The Two Monks Illuminate Some Manuscripts

Previously in this series: Two Monks Invent Music.

MONK #1: I had quite a lot of room on the left-hand side for this one, so I thought I’d do Atlas holding up the letter P — as he does the world, you know — only the P is very, very heavy, so he’s rather crosser than usual about it

and underneath I’ve put a smaller fellow holding him up, who’s meant to be Paul

MONK #2: I see him! How minute, and how splendid!

MONK #1: and as you can see, he’s even crosser about the arrangement

MONK #2: and what is the meaning of Atlas having blue skin and fins for feet?

MONK #1: I’m afraid that was meant to be a suit of armor

MONK #2: oh!

MONK #1: only I didn’t have as much room from side to side, you know, as I did up and down, so I had to fit the armor a little tighter against the skin than how it’s probably usually worn

MONK #2: not at all

it’s very efficient

and of course on closer examination I can see it’s meant to be a pair of armored, and not fins at all

MONK #1: I suppose I ought to have drawn more greaves and joints and that sort of thing

to make it clearer that he is wearing armor, not covered in blue skin

but I got so carried away drawing the littler fellow holding him up I just didn’t have the time

[French MS, 13th century]

---

MONK #2: Here I’ve done the vision of St John of the Eagle and the Christ-Child

and I thought the eagle must have been rather surprised, you know, to see the Christ-Child unexpected in the skies like that

so I’ve drawn him looking rather surprised

MONK #1: I’d have been rather surprised, I’ve always thought, in his position

MONK #2: Yes, it must have been something of a surprise

MONK #1: And the pink tree would also have come as a surprise

MONK #2: Oh dear — that was meant to be a J

MONK #1: Was it?

MONK #2: Yes, for John — for St John?

MONK #1: Of course! Of course! J for John, whose vision it is — of course it’s a J, forgive me

now I’m the one who’s surprised

MONK #2: Just like the eagle

MONK #1: Just like the eagle

MONK #2: But it’s a nice surprise for him, I think

MONK #1: Oh, and for me too

MONK #2: You don’t think I ought to redo the J? to make it clearer that it’s meant to be a J, and not a pink denuded tree?

MONK #1: What, and spoil the surprise?

[Tyrolean MS, 15th century]

---

MONK #1: You’ll like this, I think

MONK #2: I’m sure I will

MONK #1: I thought that — in matters of religion, at least — sometimes we manage to surprise birds, and sometimes birds manage to surprise us

MONK #2: That’s very true

MONK #1: I thought so!

MONK #2: And well put

MONK #1: Very kind of you

MONK #2: But it’s true, you know! Birds are always surprising, and being surprised, in the Bible

now that I think about it

Elijah and the ravens. There’s a surprise

MONK #1: Just so

MONK #2: Noah and the dove, surprised

MONK #1: I would have been, in their position

MONK #2: I expect all those birds in the first chapter of Genesis when they suddenly came into being and God had them teeming in the skies

Or I think it’s “Let the skies teem with them”

Must have been surprising, not to have been a bird and then all at once be a bird expected to teem in the skies

[French MS, 14th century]

---

MONK #1: Now this isn’t one of mine, but Hubert the copyist’s first go, and I think it’s very good

MONK #2: Oh it’s very good, isn’t it?

MONK #1: I really think he’s very good

MONK #2: It gives one the sensation of streaming, doesn’t it? With the wind and the banners and the hair of the horse all flying back at once?

MONK #1: He was a little self-conscious because he can’t do legs yet, so he just left them out

MONK #2: Nothing to feel self-conscious about! I know what legs look like, I can imagine them perfectly well

MONK #1: He said he left some room to draw them in later, once he’s got more practice in, but that he was afraid he left the room in the wrong place

MONK #2: In a slightly unusual place, perhaps

But there’s no reason why the king couldn’t be sitting with his feet tucked under him, I shouldn’t think

And of course he’s drawn the horse’s legs very well

MONK #1: That’s exactly what I told him!

[German MS, 15th century]

---

MONK #2: Where would you put the little Lizard of Perception, if you were mapping the brain?

I’m diagramming Avicenna again

MONK #1: Hm

Avicenna? So you’re stashing him somewhere amidst the five ventricles, eh?

MONK #2: Or underneath!

MONK #1: I’d put him between Horse Sense and élan vital

MONK #2: Oh, I haven’t got élan vital

MONK #1: Haven’t you? What have you got for the five ventricles, then?

MONK #2: I’ve got Horse Sense, guardedness, Platonic solids, the liberal arts, and mnemonic devices

MONK #1: That’s all right, then. In which case I’d put the lizard after solids but before the arts, and maybe insert a few wiggly lines to depict the élan vital underlying the whole operation

MONK #2: Isn’t that sort of cheating?

MONK #1: How do you mean?

MONK #2: Well, isn’t that like getting away with a sixth ventricle?

MONK #1: I don’t see how you can diagram the brain without élan vital…You might eliminate guardedness in that case…?

MONK #2: No, you’re right, of course. I’ll draw the wavy lines

[English MS, 14th century]

---

MONK #1: I’m having the devil of a time with these illustrations of St Dominic at prayer

MONK #2: Anything I can do to help?

MONK #1: I don’t know…somehow it always looks sarcastic when I draw him with arms outstretched before the cross

MONK #2: Oh dear

MONK #1: Like he’s making fun

MONK #2: Yes, I see what you mean

I wonder if it’s to do with his eyebrows?

MONK #1: I tried drawing him without any, but if anything that just made things worse

and of course I realize now that I’ve done the door too small

I’m going to scratch it out and start over

MONK #2: No no, don’t do that

There’s plenty to like about this

The door is small because of his humility — he only enters the chancel in a prostrated position, out of respect — so he can’t be making fun

And he is too unconcerned with worldly matters to arrange his face in a more becoming way — as in the Gospel of Matthew, where Our Lord enjoins us not to disfigure our faces, lest we appear unto men to fast for earthly glory

MONK #1: You know, I hadn’t thought of that, but I suppose it’s true, isn’t it?

MONK #2: Of course it’s true

Besides, when you think about it — whenever any of us attempt to resemble Christ, we must look a bit ridiculous, for we are none of us very good at it

MONK #1: Well, that’s saved me an afternoon of scraping

and no end of ink

MONK #2: Well, a slack hand dealeath poverty; but the hand of the diligent maketh wealth

Oh, and you ought to show this to Hubert — there are lots of ways to get around drawing legs until you feel ready to do it

Not that you don’t know how to draw legs by now

MONK #1: Well, I have my good days and my bad days

[Italian MS, 13th century]