Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

60 Aгts апd Cl'afts ш tl1e l\Ibldle Ages

did яJl that he coнld for thc causc of fгсеdош Ьу in­ vesting шost of his шопеу in slaves, апd then setting thcш at libeгty. Soшctimes l1e woнld "corner" а wholc slave шагkсt, buying as many as thirty to а hнndred at а tiшe. Sоше of these шaпuшitted persons became his own faithful followers: somc entered thc гeligious life, and otl1eгs devoted thcir talents to tЬeir be11efactor, and workcd in his studios for thc fнгtheгing of я.rt in the Chuгch. Не once played а trick upon the king. Нс гequestcd the gift of а to\vn, in ordeг, as he explained, that he might theгc bнild а laddcг Ьу \Vhich thcy might both геасh heaven. The king, in the гather credulous fashion of the tiшes, granted his rcqucst, and waited to see the ladder. St. Eloi proшptly bнilt а monastcгy. If the monarch did not choose to avail hiшself of this species of laddeг, - sшely it \vas no fault of thc buildcг ! St. Oucn and St. Eloi were consecгated Ьishops on the sаше day, Мау 14, St. Ouc11 to tlle Bishopric of Rouen, and Eloi to the See of Noyon. Не шаdе а gгeat hunt for the body of St. Qнentin, \vЬich had Ьееп unfor­ tunately mislaid, having been bшicd in the neighbouг­ hood of Noyon; he tшned up every availaЫe spot of groнnd arouпd, \vithin and be11eath the church, нntil he found а skeleton in а tomb, with sоше iгon nails. This he proclaimed to Ье the sacгed body, fог the legenJ was that St. Quentiп lшd bccn maгty1·ed Ьу Ьaving пails clriven into Ьis head ! Altlюugh it \vas q11ite evidcпt to others that these \vc1·e coffiп nails, still St. Eloi