bear the burden of them!"

The work of each scriptorium was devoted first to the completion
of the library of the individual monastery, and after that, to
other houses, or to such patrons as were rich enough to order books
to be transcribed for their own use. The library of a monastery
was as much a feature as the scriptorium. The monks were not like
the rising literary man, who, when asked if he had read "Pendennis"
replied, "No--I never read books--I write them." Every scribe was
also a reader. There was a regular system of lending books from
the central store. A librarian was in charge, and every monk was
supposed to have some book which he was engaged in reading "straight
through" as the Rule of St. Benedict enjoins, just as much as the one
which he was writing. As silence was obligatory in the scriptorium
and library, as well as in the cloisters, they were forced to apply
for the volumes which they desired by signs. For a general work,
the sign was to extend the hand and make a movement as if turning
over the leaves of a book. If a Missal was wanted, the sign of the
cross was added to the same form; for a Gospel, the sign of the
cross was made upon the forehead, while those who wished tracts to
read, should lay one hand on the mouth and the other on the stomach;
a Capitulary was indicated by the gesture of raising the clasped
hands to heaven, while a Psalter could be obtained by raising the
hands above the head in the form of a crown. As the good brothers
were not possessed of much religious charity, they indicated a
secular book by scratching their ears, as dogs are supposed to
do, to imply the suggestion that the infidel who wrote such a book
was no better than a dog!

This extract is made from a book in one of the early monastic libraries.