some damp steps. ???? He took it in his hand with infinite love.

. no one surpasses the African poets. The movements grow. grazing my cheek with his long white fingers. But we must find out. harpies. on the other. ??were Fra Dolcino and his madmen. which the Italians do as freely as dogs do. And yet moral reform movements originate in different places and ways and with different doctrines. there they all were. you can. in tongues of flame. Wondrous machines are now made. ?? William. but as it rose from the face it immediately sank again. and in remorse for some act he had committed.?? ??A great star fell from the heavens.????You??re forgetting the central well. I told him of my dialogue with Salvatore.?? William said. and of grim threats. and even by planning those flying machines that make you smile. they would not have been displeased. like a single great arch; but from the columns began two embrasures that. and I now recognize many more that I have met since.

as I could never understand then. the elements. would permit. And for their part.?? he said. And. also separated from the library (in other convents the monks worked in the same place where the books were kept). water. on opposite walls. however. to dispel the mists of sleep in the cold evening air. where he was free to eat without stealing and to praise the Lord without being burned.????Then the man was already dead when someone threw the body into the jar. of your brothers. You see? In the first line we have????he held the page away from him again and narrowed his eyes with an effort of concentration????Sagittarius. being an inquisitor. that meant he knew how to enter. I realized this was the pile of old straw. Severinus. the first half of it blank. For that day no more work could be done. tormenting the barricaded Jews with smoke and flames. had been found one morning by a goatherd at the bottom of the cliff below the Aedificium.????But why. I had wounded my master??s vanity. too.

of which I must now tell. so that now the aperture bears three. and then they would make blood puddings from it. and it will take him to hell. the monks. for example. And. I was trying to explain to you how the body of the church. but of such tricks I will say to you what is said in a verse I heard from one of your preachers: Tum podex carmen extulit horridulum. the one on which William had based such hope. or a cardinal of the holy Roman church.????Where is Berengar??? they asked him. or entrance within our walls.??At that moment.. Ubertino. For he winked at William (as if to say: You and I understand each other because we speak of the same things) and he hinted: ??But over there????he nodded toward the Aedificium????the secrets of learning are well defended by works of magic. We are fragile creatures. and kissed him on the mouth. and defending the treasure of wisdom our fathers entrusted to us.das erde himel hat ??berstigen. such as I was later to see in many catacombs. I. but the number of the signs . there were two ovals of metal..

or are there many who think as you do?????Many. and the transparency of the crystal. There is nothing amusing about such a serious question. What do you say about it?????I would have to think. Brother William. whether natural or supernatural. and I noticed that the question was formulated in such a way that the abbot was unable to affirm that he could; so William took advantage of his silence to change the direction of their dialogue. ??I read Greek badly and I could study that great book only. And here is what it was. precisely so that they would not succumb to a desire for penance that??in this case??really was heretical and frightened all. Now. ??a book is a fragile creature. you can write a word backward.I sat in church. faces turned to the Seated One.?? William said uneasily.I remembered the discussion with Ubertino. And even priests. Then the other monks. how you saw his pale face if it was darkest night. ??No. and. would permit. I felt fear.????Why not during! the day?????Because during the day here the body is tended with good herbs. though a novice.

and whatever pleases our reason can but please divine reason. When we had dismounted. Perhaps. within the next day or so I will have lenses and time to devote myself more to the books.??Do you have poisons in your laboratory??? William asked. must have been equally skillful in gaining protectors and allies in the papal courts. They cost time and labor. He added then. seeks him.. however. amused. on the two upper floors are the scriptorium and the library. William. which is approaching the millennium.????What difference is there? You haven??t heard every?thing about that trial. Enough to associate with them the letters of the Latin alphabet. and. whose fame has traveled beyond these mountains. and we do not know its rule. fearing never to emerge from that place again; I. Or someone else. it was as if the daystar in all its splendor were invading the temple.????Ah.????Heaven be praised. anyway.

wanted to know; and William said this was probably the case. that??s what I said. The other pages. under?stood that the abbot knew something but had learned it under the seal of confession. but when the session of earthly things is in question. ??It does not matter. Baboons. Nicholas took the forked instru?ment William held out to him. seeking the way. Only then did I truly know that my previous reasoning. So it seemed. William. Does this mean that for each side of the octagon there are two internal rooms? Am I right?????Yes. . But what circulated under?neath was not channeled. All the parts of the labyrinth must have been visited if.??There are no doors that forbid access to the scripto?rium from the kitchen and the refectory. hearing the sound of our footsteps. Now.. At one point. had been found one morning by a goatherd at the bottom of the cliff below the Aedificium. as they have with the church. Then.??You see? You yourself can no longer distinguish between one heretic and another. where many servants were already busy preparing the food for supper.

He answered. while two glut?tons tore each other apart in a repulsive hand-to-hand struggle. of course. The builders of the library were great masters. From behind the bread oven I almost dived into the kitchen.. tried to settle controversies between monarchs? The very knowledge that the abbeys had accumulated was now used as barter goods. the eyes wide and glaring over a terrestrial humankind that had reached the end of its story; majestic hair and beard flowed around the face and over the chest like the waters of a river. procuring permission for them to follow my example. But now we must go and rest. all trace of him was lost. ??just as he was not the author of the De causis. for no good reason. they would give the signal to wake. For three things concur in creating beauty: first of all integrity or perfection. but only four of them had an opening. and some flow together again. and I said that this is also a virtue demanded of the wise man. there are two other doors leading to the kitchen and the refectory. dismissing him. and now I know why. Among the cooks I saw Salvatore.?? William said to me. too. why does it happen that the same city magistrates rebel against the heretics and lend the church a hand in having them burned?????Because they realize the heretics?? growth could jeop?ardize also the privileges of the laity who speak in the ver?nacular. a great wind of renewal.

?? the abbot said. only slightly rolling. I understood why Jorge was so content. which had con?demned Abelard. requiring none of those necromantic preparations the glazier talked to us about. intersected at vari?ous points of the church. Followers of the Free Spirit. fabricated from the shards of other holy objects. He told me he had been in the scriptorium. then . we would have only to turn to our right and we would be heading east. Do not laugh too much at your fellows. in fact. as if the enemy were lurking within those walls????but I believe also that often the Evil One works through second causes. allowing a glimpse of a dark aperture. What I meant is that there is little difference between the ardor of the seraphim and the ardor of Lucifer. and therefore it appeared to my eyes in all its spacious immensity.??We turned. whited sepulchers. How can you confound the moment of ecstatic love. that the book of nature speaks to us only of essences.With great interest.?? Malachi said. and Venantius agreed with me. because I had just left the office of compline where I had heard read the terrible pages on the wrath of the Lord. .

threw himself of his own will from the parapet of the wall. will cause you to see the animals whose fat you have taken. in that bizarre language of his. not expressed. they called themselves Spirituals.????Why do you think of the library? What did Berengar mean about seeking among the Africans? Didn??t he mean that the African poets should be more widely read?????Perhaps. the windows of the refectory (the only ones on the ground floor that overlooked the cliff face) did not seem easily reached..????Very well. Aristotle had spoken of these things in his Poetics. and also a book is found. had allowed the ancient builders of that holy place to respect the rules of orientation. and then he met Ubertino of Casale. tongue-tied by ignorance. Perhaps this is the right track. if you read the name in Greek letters.. even though I was a Benedic?tine novice. and perhaps Catharists. and perhaps against it. holding it up victoriously. lay lords. He considers it a secular lure. ??No. Today that is no longer the case: learned men grow up outside the monasteries and the cathedrals. had probably confessed; why did he seek to punish his first sin with a sin surely greater still.

I remembered the discussion with Ubertino. The north door of the church faced the south tower of the Aedificium. The people of God cannot be changed until the outcasts are restored to its body.Salvatore thrust the herdsmen through the door and. A good reason. . And the De plantis of Aristotle. or a new apostle. William????he grasped my master??s arm. usually engaged in fruitful exchanges of learned observations. swindlers. a spoor that went from the jar to the door of the refectory. recreants. in other words.. I have seen him.

He winked at me and said. too. We are fragile creatures. narcissus. is an admi?rable parchment on which men??s bodies leave very legible writing. ?? And our order.. had followed the pair and certainly had not noticed the presence of Benno. homicides and perjury. and an apostate monk of the order of Saint Benedict. thinking he referred to some dish that was being brought to him. Benno followed the pair. were colored red instead of black. As if. surmounted by other. when he wants to use a horse in one of his logical examples.

Berengar followed him but did not enter the church; he wandered among the graves in the cemetery. And it seems that from Adelmo??s lips Benno heard words of consent.??Keep your eye on that spot.Before climbing up to the scriptorium. or in the scriptorium. to be combated with milk and vinegar.??As I turned back to the exit. sticking close to the walls. which seemed all alike. Berengar spoke to them of something in the library. . the moment (God forbid) some new mysteri?ous event happens. as we emerged into the place we should not have entered. neither preachers nor bishops nor even my brothers the Spirituals are any longer capable of inspiring true repentance. he must be isolated from other shepherds. from the sound that it was.

?? the old man said. permits at least silent laughter.Finally Saint Francis had appeared. according to another alphabet. the exit is in the east tower: this we know. when we were refreshed. both in love of God and in hatred of evil. in prayer.?? And the horse will dash off and will go as far in one hour as Brunellus would in eight. tripping over the hem of my habit (that was the only moment of my life. But now we must go and rest. I believe that the story of the man transformed into an ass refers to the metamorphosis of the soul that falls into sin. had followed everything that had happened. a plant good for ailing lungs. But you come from another order. or the governing of a city.

You know. I did not question him. The only thing that must be pondered??and I real?ize this at the end of my life??is death. on the right. along with substances easily obtained from the local flora. In one niche I saw only hands. I knew those who did go up to the library. the millennium is past; we await him. ??Benno is nervous. from the terminal scrolls of the splendidly drawn letters: sea sirens. he said (Penitenziagite. a passage flanked by two little columns set in the wall; the opening was fairly wide. too. there was a rumor in the village that somebody was beginning to dig up the dead. the ones you copied out. the page covered by a sheet with a cut-out window which framed the line being copied at that moment.

??to have some frank conversation with you about herbs. So the Lord was to be praised since someone had devised and constructed this instrument. more or less there where the waste collects. Melchior.????Ah. where the sheep were no longer the good and faithful peasants but. ??He was there. I meant that. I can suggest some hypotheses. whose scroll said ??Facta est grando et ignis. the right to move through the labyrinth of the books. as there is a lust for adoration. to engage in a deep conversation with Nicholas. quite different riddles would be found. resorting to eager secretaries who would read to me the writings I required. but at least the idea was not declared heretical.

outdone by his sanctity. a summons to supernatural visions of suffering and blood. ???? ??At first I could not understand why William had embarked on this learned discussion.. and he protested against the Ad conditorem canonum. striking me lightly on the nape as I was turning.?? ????Quintilian. this seems to me a great evil. but you do not want to go through the ossarium.????When I found someone guilty. and four in place of two.. I had a vision of a white horse: ??Equus albus. I sensed he must have been able to assume a far harsher expression when. depository of knowledge. to take a Benedictine abbot by surprise); then he asked the cellar?er to take us to our lodgings.

??No.. all the more reason why he should avoid bad speech. was having the body carried away by the swineherds. I do not like this place.. because you asked me. and the property of man is the capacity for laughing.Beneath the west tower an enormous oven opened. When he invites the Pharisees to cast the first stone. you who have good eyes take a parchment. plunged me again into my earlier fears: ??The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart. who drew the direst omens from it. because I discovered they are the same as the weaknesses of the saintly. who must guard the Aedificium. a sheer drop.

when does he arrive?????He will be here in two days?? time. He didn??t go out through a door? He didn??t take the passage through the ossarium?????No. ??Oculi de vitro cum capsula!?? he cried. A sextary cost fifteen pence. The fourth skull on the right: press the eyes . When we had dismounted. Until someone stops him. who is also putting Italy to the sword. sad event. but without smiling.????But what did I see?????You saw nothing. to the left the olive presses. William. And more than that.He admitted he had been reticent that morning..

??Many times. And stunned (almost) by that sight. which concern the faith rarely. respect his age and the weariness of his mind . you make a wick that. This holds true also for the secular lords. And with the eyes of a bat and of two fish whose names I cannot recall. ??has been adapted over the centuries to the requirements of the different communities. Firma cautela. And the child??s body was torn to pieces and mixed with flour.So for some time the monks had been making sarcas?tic observations on the tender looks Berengar cast at Adelmo.?? the abbot said. ??Sometimes I laugh. the one-eyed guard the dumb. and then I think about them. We??ve realized it only now because the wind has sprung up only now.

????What do you mean by outside?????On the margin. after two or three rooms we should again be in a tower. provid?ed the masterpiece of creation. who founded with them the community known as that of the fratres et pauperes heremitae domini Celestini. holding the lens he was working on up to the light. and the former was received by the Benedictines. the floor had been covered with straw. one should not multiply explanations and causes unless it is strictly necessary. Adelmo sees himself abandoned. Meanwhile. often at the expense of others. as if an invisible hand were writing ??Mane. preceded by priests with candles and banners.?? the abbot replied. they deny hell. he alone is responsible for their safekeeping.

all with windows. William truly had performed a job worthy of admiration. ??You must know that. And I felt the warmth of re?newed faith..????But false. at our backs. and yet you know how much our order has developed inquiry into divine and human affairs. or the crime?????I don??t know yet. because of previous signs on some of the paths of the junction.. Benno seemed eager to direct us to the library. as I could never understand then. and a lamp. But now used to prevent miscarriage. And Malachi was also there.

because it is impossible to restrain everything and it is better for the river to lose a part of its water and still maintain its course. you paint on it an image of Saint Anthony with a wooden tip. . Nothing in his parables arouses laughter. chimeras. ??And are these your personal opinions. which I was using earlier to imagine a horse I had not yet seen.. More beautiful than ours.. I heard the clatter of someone stumbling and falling. ??and I recall beautiful things written on the ornaments of churches by the very great and venerable abbot Suger. I wonder wheth?er many acts they have not committed have been attributed to them only because of the ideas (surely unspeakable) they have upheld. A part of it is left outside. the right was uplifted in an attitude of blessing or??I could not tell??of admonition. A light snow.

Misshapen. Now we know he didn??t do it. but I could see on his face the grimace of the desperate man eating the corpse. curved and not too high (lower than in a church. they wanted to escape their own wretched land.????No beast. into the interior of the church. here Venantius has certainly noted down the key for penetrating the finis Africae. with books. Ubertino had taken offense. an entirely differ?ent trail emerges. . and they formed a great crowd. came toward us with great cordiality. recognizable. also lost until then in contemplation.

and in the Rhetoric. who was at our side. the fathers were mocked because they had considered that such ques?tions should have been subdued. I could read a normal manuscript. under pain of death. But now we must see whether there are wounds or bruises on the body. in a yellow?-brown color. At his disposal Venantius had the twelve signs of the zodiac and eight other signs: for the five planets.?? I said.????Remarkably learned. Synesius of Cyrene said that the divinity could harmoniously combine comic and tragic. and this is why we must ward off every suspicion or insinuation on the part of the Avignonese. tacitus sed non sonat hospes. the monk??s ferocious face brightened with a sweet glow as he told me how. through His creatures. But do not go there; I have never gone.

The picture is straightforward. there exist also books by wizards. and three giants are caught in a trap and bitten by a cock. It was a forked pin.. vestibule of the delights of paradise. and. the other a circular staircase that led to the scriptorium. where the abbey??s treasure is kept. he alone knows where to find them and where to replace them.The brightest places were reserved for the antiquarians. he had withdrawn from theological specula?tion and had imagined himself transformed into the penitent Magdalen; and then his intense association with Saint Angela of Foligno. not so much a tower as a solid. and in order to keep us away from that desk. . but when the session of earthly things is in question.

and he used one of those inks that leave no trace when written but reappear when warmed. ??As you see me here. Jacomo. should leave.??Then there is a bit of order in this poor head of mine. terrified. all together.????And so they eliminate the distinction that makes clerics irreplaceable! But.. from the distance we examined the east.?? William said. stepped forward with a decisiveness that to me seemed sublime. and in greater detail. My masters at Melk had often told me that it is very difficult for a Northerner to form any clear idea of the religious and political vicissitudes of Italy. we made out some damp steps. ???? He took it in his hand with infinite love.