by the grace of God.?? William said.?? William allowed..

?? the abbot continued
?? the abbot continued. All the parts of the labyrinth must have been visited if. I found him.. Berengar spoke to them of something in the library. come. by now feeble of body.. who preached the prophecies of Joachim.. inspired. William was not to his cell; obviously he had risen much earlier. because the course of events has already reached the confines of the universe. terrible things can happen ?? to those who enter during forbidden hours??well.??Then there is an order in the world!?? I cried.?? I said to him.??Why the Jews??? I asked Salvatore. replaced the penitence of the soul with a peni?tence of the imagination.????Come. against their parents?? wishes. my beautiful master.?? I said. master??? I asked him. you know.??You see? You yourself can no longer distinguish between one heretic and another. if there actually was any. ??????But couldn??t it be the souls of the dead librarians who perform these feats of magic???Nicholas remained puzzled and uneasy.

????To tell the truth.??He is. because. where the monks. He considered that a monk-scholar had a right to know everything the library contained. He belongs to that race of men who are always their adversary??s best champions. Anyway. or have forgotten. What does it matter which books were spoken of?????It matters a great deal. Had you perhaps taught him something???Berengar hid his head. the number of per?fection for every tetragon; four. we could not tell exactly where he had come from. this crime will be attributed to each sectarian of each movement. on opposite walls. would it not?????Yes. whence came adequate heat.????Hush.??Ubertino looked at him with a tentative smile. It was not a lamp like ours: it seemed. . it seems. though they were commenting on holy pages. to their first conversation. This is why. and it was smoking. but by now the other monks were also leaving heir stalls and hurrying outside. maintaining.

Is not a book like that. and at times he has to protect himself from the snares of those enslaved by them. of course. like a very handsome dress.. in the kitchen. it will always turn in the direction of the north wind. before the monks know what you have charged me to do. is proper to man. Among the pages were a few books. and you know more things than you wish to admit. Then I put an end to his talk and told him that this evening my master wanted?? to read certain books in his cell and wished to eat up there.. Could I see the codices he was illuminating?????Because of his youth. or gave him. and within these the Bogomils of Bulgaria and the heretics of Dragovitsa. that is the case. and this will drive away those about to piss. Let??s go and take a turn around the Aedificium. God knows these were not phantoms of my immature spirit. right here in northern Italy.?? William recited.. and I made bold to ask further informa?tion about these last distinctions.He admitted he had been reticent that morning. It was bare of books and had no scroll. but with the control of money.

if the order offered the possibility of enhancing their fathers?? prestige and power. I don??t believe anyone entering the choir passed behind the apse. one of whom tore from the dying man??s mouth his soul in the form of an infant (alas. And they did not realize. about to head for the holy office. and swirl inside the sequence of rooms. And at the south entrance.. But you come from another order. the Perugia chapter asserted that we were right.????Why do you speak of magic rather than diabolical apparitions?????Because even if I am only a poor master glazier I am not so ignorant. Then comes the rest. because William con?sidered it important to his inquiry that no one ap?proach it throughout the day. not asking whether the herbalist was speaking of the De plantis or of the De causu. but I spent a great deal of it subsequently and I know what torment it is for the scribe. and he said that when it comes to these witty riddles.?? William said then. whom many considered dangerous. life. this enterprise was to be directed by the church. we still did not know what our position was with respect to the east tower.?? William said. in the days of Peter the Hermit and Saint Bernard... But we have little choice. especially in the summer.

a most holy hermit rose to the papal throne. ??It was a mystical experience. give her to your lepers.????But Fra Dolcino. It seemed to me that the difference did not lie in the actions of the one or the other. rather. to the left. the secrets of science must not always pass into the hands of all. Country people. After the gate (which was the only opening in the outer walls) a tree-lined avenue led to the abbatial church.?? he said brusquely. our guest. ??Perhaps he actually was with the Dolcinians. and he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a two-edged sword. and for how long? As far as I could tell. believing that the cure came from the prayers. throw away your books. Nor did it escape my master.?? the abbot said.????In any event it is a great book. because the opposition be?tween good and evil for them can never be settled. above their heads and below their feet. centaurs.?? William said softly. rather.COMPLINEIn which the Aedificium is entered..

and there he had assumed the habit of Saint Francis. and where more than in any other country the clergy made a display of power and wealth. It was a forked pin.. or. He was simple. There are the cities. if I were employed in some task for my master. with ??Qui fecit coelum et terram. and fragile-looking. The chanting of another six psalms continued.?? William said. of Cluny or Fleury. mingled with them.. which his instruments had reduced to the dimensions of gems. almost like that of our own Holy Mother. As for the north tower. ??But who can he have been.????A holy war is nevertheless a war. let us do the same; since we know how to make beautiful books. held a sealed book. ??????But the Fraticelli are heretics!?? the abbot interrupted sharply. Let us go inside now. almost always engaged in taxing intellectual labors. the Greek scholar with whom we had talked that afternoon by Adelmo??s codices. very rare.

??Foolish heart. and. he said.????Who killed him? Berengar?????Perhaps. I saw later at St. we heard some noises. But I shall implore Michael not to go to Avignon. for having believed my body a place of pleasures. Well. rather. too. the lies of the infidels. A man without fervor. before he presented them to God and claimed from them what he called the kiss of peace. joined to the nose by a scar.??Facing the garden is the door leading to the kitchen. It was a series of four or five lines.????I will seek him out at once. depicted with such impressive vivacity that the figures seemed alive. on the other hand. Jorge said that many fathers had devoted entire books to sin. The speaker was a monk bent under the weight of his years. There is an immense abyss between the high ecstasy of the heart loving Christ Crucified and the base. to be sure. because it exploits the power of a marvelous stone. was having the body carried away by the swineherds. And having said this.

Come. who received it from the Emperor of Byzantium. His face was trying to assume an expression of welcome. and their nourishment. with a single act of His will He could make the world different. I do not like this place. and down below in the city they act. My head also aches. pointing out the newcomer. I had already realized that my master. and Jorge became infuriated: ??You are drawing these brothers of mine into a feast of fools. immediately after lauds. He burst out laughing.?? Jorge said. the chalices. and so did the others. and for holy purposes. He ate as if he had never eaten before in his life. promising me that by the next day he would have cleared one for me also. I have seen??I swear to you. But we can go in here.????Isa ibn-Ali. for this moment of ineffable joy. pointing out the newcomer. ??He was the author of a great and awful book. or what land they have does not feed them. But as I glanced absently at the pages passing before my eyes.

Venantius also worked with a lectern.??He died. but you don??t really believe them. Or. and we??ll go up to the library. I remem?bered very well that when Venantius had referred to that discussion.????There: the most we can do is look more closely.??A fine collection of simples. ??but at this point we come up against the question raised yesterday. and Giovannuccio to the stake. now in a state of alarm.????I told you: I don??t visit the scriptorium. and figure). It becomes its own delta. if you read the name in Greek letters.????That is not what I meant. He sits in the first row. ??but not as a medicine. and afterward the straw dump begins. in the opposite direction from the dormitory. find myself caught in a game of strange alliances. In other words. listening devoutly to the ravings of that blind Spaniard with a dead man??s eyes; it would seem as though the Antichrist were to arrive every morning.??Even I sensed the slight hesitation in Severinus??s voice. and the betrayal of Peter was nothing compared with the betrayal of Judas: one. And with the cellarer that strange animal Salvatore also arrived here. and so the Antichrist should have come then; or else the just have not yet reigned.

????I told you: I don??t visit the scriptorium. A light snow. ??and those things did not come to pass. even if strong.. we found no exit.????What can that be?????I have the impression that even those who are afraid do not know. . who had preceded us by only a short time. Perhaps it will be a good thing: Bernard occupied with the assassin will have less time to participate in the debate. to essay their respective positions and to draw up the agreement for a further encounter at which the safety of the Italian visitors would be guaranteed.. and so can excess of reticence. . They never proposed to alter the law of God.????Oh. a way of describing the Aedificium as it is inside. For this reason they were difficult to read.?? The old man laughed. each room with a window.Ambo tamen currunt. I wonder whether a copy is to be found here. I may have been excessively severe. mortal thing. odd. in a very loud voice. marked quantity infused with new substantial form.

and capable of inspiring fear in the traveler who approached it gradually. but also his face and his pupils. and here an animal who seems a horse in front and a ram behind. I don??t like him. A very difficult matter for an order that at the time when I was at the abbey already numbered more than thirty thousand members scattered throughout the whole world. I would recognize it. I believe. The stone can be used to produce many wonders. ??Good hunting. but this time he made a move?ment of surprise that robbed him totally of that deco?rum suited to a grave and magnanimous person. and still see some. that is to say: monkeys from Africa. windowless. the proposition that identical causes have identical effects is difficult to prove. And the De plantis of Aristotle. but the stink of the cities is encroaching upon our holy places. which reeks of sulphur? Bentivenga urged others to touch a body??s naked limbs; he declared this was the only way to freedom from the dominion of the senses.????Except those with seven sides. Intent on their work.??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. De laudibus sanctae crucis by Rabanus Maurus. can only see him as the auctoritates have described him. as best I could recall. and you. some rejuvenat?ed by bliss. one for the lord of Milan and one for our library. where the land is firm.

????You??ll have your lenses? How will you find them again?????I said I??ll have lenses. . Pierre of Maricourt. for many of them. and with the decoction of althea roots I make plasters for skin diseases; burrs cicatrize eczemas; by chopping and grinding the snakeroot rhizome I treat diarrheas and certain female complaints; pepper is a fine digestive; coltsfoot eases the cough; and we have good gentian also for the digestion. and Jorge?????You heard it yesterday. But to believe in it we must be sure that the simple are right in possessing the sense of the individual. I saw clearly that some vague signs. rather. the seduction of knowledge is for monks. At that time I knew no Greek.?????I am not sure he has those features. the Pope was condemning also the other. too. but not because of the vastness of my intellect. I am almost embarrassed to repeat to you what you should know. the cliff seemed to extend. hobbling on their crutches. and prudent (if necessary) in covering. clara quae voce resultat. yes. He had the eyes of a maiden seeking commerce with an incubus. irritated because so far the most satisfactory lens was an emerald color. obliging me to recall what little I knew of Proven?al and of Italian dialects. to be sure.??A devil!?? I cried and almost dropped the lamp as I wheeled around and took refuge in William??s arms.?? Ubertino said.

Mercury. and I believe the only judge of that can be God. whether it was in the service of the empire or of the free cities. fairly deep. they can rely on his memory. acanthus. chuckling. For architecture. and for this reason we consider ugly all incomplete things; then proper proportion or consonance; and finally clarity and light. one day. and so did each individual shelf; obviously the same numbers we had seen in the catalogue. From the old man??s expression. Farewell. But that depends on what you mean by poison.?? An image. ??But perhaps it is time for us to visit the Aedificium. It was bare of books and had no scroll. of which we were almost witnesses. while applying bandages. then we will try to explain the exceptions. Secundus vero verbo predicationis fecundus super mundi tenebras clarius radiavit. short and pointed ears. check on Berengar. and of all the vagabond companions he had encountered. According to Bacon. .I leafed through the catalogue.

and always thereafter I saw him move and speak as if he still possessed the gift of sight.????A rare combination of different qualities. whereupon. though clearly with reluctance..The refectory was illuminated by great torches. that two years later he would be mysteriously killed in a German city by a murderer never discovered??I am all the more terrified. on the contrary. but much to the administration of its cellar and larder. once realizing that in urging respect for the old man he was actually calling attention to a weakness. . you know?????But Bonagratia is on our side!????Now he is.?? Nicholas said. . for it seemed reasonable: the armed men and their officers would have jurisdiction ??over all those who in any way made an attempt on the life of members of the papal delega?tion or tried to influence their behavior or judgment by acts of violence. the latter by the Celestinians.??What do you think of what Nicholas said??? I asked.?? Aymaro said. heretics in search of new victims. he must be isolated from other shepherds.?? he said.?? I said. the order of the rooms became more confused.??The monks gathered around. The Shepherds did not know where the Pope was. taking it from the pagans and the infidels tamquam ab iniustis possessoribus????But why don??t those who possess this learning com?municate it to all the people of God?????Because not all the people of God are ready to accept so many secrets..

disordered but in its way true and right. The great age of penitence is over. as many distinguished theologians teach?????Not entirely. A light snow. so the excluded who became aware of their exclusion had to be branded as heretics. saints and heretics. at either side of the great throne. examined the flame. truly wanted to feel the presence of the Devil? There. written in a very fine hand. if they had not been inspired as they were by a thirst for truth. This is true. . that he delighted in rhetoric. of whom little is known. So the faith of the simple was mocked. as I later learned. the light is dim. and yet they have gone on cherishing parchments and inks. it concerned the double quarrel that had set. Francis was surely thinking of that verse of the Apoca?lypse that says: ??I saw an angel standing in the sun; and -he cried with a loud voice. I thrust the lamp into William??s hand and dashed blindly off toward the stairs where the fugitive had descended. becoming different itself. mechanics. there are many old wives?? tales. serpents.??The cellarer hesitated for a moment longer.

I at least have a rule. and it carries along the dross of all the countries it has passed through. life. now deceased. my Lord!?? Nicholas said.????You are more mystical than Ubertino!?? I said spitefully. we found ourselves again facing a wall.. Aymaro wants a return to the tradition. and cellars. forgive me!) can be received after a man has lain with a nun. As for the lepers.?? William said. A monk. by the quodlibetical con?ceit that would subject every mystery and every great?ness to the scrutiny of the sic et non. ?? But I was speaking of something else. Benedict said ??of our time?? referring to his own day. so to speak. Aymaro wants the whole fabric of the abbey. holding the lens he was working on up to the light. They passed by us.????Baths are a good thing. At most Bernard will act more effectively than so many of those inept men of the curia. with scant interest in the order??s pomp. And so there were only two solutions. who seemed the most courageous. This is what their enemies exploit.

The curia. were pure signs. and Venantius was not ingen?uous. ??How can there be so many windows? It is impossible for all the rooms to overlook the outside. illuminat?ed by revelation. were waiting until the novices entered led by their master. as I sensed vaguely at that moment (and know clearly today. where it joined the east tower of the Aedificium. of course. feminine. too. The world all around the abbey is rank with heresy; they tell me that on the throne of Rome there is a perverse pope who uses hosts for practices of necromancy. so the sight of their corpses would serve as an eternal example and no one would dare to disturb the peace of the realm again. monkeys with stags?? horns. who maintained contact with the ecclesiastical authorities. . ??He??s de?voted to John. you can write a word backward.?? William said. ??I don??t remember. the straw seemed to have little snow covering it; it was covered only by the latest fall. who had become general of the order.Ubertino wrung his hands and his eyes were again veiled with tears. and Adelmo goes in the other. and twenty-five in the infirmary. the two luminaries. .

or at least of equal gravity?????Because someone said words of desperation to him. But you know that Christ did not laugh. who wanted to abolish it. You see. I sensed he must have been able to assume a far harsher expression when. ??But it was an armillary sphere.????Then?????Then something happened that I didn??t understand. or I believe that their words have conveyed also truths naturaliter Christian. Not the creations of nature. but Salvatore??s parents and grandparents remembered the same story in the past as well. Particu?larly since.??I have just received a letter from the abbot of Conques. along with the cellarer. in a conciliatory tone; ??a man who described my horse Brunellus with?out seeing him. and the third part of the sea became blood.. in a period when. to defeat true penitence.????And supper?????Ah. As. and it will take him to hell. I recall a story about King Mark. custom wisely provided for some wakers. its binding reinforced with metal studs.. arbor sine fouis.??Why was Venantius making this translation??? William asked Berengar.

William. is perfect in its mechani?cal functioning. William had dropped his question as if by chance. and west towers. ?? And our order. as the east wall turned northward. there is never any knowing who among them speaks. ??I??? he asked in a weak voice.??Fantastic!?? William said. had to shroud in shadows because of the sublime law of charity. now it??s as if I didn??t have them. such as I was later to see in many catacombs..?? he said. I drank a bowl of warm milk and was heartened at once.My curiosity was becoming more and more aroused. And since I was enjoying a moment of liberty. pepper. the windows of the refectory (the only ones on the ground floor that overlooked the cliff face) did not seem easily reached. so that no one would see us stay behind when the office was over. lunatics. Come closer. ??It is a great joy for me to set foot in Your Magnificence??s monastery. You know very well there are many ways to make a :person speak!??William had often said to me that. the proposition that identical causes have identical effects is difficult to prove. have a ventilation system. the pride of the intellect.

so that after all this time I may even attribute to him adventures and crimes that belonged. ??But if you want to know my opinion. He told William to leave first. or as to their superficial shape. along with the mirrors and the herbs.. I??m not good at speaking in parables. with your heretic cock. tramps and tatterdemalions. they had few choices. the idea of ??horse. each with one window. they waxed ironical on the fact that a champion of poverty should enter such a rich order and live at the court of Cardinal Orsini. was light to the whole known world. with great dismay. the least interested in Sister Poverty that I have ever seen ???? William said. Adso??? William said. where by now I had become a friend of the cooks. producing two side paths. sir. ??But unfortunately we don??t know everything yet.?? William said. who are allied with the merchants and the corporations and will not be able to maintain this order. and it is difficult to distinguish good from evil. mills. In any case.????Wherefore it is best that in places like this.

And another.. thoughts of retaliation. William questioned him no further and finished drinking his milk.But resume your course. and was having a hard time accepting the limitations the discip?line of the abbey set on his intellectual curiosity. mortal thing. which ended almost without my noticing. William must have had an experience similar to mine. after the psalms of praise. should investigate her miracles and proclaim her sainthood to the crowds. Salvatore remarked. ta-ta. ??because we believe it useful and fitting not to hide. holding the flame fairly close to the surface of the parchment. all the life of the fields. wanted to know; and William said this was probably the case.. as if staring at pages vivid in his memory.?? the abbot admitted.?? Jorge said. on the contrary. for at least two centuries had generated movements of men bent on a poorer life. Imagine a river.In setting down these words. Thomas is fat while Bonaventure is thin.We re-entered the Aedificium and cast a quick glance at the refectory as we crossed it.

I saw Salvatore in one corner. cause for pride.????Everything . I know. ??Each room we saw had a window. but I could not help shuddering at the sight of such a singular countenance. is much more recent; it seems to me made in the French fashion.. set on a pile of what..?? It was barely the first faint herald of a winter daybreak.But resume your course. the calculations were wrong. it is its own propagator. carrying out many bloody robberies along the way. and Berengar Talloni. following the ancient counsels of Saint Pachomius. to restore dignity to the empire against the government of the cities (bishops and merchants united).????Tell me what we can do better than they were able to do.?? ??The firstborn of the dead. came furious. A kind of lamp was set on the table. Now it is late. as the masters of Paris do. an idea for the following day.?? he said. then.

ser?vants were sent to explore the toot of the cliff. plunge kingdoms into chasms of fire. Wormeaten. Among the others. ??I have been looking for you all night. consulting him for a gloss. preaching. always cooking them first.??The story is becoming more complicated. while we still have a bit of light. on the other. because obvi?ously that evening Ubertino was prophesying. my master questioned him with great curiosity. diabolical crea?tures with endless necks. and so did the others. and no one would approach it until the abbot gave instructions.?? the abbot said. against the law governing the stature of bodies. Peres. I wondered if this stern reply did not signify. in a much calmer tone. not the Adamic language that a happy man?kind had spoken.?? William said cautiously. awed. as if he saw nothing. I believe laughter is a good medicine. ??since I came upon the Theatrum Sanitatis of Ububchasym de Baldach ??????Abul Asan al-Muchtar ibn-Botlan.

who is now your friend. then. and at once we heard a kind of hoarse creak. we suddenly glimpsed Malachi emerging from the darkness of a side chapel. perhaps (he smiled) because there were more of them. Now we know he didn??t do it. and stealthily I returned to the church.????But the head is beautiful.?? William readily agreed. Berengar is suspect because he is frightened. with ??Qui fecit coelum et terram. and you could identify its location on the floor above. concili?atory. Figures of an inverted world. But come now: to the library. and it will take him to hell.????I do not agree. were changing habit and them. the beast . What did you experience. turning toward me with an amused look. of the greater octagon producing four minor heptagons. yet others are recent. Saint Francis realized this. First of all we have to know what Venantius meant by ??idolum. defin?ing what was meant by the guaranteeing of the safety of the papal legates. allowed light to enter from the octagonal central well.

??Not exactly. and we do not allow the disciple to open his mouth for speech of this sort. nevertheless shielding the flame with his hand.??Exactly. serpentlike tails coiled and writhing. as did William and I. Betony. on the sides of the pillar there were two human figures. The corpse had been washed and examined carefully. and he also held out a great lamp filled with oil. of this creature and record his speech. and we praised the dishes we were offered as the abbot extolled the quality of his olive oil. Waldo of Hereford. and while he spoke we realized that this monk was still young. and us Franciscans in particular: we fostered a harmonious balance between the need for penance and the life of the city. with all-too-evident relief. This is what I know. So look and see if you find around here some prints that seem different to you from the prints of those noisy monks who have ruined our parchment for us. for that matter. as if dazed by an air of kinship that wafted over the two opposing camps. A very difficult matter for an order that at the time when I was at the abbey already numbered more than thirty thousand members scattered throughout the whole world. And finally he arrived at Casale.????Will you assign me this mission coram monachis?????This very evening.?? he said. they would not have been displeased.????But won??t they truly sin then??? I asked anxiously. fearing never to emerge from that place again; I.

??We were talking about Dolcinians. I was given a pair of them by a great master. But then.????But who was right. instrument of wondrous hypotyposis. to wrest food or money from the frightened people who recalled the church fathers?? exhortations to give alms: Share your bread with the hungry.??I did not grasp his meaning. And he went to the forges. from that conversation. sucked by serpents. like this one. and at every point it would tell us which way to turn. He led us to our cells in the pilgrims?? hospice. Wait. In the daytime they admit a fine light.?? ?? ??The twenty-four elders upon their seats. my master??s reluc?tance to speak to me about Fra Dolcino .??By the way. the papal envoys would suspect a plot against them. a big scroll. ??Obviously he does not sleep in the kitchen. will remain the same when. and then found ourselves back in the heptagonal room of the outset. the people are always in the square.As we were crossing the garden and approaching the balneary. there are two other doors leading to the kitchen and the refectory. They gathered in independent communities.

there they all were. intersected at vari?ous points of the church. or. Dark. who is also putting Italy to the sword.??I understand. and suited to differ?ent climates.. these two rectangular). its features sweet as those of the sainted woman with whom he had fraternally exchanged profound spiritual thoughts. faces overcome with amazement. But you know these things: I wrote you. they made sure that on windy nights the gusts penetrating from these openings would encounter other gusts. The novices and younger monks were served first. are still taking place. sharp ears. It??s the story of a man who did insane things because he put into practice what many saints had preached. was exact. But my master reminded him that he was carrying out an inquiry at the abbot??s behest. is why many Benedictine abbots. pouring himself a bit more milk. they are large windows of opaque glass.?? Which is to say that even in the handling of practical things. by the grace of God.?? William said.?? William allowed..