Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

332 Arts and C1·afts in tl1e �iiddle Ages

respective buildings theгe was barely гооm for а шап - to pass along. The clюral se1·vice of one monasteгy conflicted "·ith that of the other, so that both ,,·еге spoiled, and the ringing of their bells together pгoducecl а horrid effect." One of tl1e шost irnportant monasteries of early times, on the Continent, ,vas that conductccl Ьу Alcuin, undcг the pгotection of Charlemagпe. "Ъеn thc appointed time for ,vгiting camc гонnd, the monks filed into the scгiptoгiuш, taki11g their places at tЬеiг dcsks. One of theiг number tЬen stoocl in tЬс шidst, авd геаd aloud, slowly, fог dictatioп, thc ,Уогk upon ,,·hich tЬеу ,Уеге engaged as copyists; in this ,Уау, а score of copies could Ье made at опс tiшc. Аlснiп hiшself ,Yould pass about among them, rnaking suggestions and coгrecting eпors, а beautifнl example of tгнс consccгation, thc gгcat scholar spending his tiшe thus in sнpeгvising tlie tran­ sc1·iption of the ,v oгd of God, fгош а desire to have it spread fаг and ,Yide. Alcнin se11t а letter to Charle­ magne, accoшpanying а present of а сору of the ВiЫе, at the time of the empeгor's co1·onatio11, and from this letter, ,Yhich is still prese1тed, it may Ье seen how revereпt а spirit his was, and lюw he esteemed the things of the spiritнal life as greater than the riches of the "·orld. "After deliberating а long while," he writes, " " 1 hat the deYotion of my mind шight find worthy of а present eqнal to the splendour of your Imperial digпity, and the incгease of your "'·ealth, - at length Ьу the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I found ,Yhat it