbade him," William said, "because laughter, as the theologians teach, is proper to man."
"Strong legitur eo usus sed potuit fuisse," Jorge said flatly, citing Peter Singer.
"Manduca, jam coctum east," William whispered.
"What?" Said Jorge, who believed that he was referring to some food that was brought.
"are the words that were uttered by the second Ambrose St. Lawrence on the gridiron, when he invited his executioners to turn the other side, as also noted in Peristephanon Prudentius," William said with the air of a saint. "San Lorenzo knew then laugh and say ridiculous things, even to humiliate their enemies."
"This shows that laughter is something very close to death and corruption the body, "Jorge said in a growl, and I have to admit that he behaved like a good Loïc.
At that point the abbot kindly invited us to silence. The dinner was ending, however. The abbot stood up and introduced William to the monks. Praised his wisdom, he reveals his fame, and felt that he had been asked to investigate the death of Adelmo, calling the monks to answer your questions and to advise their subordinates, all the abbey, to do likewise. And to facilitate the research, provided, he added, his claims did not contravene the rules of the monastery. In which case should have been used to its authorization.
After dinner, the monks arranged to start the choir office Compline. He dropped the cap back on the face and lined up in front of the door, at the station. Then they moved in a long line across the graveyard and entering the choir from the north door.
We started with the abbot. "At this time we close the doors of the building?" William asked.
"As soon as the servants will clean the kitchen and the dining hall, the librarian will close all the doors locked from the inside."
"inside? And he comes from where? "
Abbot William stared for a moment, serious face:" Of course he does not sleep in the kitchen, "he said abruptly. And hurried.
"Well well," she whispered William, "then there is another entrance, but we do not need to know." I smiled proudly of his deduction, and he scolded me: "Do not laugh. Have you seen that within these walls the rice does not enjoy a good reputation. "
entered the choir. A single lamp was burning on a sturdy tripod of bronze, as tall as two men. The monks were placed in stalls in silence, while the reader reads a passage from a homily of St. Gregory.
Then the abbot made a sign and the cantor sang Tu autem Domine miserere nobis. The abbot said Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini, and all they did with Qui fecit choir coelum et Terram. So began the singing of the psalms: When I call answer me O God of my righteousness; We thank the Lord with all my heart on bless the Lord, all servants of the Lord. We had not put in the stalls, and there were portraits in the main aisle. It was from there that we saw Malachi suddenly emerge from the darkness of a side chapel.
"Keep an eye on that point," said William. "There may be a passage leading to Building."
"Under the cemetery?"
"And why not? Indeed, in retrospect, there must be somewhere a charnel house, it is impossible for centuries to bury all the monks in that strip of land. "
" But you really want to go to the library at night? "I asked, aghast.
"Where are the monks and the dead snakes and mysterious lights, my good Adso? No, boy. I was thinking today, and not out of curiosity but because I was pondering the question of how he died Adelmo. Now, as I said, prefer a more logical explanation, and all in all I respect the customs of this place. "
" Then why do you want to know? "
" Because science is not just knowing what we should or can do, but also in knowing what we could do and maybe you should not do. That is why today I said to the wise master glazier who must somehow conceal the secrets he uncovers, because others do not do bad use, but you have to discover them, this library and it seems to me rather a place where secrets are covered. "
With these words he went outside the church, because the office was over. We were both very tired and we went into our cell. I curled up in what William jokingly called my "niche" and fell asleep immediately.
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