Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

330 "Aтts апd C1·afts in tЬе Mjddle Ages

"'егс not possessed of much гcligious chaгity, they ш­ dicatcd а seculaг book Ьу scгatchiнg thei1· ears, as dogs а1·е sпpposed to do, to iшply the suggcstion that tЬе infidcl ,vho ,Yrote such а book was no better than а dog ! Tl1is extract is made f1·om а book in one of tl1c еагlу monastic libraгies. "Oh, Lord, send the Ыessing of tl1y Holy Spi1·it uрон thcse books, tliat, cleansing them f1·om all earthly things, they may mcгcifully enlighteн ош hcarts, анd give пs truc пndeгstanding, апd grant tЬat Ьу tl1eir teaching tl1ey may b1·iglltly pгeserve ancl make а fнll abundaпce of good '\vorks accшdiпg to Thy ,vill." The books wеге kept in cнpboai·ds, "'ith doors; in the Cнstoms of the Augustinc PгiOl'y of BarшYell, these di1·ectio11s are given: "The pгess iн ,Yhicl1 the books а1·с kept ougЬt to Ье lined ,Yith wood, that tl1e dашр of the "'alls шау ноt moisteп or staiп the books. The press shoulcl Ье divided vertically as well as hoгizontally, Ьу sund1·y paгtitions, on ,vhich the books may Ье ranged so as to Ьс scparated fгош one аnоtЬег, for fea1· tl1ey Ье packed so closc as t.o injшe опе anothe1·, 01· to delay those ,vho ,vant them." ,v e геаd of tl1e " chained books " of the l\Iiddle Ages, and I tl1ink the1·e is а popular belief tЬat this referred to the fact tЬat tЬе ВiЫе ,Yas kept iп tl1e priest's hands, and chained so that the people slюпld not Ье аЫе to гсаd it fог themselves and become faшiliar ,vith every part of it. This, however, is а mistakc. It "'aS the book� in tЬе libraries ,vhich \Yere chaiпed, so that dishoпest people shoнld not make ,vay witЬ them ! In one Chapter