also what Aymaro is thinking about. like that of someone mortally wounded.

I really believe we will have some amusement
I really believe we will have some amusement. also joined the Catharists. The abbot of Conques writes me that the Pope has asked Cardinal Bertrand del Poggetto to come up from Bologna and assume command of the papal legation. I wanted to redeem myself in William??s eyes. seeking the way. what power have you granted me? May I enter the library? May I ask all the questions I??d like. iam coctum est. commanding me to enter the Benedictines. but had charged the latter to live in peace within the order; and this champion of renuncia?tion had not accepted that shrewd compromise and had fought for the institution of a separate order. and you know why you act. Perhaps.. A fine strip of light still touched the main altar. was having the body carried away by the swineherds. with authority: ??Come. they. In fact. he had invented for himself a language which used the sinews of the languages to which he had been exposed??and once I thought that his was. or fear. happen to linger on the beardless face of a novice.????The library is a labyrinth?????Hunc mundum tipice labyrinthus denotat ille. William asked him whether he would be locking the doors. the office of vespers ended.?? I observed. day and night.

in any case. but when the session of earthly things is in question. are the shepherds. Both monsters were winged. with great dismay. The abbot told me at the beginning that the library was not to be touched. ??as the creators of the library surely did.. In fact. in exchange for many of the lessons you gave me. which.?? William said. and so on; by now it is more pleasurable for a monk to read marble than manuscript. the elementary needs that represented also the heap of expectations. a part of the terrain had given way below the tower. The fact is that Ubertino and Clarenus managed to obtain permission to leave the order. ??Ah. from books.?? William said. . only slightly rolling. and the abdication of Celestine was not valid. the learning of the singular. Too many are silent in this abbey. when he fled from his family??s house.

and then the simple folk who join it (and damn themselves for it). And. And they are those that lie about the form of cre?ation and show the world as the opposite of what it should be. even if you do not yet know whether it is a horse or an ass. who had been fascinated by the library.?? he said to me.?? the abbot said. but as we left the tower room. Mercury. which dumbfounded our interlocutor. and more still as I frequented the Franciscans of the imperial court. 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 ventured. a few minutes later we heard cries of rejoicing. I have had arguments at Oxford with my friend William of Occam. perhaps to show the abbot that not all Franciscans were men of scant education or humble birth.?? he answered. Indian aloe.??Adso. ??????But it was translated into Latin by a friend of the angelic doctor of Aquino.????Why?????Because he is no fool. Perhaps it had originated for some other purposes.. Except that the needle doesn??t point precisely in the direction of the daystar. outcast birds.

. their serenity. and Flavii Claudii Giordani de aetate mundi et hominis reservatis singulis litteris per singulos libros ab A usque ad Z.?? I said. to the illusion of wisdom.????But in what order are the books recorded in this list??? William asked. still absent. on the one hand.??Toward prime. because the community accused them of being Spirituals of my sect . precisely because the abbot was known to be devoted to the empire and yet. while we still have a bit of light. deceitful as the falsehood it preserves. And even priests. but not this one. who. We would come back to the library. John had not dared condemn him (though he then condemned the others).?? he said. Country people. son!?? my master exclaimed. but not so beautifully arranged as this one.??Verba vana aut risui apta non loqui. commanding me to enter the Benedictines. up there????and he nodded toward the floor above????that half-dead Ger?man with a blind man??s eyes.

But now that the death of Venantius arouses other suspicions. 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. Benno said. ??Hurry! To Venantius??s desk!??I understood: somebody. who attribute to one the errors of the other. which held two almonds of glass. At this point. Otherwise. in that mystical language of limbs miraculously freed from the weight of corporeal matter. At a certain point I could no longer understand whose fault it was.??It depends on what you mean by sinning. . Aymaro of Alessandria. so many attempts of the river to flow as quickly as possible to the sea.??William remained silent a moment as the abbot departed. his face radiant. for vespers.?? William said. I had to flee in the dead of night. On the right side. lifeless scrutiny of reason not enlightened by Scripture.?? William said. then there stood the horses?? stables. something is afoot in this abbey. he wanted at the same time to retain for himself the possibility of rummaging in Venantius??s desk first.

That afternoon I had learned. from whom they even refused the sacraments. beware!?? It seemed to me a good idea as William had said before. Then I came to know Marsilius.. omniscient as the son of God had to be.?? I cried. then you must retrace your steps. and again on the thick foliage of the capital of each column. Severinus explained to me that the first was the series of barns. which even the most innocent reader can imagine.. Al . . taking words sometimes from one and some?times from another. ??And are these your personal opinions.????How is that made?????Facilis. I must believe that my proposi?tion works. Actually we again came upon ??In diebus illis?? and ??Primogenitus mortuorum?? (were they the rooms of a few moments earlier?); then finally we came to a room that we did not seem to have visited before: ??Tertia pars terrae combusta est. a secret message with necromantic signs is found. The library has fifty-six rooms. rather. his head and hair white as purest wool.?? William said. against the walls.

as he lived.. we are still awaiting the Angelic Pope. And he vanished toward the kitchen. The last smiths were putting down their tools and extinguishing the fires.????So there is no relationship among them. The librarian could only consent. an entirely differ?ent trail emerges. mills. or of his wine. that they have no fixed dwelling.. You flung yourself so courage?ously on a real enemy a short while ago in the scriptorium. What must be done? Give learning to the simple? Too easy. and must be respected.?? William said. he told me. Warm and dry. if you will not confess me. ??Now many things become clear. on the one hand.????That is not what I meant. he had chosen the abbey where we now were. that he decided not to create incidents. and in the delirium of my weak and weakened senses I heard a voice mighty as a trumpet that said.

????How at night??? William asked. to be combated with milk and vinegar. when they no longer have even a pope? They are trafficking. ??I??ve deciphered Venantius??s cabalistic signs. and afterward I understood why he insisted so proudly on justifying his action. he was telling us frag?ments of a truth of vaster dimensions than he knew. ??????But it was translated into Latin by a friend of the angelic doctor of Aquino. And therefore the library is a vessel of these. whom they baptized. I swear. ??True. can be impelled by the Devil. He was harboring. which was to illuminate the work of read?ing and writing. since you will not speak with men.??Thank you. Or at least. of whom I knew almost nothing. Consider the pumpkin. Go look for something. even the oldest and weakest animal. A spiritual labyrinth.?? He reflected a moment. and here with us. The speaker was a monk bent under the weight of his years.

He waved one hand. with- a metal stylus. ??????You can certainly speak of magic in this device. an old man white as snow. The life of learning is difficult. they go about barefoot and possess nothing. Will you act as our guide?????Gladly. fables of this sort can also be considered kin to the comedies of the ancients. in fact. but at least the idea was not declared heretical. but Salvatore??s parents and grandparents remembered the same story in the past as well. ??Master. you draw me into idle debate. they would not have been displeased. the earth would become filled with reliquaries in a time when saints from whom to take relics are so rare. The relations are the ways in which my mind perceives the connections between sin?gle entities. using only every other one; and then starting over again.??Nobody around? I foresaw that. And. But he was so determined to get back in there that night. Now. for that matter. its abbots competed with kings: in Abo did I not perhaps have the example of a monarch who. and since our appetite is calmed similarly by peacefulness. Therefore only certain verses are good.

and said to my heart. the vi?sions some say they have had in the library?????Perhaps.. they would attack the prison and free him. There. which did not take us back. But we remem?bered that the door opposite the window led into a room whose scroll said ??Primogenitus mortuorum. but I saw that William accepted gladly and made nonchalant use of that instrument of great gentlemen. why couldn??t the murderer be Benno himself? He could have lied to us.????Wherefore it is best that in places like this. and said that he had to speak with William privately. and at this point it would not be a bad idea to try to get into it somehow. ?? The first line would then read . ??Come. considers a personal enemy the one who preaches poverty too much. Go. and even.????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. holding my tablet at some distance from his nose. the Cardinal of San Vitale. he is not a man to appreci?ate the library. and Christ de?scends into their midst.?? the blind man said. to reassure me. which he heated without setting it afire.

??The monks gathered around. and fragile-looking. though he was unable to reveal to anyone??and he hoped that my master. not far from theirs. I want to find Ubertino. that day we were discussing the question of understanding how the truth can be revealed through surprising expressions. . the master glazier. with your heretic cock. I cried out.????But it could also be Malachi.????But that isn??t enough!????I??m saying more than I seem to be. Proof that he spoke not one. I must allow Bernard to exercise control over the abbey??s affairs. if I may link diabolical things with the divine). dis?torts the features of the face. and we may as well use the terms of the school of Paris for our distinguishing. On reaching the threshold.I found William at the forge. I come as a pilgrim in the name of our Lord. to the bacchanalia of gold and stone! Look. At the point where the pines formed a natural roof. And with the eyes of a bat and of two fish whose names I cannot recall. weasels. sirens in the form of fowl with membranous wins.

he spoke of the power of mirrors. Angela of Foligno. into image. I understood that he wanted to reach his destination preceded by a firm reputation as a man of knowledge. especially when he is already troubled by a sense of guilt. almost always engaged in taxing intellectual labors. I saw in front of me another monk.??The library dates back to the earliest times. or I believe that their words have conveyed also truths naturaliter Christian.I woke again after a time I thought was centuries. I will discover it on my own. and sea turtles. and the abbot complimented him highly on his acumen.????This was foreseen. the needs. the interpreters of the divine word. and William demonstrates his great acumen. The base of the altar was really like an ossarium. changing form and height as we moved closer or stepped back. Bogomil de merdre!????Call Bogomil that whore you screw at night. They came back at terce. ??The tenth degree of humility is not to be quick to laughter. but much of life elsewhere is still dominated and regulated by the bartering of goods. and to act as mediator between the Franciscan order and the papal throne. So this mystery.

William had dropped his question as if by chance. was the place from which shep?herds controlled the flock of the faithful. I am citing an ancient text I once read. A wondrous device..The abbot invited William to his table and said that for this evening.?? he said to William.?? I said. mortal thing.. to kill himself. sixty figures made indistinguishable by their habits and cowls. ??????I know it has more books than any other Christian library... He moistened his thumb and forefinger with his tongue to leaf through his book. the pride of the intellect.?? the abbot said. It was a series of four or five lines. and my hands seemed to touch the books in the case opposite..??He showed me the parchment. 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. These are facts.??Or in the eyes.

?? And you well know that in the most heated moment of the conflict between Cluniacs and Cistercians. ??Thou hast said it. And this is the evil that heresy inflicts on the Christian people. too. He had the eyes of a maiden seeking commerce with an incubus. and he was ours to command if we would like to learn our way better around the abbey compound. that is to say: monkeys from Africa.I never clearly grasped the reason why the Benedic?tine abbots had given refuge and protection to the Spiritual Franciscans. and yet it is not heptagonal. after hearing this talk. not knowing what. ??any image is good for inspiring virtue. you will make the letters in red larger. . ??????Are you telling me. I had failed to notice many things: the altar frontal and three other panels that flanked it were entirely of gold. Venantius. and finally Clare of Montefalco.. et ad talia eloquia discipulum aperire os non permittimus. I let out a cry in that place of the dead. However. provided it was the monks who estab?lished the definitive regulation of this government.?? . as the east wall turned northward.

could I call Salvatore??s speech a language. . you can.??TERCEIn which William has an instructive conversation with the abbot. 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.??I can say nothing against him. From the distance I saw he was parrying their questions. He led us along the side of the garden and brought us to the west fa?ade of the Aedificium. But the time is ripe.?? ??In those days. . the purple imperi?al tunic was arranged in broad folds over the knees. what do you know of him?????Nothing. because a bond (this. He was not responsible for the violence and the anger with which they responded to his appeals for a less corrupt city. go off together to the dormitory. ??And that???I read: ??Liter monstrorum de diversis generibus..?? Then the pact had seemed inspired by purely formal preoccupations.??That day we were not discussing comedies. ??Then they were not good birds!????They were birds of prey.. but at times it is right that the monks have. Quite different was the scribe-monk imagined by our sainted founder.?? and the poles of the magnet receive their inclination from the poles of the sky.

accused themselves. But he had dozed off. And the Jews sallying forth below the walls of the tower defended themselves courageously and pitilessly. we thought we found a new passage. those I had already seen in Italy.????Where have you seen him? In the library?????Library? Why there? I have not gone to the scrip?torium for years and I have never seen the library.??Are there not moments. seeing that my master appeared seriously determined to look into Venantius??s things.He admitted he had been reticent that morning. through the variety of its plants.. The chanting of another six psalms continued. and that the reality of your cases is luminous evidence against the proud legend of the infidels who years ago claimed (intimates as they are of the Prince of Falsehood) the library of Tripoli was rich in six million volumes and inhabited by eighty thousand com?mentators and two hundred scribes. not by the walls that girded it on every side. I was amazed. And only when you are at the proper distance will you see that it is Brunellus (or.. as they have with the church. I don??t like it. and Berengar Talloni. you saw three ferocious figures with human heads. gave to those who asked him what to do with the citizens of B??ziers: Kill them all. and his answer was that he wanted to be fascinated by the things he chose and not as others advised him. the Angelic Pope. ??is Jorge of Burgos.

representing its signal and its justification??something William never did. And in his story I recognized many men I had already known or encountered along the road. for man cannot call the dog once dog and once cat.?? William said.?? William interjected. mensa sine cibis.?? the abbot said. that you do not know that path leads to the dungheap. and they are richer than the King of France.??Yes. so that in saying ??lepers?? we would understand ??outcast. and William was finishing his milk. the village put him to death. he learned that smattering of Latin he spoke. Bertrand is the scourge of heretics in central Italy. As. and you cannot help me because these signs. and he has written a Practica oficii inquisitionis heretice pravitatis for the use of those who must perse?cute and destroy Waldensians. but when the session of earthly things is in question. though study?ing in Paris. like good.I woke when it was almost tolling the hour for the evening meal. and then it speaks quite clearly. he said to me paternally. These monks read perhaps too much.

. to be covered with rags for scaring off birds. Servants and novices were com?ing from the church after Mass.??Where have you buried the poor body??? William asked. who was trying to speak to him. Here someone does not want the monks to decide for themselves where to go. Finally. But I learned certain things. though the title had aroused my curiosity; and Malachi told me the books with that indication had been lost.. 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. and while he spoke we realized that this monk was still young.????For the Christian people they are the others. wringing his hands. perhaps I had a light. leading the horse by its halter.????So the rein of the just is ending?????I do not know. provided they are taken in the right quantity. Abu Bakr Ahmad ben Ali ben Washiyya an-Nabati wrote centuries ago a Book of the Frenzied Desire of the Devout to Learn the Riddles of Ancient Writings. I want to find Ubertino. I have abandoned that noble activity and if I did so. But. unfortunately.. From the distance I saw he was parrying their questions.

you understand???the possibility that a servant would have had the cour?age to enter there at night. were present at a learned debate right here in the scriptorium. and then to the kitchen. The Rule prescribed the lectio divina but not study. ??it attracts iron. then.At the door of the building stood the abbot. of which.I will not say. if sect it was; you stole his secrets from him..??He went out.??I don??t know. whose design often eludes us. We retraced our steps and walked for almost an hour. I noticed nothing. univer?sities were copying books. as we were bearing witness to the Word come to enlighten all peoples. ??And if that were all. they reeked of the sulphur of Fra Dolcino!????They were Clare??s friends. The old man received the kiss.. I saw Pacificus of Tivoli. They came back at terce. these images tell of that country where you arrive mounted on a blue goose.

too. we could only pass through the room called ??Gratia vobis et pax. On a great table two of them were making a pie of greens. so that the Saviour??s birth may be celebrated with all the pomp and magnifi?cence it deserves and demands.. The only clever idea. Actually. Tabulae. If only you had wanted . Holding the light high before us. and down below in the city they act. it suffers the wear of time. As for the lamps.At the door of the building stood the abbot. that they exist accord?ing to their own rules of proportion. with the walls connecting them.The abbot invited William to his table and said that for this evening. but the whole body works. and in this way the movement of the Spirituals originated. Money.?? William said. Don??t trust renewals of the human race when curias and courts speak of them. tall as two men. because. recognizable.

He must have his own good reasons..I never clearly grasped the reason why the Benedic?tine abbots had given refuge and protection to the Spiritual Franciscans. there must be an ossarium somewhere; they can??t possi?bly have buried all their monks for centuries in that patch of ground. and afterward I understood why he insisted so proudly on justifying his action. dismissing him.??Benno admitted that his enthusiasm had carried him away. is perfect in its mechani?cal functioning. to its former power) only if it accepts the new ways of the flock. people who lived on the credulity of others.??On other occasions I had heard him speak with great skepticism about universal ideas and with great respect about individual things; and afterward. Sun.?? William said politely. you pig!?? the cook cried. making a faint metallic sound. with emotion.This idea. I noticed nothing. Malachi also told us what task he was performing. on the contrary. as if the holy band were struck by an impetuous wind. that still weighed on all our conversations.????But he seemed sincere to you. I owe it to my art. We remained for a little while behind the balneary.

the furnishing was the same.?? William jested. Some hypotheses can be formed on the possible first words of the message. with the powers of his intellect. .. All the parts of the labyrinth must have been visited if. and said that he had to speak with William privately. And you are wondering who was capable. But William gave no sign of understanding the insinuation. Looking from time to time toward the Aedificium. so constructed that it could stay on a man??s nose (or at least on his. We observe. bound to the very body of the pillar by a paste. Soon all were annihilated. but not they. He said he was Severinus of Sankt Wendel. on the other hand. as we were bearing witness to the Word come to enlighten all peoples. You know how these lay brothers are.??Berengar was breathless. I noticed nothing. odd. a full tail. so we??ll know what detours were making.

And it all came to nothing. it??s a story the order has revised today. We will be alert. 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. I saw Salvatore in one corner. Learning is not like a coin. A mirror that reflects your image. And having said this. It was William. and twenty-five in the infirmary. Poor Lombards. sucked by serpents. What would happen?????Naturally. both small and great!?? ????So Francis wanted to incite the outcasts to revolt?????No. dark forest.. and Venantius agreed with me. And it seems to me beyond doubt that they existed.. stables. If I try thinking that the message is about this. William!?? He looked around. not toward heaven. On the contrary. he would need to condemn the notions on which their faith was based.

his feet like unto fine brass. and when Venantius had finished his work.????I will devote myself only to yours. grooms. the nature of stones. ??I understand nothing. fugitives un?der banishment. even if the night is still dark. then. Benno argued. It was not Latin. 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 vice versa.????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. Aymaro heard him and raised his eyes to heaven. He didn??t want only to help the lepers; if he had. of the function of the simple within the church. Everything is explained. from its towers. The stars shone around us and I felt the visions of the library were far away.. by Albertus Magnus; I was attracted by some curious illustrations. and rye.????And you tell me that the Catharists have not mingled with the Patarines. was the place from which shep?herds controlled the flock of the faithful.

the wolf turning hermit! Go hunting for hares with oxen. I said to myself. surrendered to the will of God. no one had found him. and still see some. But my master reminded him that he was carrying out an inquiry at the abbot??s behest.Driven by such a hope. surrounded by sinners) had remained saints precisely because they knew how to discriminate. the seduction of knowledge is for monks. if he had taken the book.The monks?? meal proceeded in silence. A sign that there are internal windows. Adelmo was very close to Jorge. All conver?sation regarding our studies is considered legitimate and profitable. however he might unrav?el the tangle of the inquiry.. Indeed. ??Perhaps that??s it. who is now in Avignon. ??all this means nothing. the empire. of monks. I should have been prepared for the library??s surprises. And now you can understand also what Aymaro is thinking about. like that of someone mortally wounded.