Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

358 Arts and C1·afts iп tl1e Midclle Ages

lшd а special gift for exp1·essing in his artistic creations his o,vn spiritual lifc; tlю ve1·y qualities for which he stood, his virtues and liis crгors, - pшity, tinquestion­ ing faith in the шiгactilous, naпo,vпess of creed, ancl gentlc апd adoгiпg hшnility,- all these eleшents arc scen to coшpleteness in his decшative pictшes. Peгhaps tl1is is becausc hc гeally lived llp to his pгinciples. One of his favourite sayings ,vas " Не \Уlю occupies hiшself \Yitl1 the things of Chгist; шнst eve1· d,vell ,vith Christ." It is related tlшt, in the Monasteгy of Maes Eyck, ,vhile the illншiпatoгs wегс at ,voгk in the evening, copying Holy "\Vгit, the devil, in а fit of гаgе, extinguished their candlcs; they, Ьоwеvег, ,vere proшptly lightecl again Ьу а B1·eath ot· tl1e Holy Spirit, and the good ,voгk ,vent on ! Salvation was supposed to Ье gained through conscientioнs ,vгitiпg. А stoгy is told of а 1,,voгldly and f1·ivololls bгother, \Vho ,vas gllilty of шапу sins and foПies, but wЬо, neveгtheless, was an iпdustrious scribe. "\Vhen he саше to die, tl1e clevil claiшed his soul. The angels, ho,vcveг, bгoнgl1t before the Тhгопе а great book of гeligioнs Instгuctions ,vhich he had illllminated, and fог every lettc1· tl1eгein, he гeceived pardon for опе siп. Behold! "\Vhen the account was coшpleted, there pгoved to Ье one lette1· оvш·! thc па�таtш adds nai"vely, " And it ,vas а vегу Ьig book." Perhaps шоrе than any books executed in thc better period, afte1· the decline had begun, ,vei·e thc Books of Hours, containing the numerous daily devotions ,vhich fшm рагt of tlie 1·itiшl of the Roman Chшch. Every