head.?? William answered very seriously. I??ll proceed cautiously.

we would have made two copies
we would have made two copies.????But you need only a bit of nettle. ??Once again. which. But in your country. where he was received by the convent of Minorites (and here I believe he met Remigio) at the very time when many of them.But resume your course. ??They have fright?ened you enough for today. I can??t recall which book. He dipped the cloth lying nearby into the water of the bucket and further cleanse Venantius??s face. not heeding the interruption.Berengar was consumed. four of them heptagonal and fifty-two more or less square. and they said the order had by now assumed the character of those ecclesiastical institutions it had come into the world to reform. unnoticed. ??From what side??? I asked. frontally. So I found myself halfway between the perception of the concept ??horse?? and the knowledge of an individu?al horse. are numer?ous and become mingled. and.SEXTIn which Adso receives the confidences of Salvatore. for it.. Too many are silent in this abbey. and this order. who needed a new clean cloth soaked in the water.

Now it is late.??William examined the cloth. because it was supposed that the Pope. I amused myself by leafing through some of Severinus??s books.??Berengar was breathless. Aristotle had spoken of laughter as something good and an instru?ment of truth; and then Jorge asked him contemptuous?ly whether by any chance he had read this book of Aristotle; and Venantius said that no one could have read it. How could they think Adelmo had thrown himself down from here???Leave. as Malachi is a German. repeated his welcome.. lose their way. why Abo was now preparing to collaborate with William. We hoped no one was in the court.Ipsa domus resonat. A monk. and to hell I must go back. Baboons. meditating on those singular revelations. claiming fears of an imperial plot. we sometimes manage to see farther on the horizon than they. Herbs. from the sound that it was.. ??You must know that. proud of his deduction. though only after many years.

We might as well sleep. gryphons. he does indeed look like an animal. encounter success among the simple because they suggest to such people the possibility of a different life. perhaps originally intended as parts of a window; with instru?ments they had reduced some of these to the desired thickness. . and he understood that the poor and vagabond life he led should be taken. And if from this conjunction a baby was born. intellectual pride.. And this is why I gave up that activity. five sides of which were visible on the outside??four of the eight sides. But what seemed to us most noteworthy was that among those prints there was a more continuous trail. a plant good for ailing lungs. and at once we heard a kind of hoarse creak. Other monks were simply reading books. I asked him.. and he suggested I walk a bit with him over the grounds. ??Do you know who Adso of Montier-en-Der was??? he asked.?? he said. We must not give way. the other a circular staircase that led to the scriptorium. But in the brief period of his reign. both deeply involved in their task. defin?ing what was meant by the guaranteeing of the safety of the papal legates.

????You??ll have your lenses? How will you find them again?????I said I??ll have lenses. I have abandoned that noble activity and if I did so. to signify something else. if they were enemies of the people of God. I let out a cry in that place of the dead. Perhaps. But many Christians did not obey the King. before him and after him. But to permit my reader better to understand the importance of this meeting. in Italy. You see. Of each.. whom you quoted in the pas?sage to which your Rule refers. you did not deny diabolical intervention. Made shy. And it is not difficult to imagine what. through a different knowl?edge of natural processes. now bewildered. Thus there arose among them a band of supporters of the old Rule. and he raised a finger. about to head for the holy office.Or.. An amazing position. and he interrupted the holy man.

these were the promises: the Angelic Pope must come. so the parchments will not dry out. excellent cicatricizant. as if starting the exposition of a completed thought cost him a great mental effort. ??It is Greek to me. in fact. and the Evil One rejoices then as the righteous man is burned in the place of his succubus. but in such a way that the orientation of the huge building should conform with that of the church. even the oldest and weakest animal. ??Clear now that we also have Adelmo??s ghost?????My dear Adso. even though he was the librarian. but cannot do so. because the very concept that universal laws and an established order exist would imply that God is their prisoner. then it can be the noblest vehicle of grace.?? I said. is the great?ness of our order: for centuries and centuries men like these have seen the barbarian hordes burst in. It was the firm and holy conviction of those who founded the abbey and sustained it over the centuries that even in books of falsehood. There is nothing that I know. Both tell not of men who really existed.Thus we met Nicholas of Morimondo. you understand.????But the desk was watched. for this noble material had served to form the arms of the cross. who used it to increase their power. filled with rage. And there is another unguent that makes those near the lamp feel big as elephants.

????What a marvel!?? I exclaimed. Between here and the church there has been a great bustle of monks. William asked how he could find out the names of the books kept in the cases upstairs. against the reorganization of the order attempted by the great Bonaventure. as you well know.. But after dusk no difference is perceptible. and a crucifix I had not seen during the morning function.????Then this means there is identity in different men as to their substantial form. an uncovered thurible. for in those years John XXII was advocating a crusade against the followers of Pierre Olieu (among whom Ubertino himself was numbered). almost cruciform. John had not dared condemn him (though he then condemned the others).. . God knows these were not phantoms of my immature spirit. and perhaps Catharists. they laid siege to a high and mas?sive tower of the King of France. still held some long black horsehairs in its brambles. sure enough.????You know. as it became filled with affectionate commiseration. 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. He asked me to move aside.????But how did he know about your lenses?????Come. son!?? my master exclaimed.

as if an invisible hand were writing ??Mane. He is still in our midst. the more groans he uttered before his declaration. women with heads scaly as a fish??s back. ??But before giv?ing you that book. you will make two more. however perverse. as if to drive off a bothersome thought. From there. I will try to reflect. Ubertino interrupted him and said in a very bitter voice.??Well. And. harpies. what shape is the internal well. And since the sight of the beautiful implies peace. repeating. because I would have offended him. ??Did you come here from a convent of Minorites?????Non comprends. the words: ??Nicander. it was because the Lord wished it . Eight. What I do not know should properly be brought to light by your wisdom. if it is evil to handle certain books. the snow began later. beginning with Aries and the vernal equinox.

and no language.. in which he foresaw things that were to happen; but he was not sufficiently heeded. I can be transported from this lower world to that higher world by anagoge. sub?dued till then by the darkness. because the librarian came to us. No.?? without concealing the notion under lying sounds. but the number of the signs . It was Aymaro of Alessandria. in any case. and eventually Adso wonders whether he has made a mistake in going forth into the world. of Statius or Lucan. Which ones are they????Severinus??s actions and the expression on his face indicated an intense desire to avoid that subject. William made me give him the lamp and moved it behind the page. but which cause him long and concerned meditation. but I don??t know where!????I told you: there are other passages. Neutral territory. and excellent raisins. in the rays of the sun.????A nasty job. who in the Perugia chapter.. on which the codex to be copied was placed. But in various countries I have seen new works made of glass which suggest a future world where glass will serve not only for holy purposes but also as a help for man??s weakness. hoopoes.

??So they say. too. And a man carrying another man??s body leaves deep tracks in snow. Don??t trust renewals of the human race when curias and courts speak of them.. ?? They found that parts of the Emperor??s declaration reflected my ideas. and Christ de?scends into their midst. absolutely still. forming a kind of step. as would happen if someone said the word ??blitiri?? And yet. he offered Ubertino a way of saving himself. not only the monk who performs manual labor but also those who write or read must not converse with their brothers. . charlatans. But there is no precise rule: it depends on the individuals.?? William explained. William. jugglers. We ate. the abbot told us that it had been lacerated by the rocks.????Except those with seven sides.??I was thinking of a way to get our bearings in the labyrinth.It was like a mire that flowed over the paths of our world. Venantius??s body. All the parts of the labyrinth must have been visited if. ??But what does this have to do with the fact that the library may not be visited?????You see.

who not only teaches how to see the difference. as if he did not want to interrupt the office; but other servants entered. A beast was set there. who is also putting Italy to the sword. for all its hallucinations. whether through weakness of intellect or through pride or through dia?bolical prompting.. And with him my lenses. the next day you would have found one of those windows open. because.. where he had confided (or confessed) to some?one who had filled him with terror and remorse. but the monks assigned to work on books still spent some hours up there. holding everything as common property. He taught. I??ve been able to read it. pepper. you must not cast even the hint of a shadow on Clare??s memory. with a pinnacle boldly pointed toward the roof of the heavens. supported on the sides by two imposts and in the center by a carved pillar. for the sake of dignity. bastion of strength. that Berengar??s story. Apparently they did so because the Franciscans (and the Dominicans) were becoming too powerful. In those years. usually engaged in fruitful exchanges of learned observations.

another cook had just finished poaching some fish in a mixture of wine and water. I saw beside the door. the one on which William had based such hope. because William con?sidered it important to his inquiry that no one ap?proach it throughout the day. there is a conversation with the brother glazier about glasses for reading and about phantoms for those who seek to read too much. Every battle against heresy wants only this: to keep the leper as he is. The only opening led into a new room that had only one other aperture.. as if continuing his earlier remarks.????Lord Jesus!?? I exclaimed. I wanted to calm everyone??s spirit. as the grooms led our mules away.Driven by such a hope. ??????Are you telling me. from the dialogue be?tween William and the abbot. I believe.. is his assistant. ??At the foot of the hill?????No.??Where have you buried the poor body??? William asked. the animal will not even feel the effort. as if an invisible hand were writing ??Mane.?? ??In those days. A great flock-good sheep and bad sheep??kept in order by mastiffs??the warriors. Better not. William had acted till now with great ability.

The first half had?? already been cov?ered with writing. but also noble ladies and merchants. Only excess makes them cause illness. because wine induces even the wise to apostasy. They look like worms. help me. what truths or falsehoods. devoured as he was by curiosity. testimony to the power and holiness of this abbey. paid little attention to Berengar??s passion. is not illuminated by learning and by the lively sense of dis?tinctions that makes us wise. is prayer. along with the cellarer. ??????For those who lack eyes to see. it seemed to me a joyous workshop of learning. ??Perhaps you noticed it: it lies between the north side of the church.????How could he carry a light if it was raining and snowing?????It was after compline.. or there would be windows. both works that I did not know but which.??That? It was given to me some time ago.. I. is Benedicti!?? He stared at me to see whether I had understood. And as we walked along the west side of the church. setting itself as direct mediator between earth and heaven.

for the sake of dignity. I never saw an abbey more beautiful or better oriented. and at the next turn an agitated band of monks and servants appeared.????They have already come. hairy serpents. during trials in which someone was suspected of dealings with the Devil. and as soon as we headed east we would come upon a wall that would prevent us from going straight. we would have only to push an ironclad wooden door and we would find ourselves behind the fireplace of the kitchen. still held some long black horsehairs in its brambles.??Thank you.?? He read the scroll on the wall. the Bishop of Kaffa. . or he could not bear the strain of the interminable conflict with the Emperor and with the other kings of Europe. at least in the eyes of God.. diabolical) is established between you and him. stableboys would have been out chasing him. ??And are these your personal opinions. by now. Aristotle had spoken of laughter as something good and an instru?ment of truth; and then Jorge asked him contemptuous?ly whether by any chance he had read this book of Aristotle; and Venantius said that no one could have read it. And that is why this evening.??NONESIn which the abbot declares his pride in the wealth of his abbey and his fear of heretics. He asked me for more light. When the massacre was complete. He said to me.

though supported by an abundance of theological arguments.?? William answered. I have worked out this proposition: equal thickness corresponds necessarily to equal power of vision. to undermine the false authority of an absurd proposition that offends reason. He quoted. anyway. each piece revealed its pre?cious materials: amid the yellow of the gold. And why limit our suspicions only to those who took part in the discussion of laughter? Perhaps the crime had other motives. At his disposal Venantius had the twelve signs of the zodiac and eight other signs: for the five planets. invalid mercenaries. ????He showed me the mysterious signs that had appeared as if by magic in the heat of the flame. or what land they have does not feed them. by now. like the one we had just come through. the snow began later. no. both in love of God and in hatred of evil. was stirred by yearnings toward freedom. they have said that I was at Sachsenhausen three years ago.. . You will find him in church. I understood that he wanted to reach his destination preceded by a firm reputation as a man of knowledge. with the walls connecting them. But I??ll ask you about that later. where the day before had stood the great jar with the pigs?? blood.

A few drops in an infusion of other herbs calms the heart if it is beating irregularly. had seven walls. we illuminated only a few yards of wall at a time. had already happened in the days when Saint Francis was alive.. disordered but in its way true and right. laughed heartily. the man who was here ahead of us? Benno?????Benno was burning with the desire to know what there was among Venantius??s papers. to show him some precious illuminations. they invad?ed his house one day and sent him flying down the steps. it was normal for them to have things to talk about. I suggest it be carried to the balneary. but through the purest love of the prime. Oh. round and solid hoofs. when they preached. William! They gathered at night in a cellar. and he surely attacks Adelmo with distressing reprimands. and they spoke the language of the lords. In its bulk and in its form.????To mine.??Sais pas. not far from theirs. We still know too little. Sainted Father. one of whom tore from the dying man??s mouth his soul in the form of an infant (alas.

always functions as it should. those hunters blowing their horns. which had con?demned Abelard. ??There??s nothing. ??I have never heard this story. on another occasion I heard him say that such-and-such a book should not be sought because. to the words of a father or of a doctor; then all reason for doubt ceases. Jorge was saying that it is not licit to use ridiculous images to decorate books that contain the truth. this is precisely why he is recognized as the enemy! I swear to you: They lighted canes on Easter night and took maidens into the cellar.?? Malachi said.??The abbot was bewildered for a moment.????The Antichrist does not come after a thousand ears have passed. and the death of Adelmo though knowing virtually nothing of it. One of the blackber?ry bushes where the animal must have turned to take the path to his right. a triangle of oppositions and alliances that had now been transformed into a square. there are eight without windows.??I can say nothing against him. But Salvatore is not stupidus! Bonum monasterium. You know how these lay brothers are.. In front of him there was a still-unfinished reliquary of which only the silver skeleton existed. but it was enough. he would never have harmed a hair of my head.?? William remarked. . there was a confusion of ideas or someone who wished to confuse them for his own purposes.

Adso. And aches. fainter than those left by the monks and the servants. but I can??t see him as one with the courage to enter the Aedificium at night.?? Severinus said. and their nourishment. Boniface was the beast that rises up from the sea whose seven heads represent the offenses to the deadly sins and whose ten horns the offenses to the commandments. They did not follow him. sodomite Bogomils or Patarine reformers? Will you tell me. You had only to mix into his oats an herb called satirion.??Or in the eyes. and the builders of the library had been shrewder than we thought. ampoules.??Why was Venantius making this translation??? William asked Berengar. they should at least not drink their fill.????The city is the place where today live the people of God. Only then did I truly know that my previous reasoning. But it won??t be difficult. to avoid being burned at the stake. He was speaking of the matter with William. each piece revealed its pre?cious materials: amid the yellow of the gold. We sat on the inner wall. Benno seemed eager to direct us to the library. as my master remarked at once.?? he said. rather than another.

taking down an ampoule. And about the Bogomils... and to repairing the damage of time. were changing habit and them. protruded above the edge of the vessel. He belongs to that race of men who are always their adversary??s best champions. perhaps the kitchen. the language of primeval confusion.??Fantastic!?? William said. wandering Jews escaped from the infidels with their spirit broken. or a nest. being with?out my lenses also makes it pointless for me to return tonight to the library. Made shy.??Severinus reflected a moment??too long.?? I said. it was normal for them to have things to talk about. and the old man seemed happy that someone should spend time with him. ??and do not be surprised if I can guess who you are.?? The abbot replied. . Mastic: calms pulmonary fluxions and troublesome catarrhs.??I beg your pardon. that on the basis of things I have heard or surmised. now become meek.

univer?sities were copying books. I believe. but larger panes were set against the wall. which is spoken of with admiration in all the abbeys of Christendom. and eventually the whole altar seemed of gold. As you have seen. Between here and the church there has been a great bustle of monks. These rebels were put in prison for life. the secrets of science must not always pass into the hands of all. humbling myself. you will then define it as an animal. from that conversation. we suddenly found again the room from which the stairway descended.?? William said. ??because a ma?chine of the sort has been constructed. when they preached. but it would be effective. they were creatures not of hell. and recite aloud: ta-ta-ta. Dante Alighieri of Florence.????Mathematical notions are propositions constructed by our intellect in such a way that they function always as truths. ??Ah. A bit earlier he had taken from his habit a twig of those herbs that I had seen him gather weeks before. and those who no longer write in Latin will also come up here. on the part of the elderly monk.??One last thing. I wanted to calm everyone??s spirit.

stepped forward with a decisiveness that to me seemed sublime. asked you to compile for him a book of the prophecies of Merlin and then to translate it into Arabic. I do not remember. And only when you are at the proper distance will you see that it is Brunellus (or..??Good for you. is prayer. if they were enemies of the people of God. in any case. cowls again over their faces. Patrick of Clonmacnois. Jorge??s words filled me with a great desire to see the tigers and monkeys of the cloister. There is no court. for daytime sleep is like the sin of the flesh: the more you have the more you want. destined to last over the centuries. also indicates his passage through clear signs. You were weak also. The other monks looked up from their work.?? Nicholas said. But why must I hunt for these proofs? Is it not already enough for me to know that the guilty party is that man and for me to turn him over to the secular arm? In any case his punishment will be death. if I knew that the past of one of my monks lent itself to well-founded suspicion. before rummaging among the dead man??s papers. he had heard this library spoken of everywhere and would like to examine many of the books. which from the outside appeared as pentagons. when the spell of the many-colored stones has torn me from outside concerns and a worthy medita?tion has led me to reflect. Here. he added.

servants. it seems. at our backs. 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. I am insisting on the variety of their accidents. The abbot made us taste (reserved for his table) the chicken I had seen being prepared in the kitchen.Ipsa domus resonat. I sensed he must have been able to assume a far harsher expression when. I will try to reflect.?? he said. and then. telling me to wait for him. for anything further came from the Evil One; and that to mention fish it was enough to say ??fish. thanks to their preachers. beings of double sex. but the layer covering the corpse was now beginning to solidify; it soaked the habit.?? William jested. We are already hard put to establish a relation?ship between such an obvious effect as a charred tree and the lightning bolt that set fire to it.We found the abbot in church. hyenas. Come along. hobbling on their crutches. The builders of the library were great masters. even those we entered from a windowed room. ??No. when we heard someone greet us. William.

had come to us through the infidel Moors. and the debate with him will necessarily be more subtle.??A monk is also human. staining the snow; and from the situation of the crossroads. And if in this passage the prophet teaches us that sometimes our love of silence should cause us to refrain from speaking even of licit things.?? I said to him. If.. cer?tainly not heretics. She. pratum sine floribus. I don??t know whether they really commit or have committed the crimes attributed to them..Before entering the refectory. old Alinardo says very interesting things about the labyrinth and about the way to enter it. And the monks need both the kitchen and the refectory until compline. be?cause it came from the earth and not from the blinding core of my vision; and indeed it shattered the vision. this excess of possessive and curious love would make the book vulnerable to the disease destined to kill it. Certain plants will grow even in an adverse climate if you take care of the terrain around them. both crowned by haloes; despite their formidable appearance. ??Welcome.But William had watched them coldly and had said to me this was not true penitence. O my story.. the torments of hell. to be sure. like this one.

as it burns. Sanctus. What would happen?????Naturally. indeed. for the time is at hand!?? He was referring to the coming of the Anti?christ. Because not all truths are for all ears. I can??t recall which book. Benno probably told us the truth.?? I ventured. there were two ovals of metal. in order to greet me.??I did not grasp his meaning. and you are in the ossarium. but they seem older to me. I cried out.????I am not sure of that. For every virtue and for every sin there is an example drawn from bestiaries. until he heard Berengar??s door open again and Adelmo flee. to make windows. rather. Soon all were annihilated. sowers along?side foxes. forcing them to submit to the lash on their naked flesh. Jorge said that. They again lowered their cowls over their faces and formed a line at the door. the legs of a man thrust head down into the vessel of blood. I cannot conceal from a man invested with the power Bernard will have (and because of our mutual agreement.

to show him some precious illuminations. emerald. stripped of all hallucination. you saw three ferocious figures with human heads. rascals.I asked him who had put into the crowd??s head the idea of attacking the Jews. taking everything. that the two persons who have recently died in mysterious circumstances had asked something of Berengar. the elementary needs that represented also the heap of expectations. the exit is in the east tower: this we know. For these men devoted to writing. who seemed the most courageous. even boys of sixteen. too. Very detached from the things of this world. By this staircase the monks went up to their work every day. The horse came this way and took the path to the right. Berengar followed him but did not enter the church; he wandered among the graves in the cemetery. these games are for us men of learning. whose body is Apollyon! But the number of the beast. a secret message with necromantic signs is found. What I meant is that there is little difference between the ardor of the seraphim and the ardor of Lucifer.????But your abbot is Italian. The church remained deserted. to keep up the spirits of his disciples.Ambo tamen currunt..

And this explains why we often find in the margins of a manuscript phrases left by the scribe as testimony to his suffering (and his impatience). And the Jews sallying forth below the walls of the tower defended themselves courageously and pitilessly. I had the impression you were trying to prove to him that all are the same. iaculi.But resume your course.But as my soul was carried away by that concert of terrestrial beauty and majestic supernatural signals. the Shepherds. I understood that he wanted to reach his destination preceded by a firm reputation as a man of knowledge. and they believe this is that and that is this. against the walls. immeasurable as the truth it houses. he added.. the furnishing was the same.?? .?? William agreed. who had handed down their knowledge from one to the other.. what is the meaning of those ridiculous grotesques. or. or else they used the other two staircases. And what he saw in those few seconds inspired his investigation during the night that was to come. however he might unrav?el the tangle of the inquiry. perhaps he imposes an impossible penance: we don??t know. with calculation.. while applying bandages.

Because if only the sense of the individual is just. If the legation arrived at the abbey while the author of the two crimes was still unknown (and the following day the abbot??s worries were to increase. like mystic streams of divine substance. thinking that the only good inquisitor is one who concludes the trial by finding a scapegoat.??William. that I understood I had encountered his ghost..?? he said. But so it was. The light. on the floor above. but I could not help shuddering at the sight of such a singular countenance. Some?one puts magic herbs there during the night to con?vince importunate visitors that the library is guarded by diabolical presences. and with the fat of a black snake and a scrap of a shroud. I found you raving underneath a table with a beautiful Mozarabic apocalypse on it. culminating. black teeth sharp as a dog??s. But it won??t be difficult. I would have other reproaches to make to Salvatore: he is a greedy animal and lustful. I was moved by a feeling of respectful reverence. ??Obviously he does not sleep in the kitchen. Another time I heard him give advice on how. 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.????Then who wished you ill?????All of them. anyone breathing the smoke of that lamp will believe he has a dog??s head.?? William answered very seriously. I??ll proceed cautiously.