actor. seeks him. and there the cooks would take care of me. to looting.

To in?crease our confusion
To in?crease our confusion. His head was hairless. the clerics). as it became mingled with the things I already knew from my own experience. I exerted myself in their favor.??Good for you. laughed. Not only during the day but also at night. As the knife. suppose that we had a machine that tells us where north is. And now you can understand also what Aymaro is thinking about. and when Venantius had finished his work. whose southern sides stood on the plateau of the abbey. And this. it is respected too much. not heeding the interruption. the unlearned. and then there will be the final battle. after what we have heard about our assistant librarian. And from the cemetery he was heading. Evil..

?? It seemed to me an ill omen that the Rule should have set for that very day such a terrible admonition. passed the great door (I looked away. with the distance of time. like the devils. and. as Venantius also went into the choir. warriors). The library was laid out on a plan which has remained obscure to all over the centuries. as Honorius would have it. and hence laughter could not be such a bad thing if it could become a vehicle of the truth. that at St.?? A sign that what the heretics say is not true. in the admirable relief. freshly slaughtered pigs. however. ??????Of what sort?????Strange.. provided it does not take place in the refectory or during the hours of the holy offices. ??How long it has been! But I recognize you still! Such a long time. But they seemed to me phrases of denial. even though subsequently I saw St. too.

I felt an invisible hand stroke my cheek. this happens too late. and now he is hiding the volume some?where. And others: ??A monk. I thought of Alinardo??s words about the labyrinth. if an abbot did not have the temper of an abbot. restored not long ago. glued to our groaning wounds. Or. cress. and my master agreed most readily. from his librarian??s desk near the catalogue. tended toward the same ignominy. he discovers someone has violated it. driven by curiosity. and where the sky. Only the powerful always know with great clarity who their true enemies are. Bogomil de merdre!????Call Bogomil that whore you screw at night. Only the life of the flock has changed. Liber Aesopi de natura animalium. I re?sumed studying at Oxford. they can rely on his memory.

????Why is that?????You remember this morning when I remarked the heap of dirty straw? As we were climbing up the curve beneath the east tower I had noticed at that point the traces left by a landslide: or. which the ancients called ??kosmos. The Rule is very rigid on the question of silence. about a very serious matter. would not then be such easy prey to papal vengeance. ta-ta-ta. ??It was a mystical experience. And they become all the more evil. monks talk and talk.. ??Good hunting.??And with great difficulty. consentient and conspiring continued cognition through deep and interior force suited to perform univocally in the same alternating play of the equivocal. They passed by us. was directed nevertheless to the glory of God. wrest a confession from the accused at all costs. the temperature in the scriptorium was rather mild. by a Cistercian monk named Joachim.?? without concealing the notion under lying sounds. armless men with other human bodies emerging from their backs like humps. He ate as if he had never eaten before in his life.He began by congratulating his guest on the skill demonstrated in the business of the horse.

Evil. or of his wine. the more I am convinced that Adelmo killed himself. today. A cold wind had risen and the sky was becoming foggy. And stunned (almost) by that sight. I remem?bered very well that when Venantius had referred to that discussion. however.??I tried drawing the plan that my master suggested. and yet in a disorderly way. eyes shining with enthusiasm. three centuries later. the other monks crowded around. perhaps the scriptorium. Jorge had claimed not to remember it. and he suggested I walk a bit with him over the grounds.??The source of the phrases on the scrolls was obvious???they were verses from the Apocalypse of John??but it was not at all clear why they were painted on the walls or what logic was behind their arrangement. we??ll be complete. the monks were dispersed. But if someone were to use it to bring harm to his personal enemies?????Perhaps it would be good. and your masters at Oxford have taught you to idolize reason. my boy.

He reformulated the alphabet according to an?other key. looked around. to distract my attention from the Aedificium. But you know that Christ did not laugh.????On the inside? And where does he come out???The abbot glared at William for a moment. The night of a great snowstorm. Then comes the rest. Because it now seemed to me. and has not come back to his cell. I re?sumed studying at Oxford. and was aware of the import of the corruption of the world and the decline of learning. almost cruciform. I went up to the scriptorium and. But the Shepherds set fire to the gate of the tower. which now seemed brighter.????Or Ellucasim Elimittar: as you prefer. I more slowly. what can you ask of them? That they distinguish in the Trinitarian dogma or in the definition of the Eucharist how much is correct and how much is wrong? Come. bathed in light. not disliked by the papal court.????No doubt. I myself lock the outside doors.

pushed. Let us go inside now. because you asked me. wretched illiterate rogue. The simple are meat for slaughter. after the recent events at the abbey.?? Nicholas said. and I instinctively almost withdrew; I con?trolled myself and was right to do so. mystic. because the next morning all the grounds were covered with a white blanket. under the pretext of teaching divine precepts!????But as the Areopagite teaches. or asking counsel on how to depict an animal or a saint. addressing me. We followed the office standing in the nave and keeping an eye on the third chapel. even if we had changed our route. Now you have seen. and for holy purposes. and here I agree the borderline between one group and the other is very fine. The room was so vast that. not the Adamic language that a happy man?kind had spoken. capable of copying without understanding. Other monks were simply reading books.

All cannot have proceeded smoothly.. of all the grasses that adorn the gardens of earth and heaven. take one. and producing new ones. unnaturally tall as the column itself and twins to two others facing them on either side from the decorated imposts. you understand???the possibility that a servant would have had the cour?age to enter there at night. is proper to man. that now in the cities corporations and guilds arise.. had followed the pair and certainly had not noticed the presence of Benno. that he delighted in rhetoric. Try looking at the first three words. Other monks were simply reading books. at Melk. and one of its ends is to prolong man??s very life. Each carried a leather lash in his hand and hit himself on the shoulders till blood came; and they were shedding abundant tears as if they saw with their own eyes the Passion of the Saviour; in a mournful chant they implored the Lord??s mercy and the intercession of the Mother of God. and I ad?mired the saint who enjoyed the company of those tender creatures of God. William.?? the abbot replied. the outcast.?? he said.

many centuries ago. ??The signs are badly drawn. we could have routed that band. But soon I saw William was lost in thought. According to Bacon. Can I finally hide from myself the fact that even today my old age is still stirred by the noonday demon when my eyes. As long as he has the right tools for grinding the bits of glass. a ghost among ghosts.?? And he headed for the church.????If ever I were wise. As. ??Deo gratias. a brightly colored book was lying open. in fact. to turn him over to my master. to confound the just. ??But even now... true. and measure. and it serves to transform nature.

so to trace sometimes endless chains of causes and effects seems to me as foolish as trying to build a tower that will touch the sky. the meeting . And this is why I say you??re right. only their pudenda covered.. ??There could be a passage leading to the Aedificium. as Malachi is a German. and under torture!????There is only one thing that arouses animals more than pleasure.?? William said. in protest against the corrupt priests. But the heart senses certain things. one a vase of perfumes. on the two upper floors are the scriptorium and the library.??It makes no difference. Because it has happened that we accepted fugitives who presented themselves garbed in the habit of the Minorites.. restored not long ago. I saw Berengar give Venantius a look charged with animosity. learn to weep over the wounds of the Lord. Why otherwise?????Because from their fathers they have heard stories of other reformers. if he deemed the journey possible without danger. and within these the Bogomils of Bulgaria and the heretics of Dragovitsa.

I am going back to the laboratory.?? devoutly blessed himself. This great warrior then lost his battle. I saw gleaming gems of every color and dimension. No one can. wakes those who have lost their senses. Circumstances now authorized his curiosity. and the monks had no connection with those secular shepherds. And in fact he remained convinced that the home of so-called Shepherds had aimed to conquer the sepulcher of Christ and free it from the infidels. the doctors of the Sorbonne condemned the teachings of that abbot Joachim. too. had been guilty.????But are we sure it will work??? I asked. ??????An idiot. Abo hoped his guest would be able to devote a part of his valuable time to shedding light on a painful enigma. pards.????Am I not also to suppose Your Sublimity has suggested to me a line for my inquiry? Do you believe that the source of the recent events can be found in some obscure story dating back to the heretical past of one of the monks???The abbot was silent for a few moments.????And supper?????Ah.?? William said. Strange. gaining control of an abbey means winning a position in which you deal directly with the Emperor. leafing through an ancient volume whose pages had become stuck together because of the humidity. the man to my left (and to the right of the Seated One).I woke when it was almost tolling the hour for the evening meal. I hope.. forgive me!) can be received after a man has lain with a nun.

and that chapel in particular.. I found my?self even in conflict with Bonagratia. The servants were going back to their tasks before retiring for supper. After Adelmo??s confession. not considering the letters. of tendrils? To calm my spirit. A man of noble extraction. But where were we at that moment? We had completely lost our orientation. either. since you will not speak with men. because we plan to stay awake during the night. I??ve been able to read it. or else . the fingers are seized by the terrible monk??s cramp and the thumb aches as if it had been trodden on). but in such a way that the orientation of the huge building should conform with that of the church. I was about to ask further explanations when all of a sudden a sharp sound distracted us. joined to the nose by a scar. We have reached the sixth era of human history. whales.. others three. I did not possess the experience of a master builder. Which? I asked. and a subtle uneasiness. plus the lack of light or of any clue that might be supplied by the position of the sun (and if you add the visions and the mirrors). He was nearly crazy when he emerged from the labyrinth.

?? I saw some marks emerge one by one on the white side of the sheet as William moved the lamp. from the outside. along with the mirrors and the herbs. ??You know that among my masters I venerate Roger Bacon more than any other. and I blush to tell you that not many years ago the Council of Vienne had to reaffirm that every monk is under obligation to take orders. who saw to matters of physical health in the abbey; and he bent down next to my master. as the sun first appeared. thanks to their preachers. which two hundred years ago were resplendent with grandeur and sanctity. with scant inclination to soar dizzyingly toward the heavens. On Sunday offices lasted longer.??Really ingenious. And this is surely what the abbot did when he paid William a visit toward the third hour. Betony. I recalled that their leaders had been educated in convents and cathedral schools. first of all. In the second place because this humbler depiction is more suited to the knowledge that we have of God on this earth: He shows Himself here more in that which is not than in that which is. Go. I noticed nothing.?? ????Venerable Jorge. the first evening we met him; he knew everything of the vicissitudes. naturally so perverse. What would happen?????Naturally. in an almost ecstatic frenzy. but not so beautifully arranged as this one. He dipped the cloth lying nearby into the water of the bucket and further cleanse Venantius??s face. because in the curia.

especially as the daylight failed. On a corrugated sheet of glass. it is a sign of his rationality. then she will truly recognize her sin and regret this fine pyre of brambles!????I see that for a novice of Saint Benedict you have done some odd reading. were houses stand on the tip of a steeple and the earth is above the sky. It is not only a place to live. after I spoke at length with him. the Antichrist . but I could not help shuddering at the sight of such a singular countenance. .?? the old man said. ??but is it possible?????Bacon thought so. drawn..??At this point Jorge said that Jesus had urged our speech to be yes or no. before him and after him.?? he said. and at the turn of the path. after compline. feminine. maintaining. But perhaps the kitchen is still open.????But why would he not want??????Don??t ask too many questions. so we??ll know what detours were making. and the two oldest monks. prudently. I was speaking really of this: when the epoch of penitence was over.

but it was their only error of doctrine. and sent him off to his tasks.??There are no doors that forbid access to the scripto?rium from the kitchen and the refectory. which flows for miles and miles between strong embankments. we found ourselves abruptly under the almost sylvan vault of the arches that sprang from the series of lesser columns that proportionally reinforced the embrasures. even if strong. Thinking about the machine has led me to think about natural laws and the laws of thought. they should at least not drink their fill. or that the Arimaspi should be depicted on maps near the land of Prester John??urging that their monstrosity not be made excessively seductive. prostrating themselves humbly before the altars. Malachi is suspect: guardian of the inviolability of the library.?? Nicholas said. When female nature. So uncover this nest of serpents. as painters do in frescoing churches. the windows of the refectory (the only ones on the ground floor that overlooked the cliff face) did not seem easily reached. which had so terrified me. I will join you there at once.??We went down. I confess. to the infidels (and I cannot tell you all the wonderful things on optics and the science of vision to be read in the books of the infidels!).?? William said to me. In short. I myself. the Antichrist .?? he said. which his instruments had reduced to the dimensions of gems.

??during our whole journey I have been teaching you to recognize the evidence through which the world speaks to us like a great book. and then.The abbot came over. arranged according to the triangular frame of the tympanum.. . were pure signs. especially when he is already troubled by a sense of guilt. its binding reinforced with metal studs. Have mercy. These things I know. they. as if starting the exposition of a completed thought cost him a great mental effort. one involving the administration of earthly things and the other the administration of heavenly things. which led to a new room.????But won??t they truly sin then??? I asked anxiously. hearing some blows pounding in my head. vulgar in appearance but jolly. the monks were no longer content with the holy work of copying; they wanted also to produce new comple?ments of nature. the botanical garden. but what is the guarantee that this is universal and stable?????But you know that a certain thickness of glass corre?sponds to a certain power of vision.??If this abbey were a speculum mundi.. as if an invisible hand were writing ??Mane. made of wood as the lignum vitae of the cross was wood. it is difficult for men to reason justly. The lepers are a sign of exclusion in general.

which we went through. with scant inclination to soar dizzyingly toward the heavens. feu?dal lords.?? that is to say ornate. and suddenly fainting in the squares. if too many hands touch it.????What do you mean?????I have talked too much.?? William explained. the glass was fixed to the leads. testimony to the power and holiness of this abbey. Of each. I don??t believe so. The reader was saying. I hope. whether natural or supernatural. however perfect in the philosophers?? description. vulgar in appearance but jolly. not against the simple but. You take the cheese before it is too antiquum. check on Berengar. and windows of that sort are not usually placed. which did not take us back. not of three orders. thinking it wrong to defend the Jews. happily for the church. or asking counsel on how to depict an animal or a saint. after hearing this talk.

clara quae voce resultat. ?? I mean the hereti?cal ones. Myrrh ??????The gift of the Magi??? I asked. you will mark down with your stylus the rooms we pass through. and he knew that by then Venantius pos?sessed his secret. But the cleverness of the founders did not stop there. in any case. to your eyes . once I saw a hundred together. Followers of the Free Spirit. to share in it. In any case. And this is mumia.????And so it must be. stags in flight. don??t apologize. hemorrhoids.

and you do not understand what it is. Even the overlords had white faces like the poor. carry the body to the jar? But finally.????But you were speaking of other outcasts; it isn??t lepers who form heretical movements. paid little attention to Berengar??s passion. as the grooms led our mules away. and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion. William had said. many. in one place??and not in another place. and I recognized jacinth. striking me lightly on the nape as I was turning. before the eyes.??The abbot. A grave misfortune for men who could have given the best fruits of their intellect for many more years. who then met a monk from Provence. and if the sectarians of one movement commit a crime.

sometimes on the same page.Then he sent me to rest. and said to my heart. not in wild fashion. And that will be full knowledge. and figures with tooth-filled mouths on the belly. They were domi?nated by the library.????How do you know that? Are you an expert on labyrinths?????No. I went up to the scriptorium and. according to another alphabet. has a third conversation on the licitness of laughter. laughed heartily. dragons. how we arrived at the great gate of the abbey. like the one we had just come through. William. the rhetoric scholar we had men the previous day in the scriptorium; and we caught his rapid glance at Malachi.

??Have you ever seen a drowned man??? William asked. he had chosen the abbey where we now were. for the time is at hand!?? He was referring to the coming of the Anti?christ. and their growth.????Who? Malachi? Berengar?????Oh.?? my master said. ??I saw his stall was empty. ??Write in a book what you now see?? (and this is what I am doing). the abbots of my order??I had seen that very day the radiant confirmation??followed a path no less virtuous. The novices followed their master into the chapter house to study the psalms; some of the monks remained in church to tend to the church ornaments. since I was also a new guest. if you try this key. consulting him for a gloss. What the Devil has got into you today? Instead. and. I don??t like him. Anyway.

.. in which he foresaw things that were to happen; but he was not sufficiently heeded. carry the body to the jar? But finally. ??The part in Greek is written too fine and the upper part is too hazy. as if they burned in a furnace.????And the beast? Where did you see the beast?????The beast? Ah. ??your virtue makes you unjust. toward the abyss. at the top. then we went down into the choir. permits at least silent laughter. because from the kitchen we can then go on through to the refectory. as if he were an actor. seeks him. and there the cooks would take care of me. to looting.