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CHAPTER IV.

Table of Contents

THE VENERABLE BEDE.

One day, in the latter part of the seventh century, there came to St. Peter's Monastery at Wearmouth, a little boy of seven to be admitted to the school as a pupil. The good monk who entered his name little dreamed that the child before him was destined to become so famous that his fame would one day spread to all the learned nations. But such was the fact, for the boy was no other than the young Bede, who stands at the head of the early English writers. In those days the only schools in England were attached to the monasteries, as education was not common, and few of the people knew how to read and write. Such a state of ignorance was considered no disgrace, for the English race at that time was busy about things that were then of much more importance than studying from books, for they were building a nation, and trying to make a united people out of many different elements.

And so the men who were quick in thought, brave in action, and resolute in will, were the most needed in England at that time, and very little attention was paid to books. The noble and wealthy classes were as unlearned as the peasants, and many a king ruled over the English nation who could not even write his name. Learning was almost entirely confined to the monks, whose profession kept them away from war, and whose peaceful lives held some chance for study.

But although kings, nobles, and peasants were alike thus ignorant of the knowledge that may be had from books, they were by no means unappreciative of the learning of others. They held knowledge in great esteem, and many a haughty earl who could command obedience from an army by a look, would bow in honest admiration and deference before some passing priest, whose murmured blessing seemed all the more valuable because delivered in Latin, the language of the learned. The monasteries were generously endowed, and the schools attached to them were presided over often by scholars who were not unknown among the learned of other nations; and so it was possible even then to get what was considered a good education in England, though it was a rare thing to devote one's life to it.

School life in the monastery was for the most part pleasant, and the children and youths who lived there as pupils could not have had better training for the part they were to play in after-life. The monks were unselfish, truly pious, and often learned, and the example of their kindness to the poor and sick, in an age when strength was the law of life, could not but exert a noble influence on their pupils.

In these schools the pupil combined the study of books with various offices performed for the monks, and the young student would often be summoned from his books to ring the bell for prayers, or give alms to some beggar, or perhaps to take part in the reception of some noble whose gifts to the monastery commanded respectful and loyal attention for himself and his retinue.

Bede, entering Wearmouth at the age of seven, could have known very little of life outside the walls of St. Peter's, and as just at that time a more active interest than ever was excited in education, it is no wonder that the child easily imagined that learning was the chief thing in life, and even at that early age gave signs of the unusual brilliancy of his mind. With the other pupils he sang the offices of the church, performed the household duties required, worked in the gardens and fields with the monks, and gave his share of attention to the visitors at the monastery; but his heart was really bound up in his studies, and he found true pleasure only in them.

At that time a book meant simply a written copy of a manuscript, that was perhaps itself a copy, and all the writings of the ancients, or the works of those who were then living, were only preserved in this way. The writing was done on parchment made of the skins of goats, deer, or sheep, the leaves being sewed together and the covers made of boards. As the parchment was prepared by a slow and careful process, only the most perfect pieces being used, and the manuscripts were copied by hand, the making of a book was very slow work. And as this work was done entirely by the monks and their pupils, only assisted sometimes by laymen who resided in the monastery, it came about very naturally that the monasteries held all the libraries in England. Some monasteries were very rich in books, possessing five hundred or a thousand; others had often only twenty or thirty. In every monastery there was a room called the Scriptorium, which was set apart for the making of books, and here the monks and their assistants worked diligently. The utmost care was taken to copy the text exactly, and the alteration of the shape of a single letter could not take place without the consent of the abbot. Sometimes it happened that a monk had won such a reputation for carefulness and workmanship, that he would be allowed to copy in his own cell, but more often all the work was done in the Scriptorium.

It is an easy thing to call up a picture of one of these old rooms, and see the workers seated at their desks, bending over their work with loving care, the silence broken only by an occasional footfall in the corridors outside, and the sombre colors of the monastic habits brightened by the white tunics and fresh young faces of the pupils.

And the actual copying was not the only element in book-making, for, not content with copying the exact words of the authors, the monks followed the examples of the ancients in making their manuscripts as beautiful as possible, by adorning the margins with illustrations, and introducing initial letters of intricate and graceful designs. The illustrations were done in gold leaf and brilliant water-colors, and the parchment was often colored in violet to enhance the effect. Nearly every page of the manuscript would contain some specimen of the illuminator's art, and the English and Irish monks won such a reputation for beautiful work in this regard, that other nations were glad to learn from them. Pictures in green, purple, gold, blue, and silver, flashed from the pages, either illustrating some incident mentioned in the chapter, or showing only the exquisite fancy of the illuminator, who was able in this way to prove and cultivate his love of the beautiful.

The pages so illuminated were deemed worthy of beautiful binding, and we find that the wooden lids were covered with leather or velvet, and adorned with jewels and designs in metal, the clasps being of gold and silver. Plainer volumes were tied by thongs of leather. Copies of the Bible, books of prayer, and legends of the saints were most frequently made, though the Greek and Latin classics and books of poetry, history, and romance were also sometimes copied.

Thus we see that a monk's life in those old days held a great many interests outside of religious matters, and as young Bede had early decided to give his life to study, and since all the books were found in the monasteries, it is not strange that he remained in a monastery all his life, going when he was ten years old from Wearmouth to the just finished convent of Yarrow, where he lived the rest of his days. His learning included every branch of knowledge that was then known, and we have only to look at his writings to see how far the world had advanced in his time. He wrote principally in Latin, for in that way he was sure of having his works understood by all learned men, as Latin was the language of scholars all over the world.

Although his books on theology, science, and grammar showed his acquaintance with the wisdom of all ages, and won for him a great reputation at the time, it is his history of England that has given him his place in English literature, for it is to this book that we owe more than to any work that was written for hundreds of years after. Bede called it the Ecclesiastical History of England, because his real purpose was to write the history of Christianity in England; but as at that time the history of the Church was the history of the people, the work is invaluable because of the information in regard to the growth of the nation, and its pictures of the every-day life of the people. It was written in Latin, and in its pages are found recorded all the events of national interest up to his time. It is here, indeed, that we read the story of Caedmon's life, and it is perhaps due to this fact alone that the old poet was not utterly forgotten. But Bede enshrined Caedmon's song in the pages of his History as carefully and lovingly as one picks the first spring flower, and thus the earliest note of English poetry comes to us still as clear and sweet as when Caedmon sung it in the aisles of Whitby Chapel.

As his History was the most important, it was also almost the last effort of his life, for after it was finished he undertook no great work, but spent his last years content with the usual routine of a monk's duties. There was one service, however, which he wished to render to those who could not read his Latin treatises, for although he was one of the most learned men of the age he was still an Englishman, and had a loyal interest in the common people. Therefore he desired to translate some portion of the Bible into the mother-tongue, and chose for this purpose the Gospel of St. John, thinking no doubt that this message of love would be understood by all.

We can see him then, in his old age, seated in the Scriptorium which he had first entered as a child, surrounded by his pupils, who gave him a love far beyond the common affection, and reading perhaps in their young faces the same eager hope that had filled his own breast when, as a novice, he had looked upon those treasured volumes, and sighed for the wisdom that lay between their jewelled covers.

The work of translation would have been an easy one to such a scholar as Bede, even though the language of the people was not yet perfectly formed, but he was old and enfeebled by sickness, and had it not been for the love he felt toward it he must have given up the task from very weakness. But he persevered, dictating day after day to his pupils, and only pausing when suffering compelled him to. He grew weaker as the work proceeded, and one day, feeling that the end was near, called his helpers to him and bade them write quickly, for he did not know how much time would be given him. And as the day wore on his strength failed so rapidly that his assistants feared the task was too great, and one of them said: "Most dear master, there is still one chapter left; do you think it troublesome to be asked more questions?" But Bede answered, "It is no trouble, write on." And so, with some intervals of resting, the day passed, and they were still at the task when, as the dusk gathered, the same pupil said, "Dear master, there is one sentence yet not written." And again Bede answered, "Write quickly." And when the boy had finished, we are told that Bede laid his head in his hands and, saying the Gloria, departed to the heavenly kingdom.

It is recorded by the monks that the title venerable, which is always attached to the name of Bede, was given by an angel who bent over the brother who had fallen asleep while writing his master's epitaph, and supplied a missing word. And the legend well illustrates the love and esteem in which he was held by the monks, who thought no honor too high to be paid to the beloved master whose presence had crowned their monastery with enduring fame.