Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

CHAPTER XI

ILLUl\'IINATlON OF nooкs

0NE caнnot eвtcr а book shop or а library to-daywitl1- oнt 1·ealiziпg 110,v тапу thoнsands of books аге in coн­ staпt ciгcнlation. There ,vas an age ,vl1en books wеге laboгiously but шost beautifнlly ,vгitten, iпstead of bcing thнs qнickly шanufactнrcd Ьу the aid of the type­ srtting шacl1ine; tl1e mateгial оп \Yl1ich thc glossy text ,vas cxecнted ,vas vellнш instead of the сЬеар рарсе of to-day, the illustrations, instcad of bcing easily rcpгo­ dнced Ьу photogгaphic processes, ,vсгс veritaЫe minia­ tшe paintings, most dccorative, аЫаzе ,vШ1 colour and fine gold, in these tiшcs it is easy to foгget tlшt t11егс was cve1· а peгiod ,vhcп tl1e шakiпg of а single book occupied уеагs, and soшetimcs the life-tiшe of one ог t,Yo шеn. In thosc days, when the tгanscription of bool�s was one of the chief occupations in гeligioнs lюuses, thc гeclusc monk, in t}1e quiet of the scгiptoi·ium, was, in spite of his seclusion, апd indecd, Ьу гeason of it, the cl1ief link betweeп tl1e ,voгld of lcttcrs and the ,vorlcl of men. 326