forget that there was ever a period when the making of a single
book occupied years, and sometimes the life-time of one or two
men.

In those days, when the transcription of books was one of the chief
occupations in religious houses, the recluse monk, in the quiet
of the scriptorium, was, in spite of his seclusion, and indeed,
by reason of it, the chief link between the world of letters and
the world of men.

The earliest known example of work by a European monk dates from
the year 517; but shortly after this there was a great increase
in book making, and monasteries were founded especially for the
purpose of perpetuating literature. The first establishment of
this sort was the monastery of Vivaria, in Southern Italy, founded
by Cassiodorus, a Greek who lived between the years 479 and 575,
and who had been the scribe (or "private secretary") of Theodoric
the Goth. About the same time, St. Columba in Ireland founded a
house with the intention of multiplying books, so that in the sixth
century, in both the extreme North and in the South, the religious
orders had commenced the great work of preserving for future ages
the literature of the past and of their own times.

Before examining the books themselves, it will be interesting to
observe the conditions under which the work was accomplished. Sometimes
the scriptorium was a large hall or studio, with various desks
about; sometimes the North walk of the cloister was divided into
little cells, called "carrels," in each of which was room for the
writer, his desk, and a little shelf for his inks and colours.
These carrels may be seen in unusual perfection in Gloucester. In