Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Sculpture in Stone

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Tl1e Lincoln Imp, who sits entЬгoncd at tl1e foot of а cul-de-lampe in the choir, is so familiar to every child, 110w, through his photographs and casts, that it is hardly пccessary to describe blm. But many visitors to the cathedral fail to come across thc old legend of his oгigin. It is as follo,vs: " The wind one day brought two imps to vie,,y the new :Мinster at Lincoln. Both imps wеге gгeatly impressed with the magnitudc and beauty of the strнcture, and one of them, smitten Ьу а fatal cшiosity, slipped inside the building to see ,vhat was going оп. His temeгity, howevcr, cost him dear, for he was so petrified with astonishment, that his heart Ьесаше as stone within him, and he 1·cmained rooted to the spot. The other imp, full of g1·icf at the loss of his brother, fle,v madly rouпd tl1c Minster, seeking in vain for tlю lost one. At length, beiпg wea1·ied out, he alightcd, quitc unwittingly, upon tlie shoнlders of а certaiп witch, and was also, and iв like mаnнег, instantly turned to stone. But the wind still hauвts the Minste1· p1·ecincts, ,vaiting their return, now hopelessly desolate, поw raging with fury." А ve1·se, also, is interesting in this connection:

" The Bishop we know died long ago, The wind still waitв, nor will he go, Till he has а chance of beating his foe. But the devil hopped without а limp, And at once took shape as the Lincoln Imp. And there he sit,s atop of а coluшn, And grins at the people who gaze so solemn, .Мoreover, he mocks at the wind below, And sаув: 'You may wait till doomsday, 01'"