u
chapitre il y a des livres enchainez sur des pupitres de
bois, dans lesquels les religieux peuvent venir faire
des lectures lorsqu'ils veulent[187].

A similar arrangement obtained at Citeaux[188].

Having traced the development of the Cistercian book-closet, from a simple
recess in the wall to a pair of more or less spacious rooms at the west
end of the Chapter-House, I return to my starting-point, and proceed to
discuss the arrangement adopted by the Benedictines. They must have
experienced the inconvenience arising from want of space more acutely than
the Cistercians, being more addicted to study and the production of books.
They made no attempt, however, to provide space by structural changes or
additions to their Houses, but were content with wooden presses in the
cloister for their books, and small wooden studies, called carrells, for
the readers and writers.

The uniformity which governed monastic usage was so strict that the
practice of almost any large monastery may be taken as a type of what was
done elsewhere. Hence, when we find a full record of the way in which
books were used in the great Benedictine House at Durham, we may rest
assured that, _mutatis mutandis_, we have got a good general idea of the
whole subject. I will therefore begin by quoting a passage from that
valuable work _The Rites of Durham_, a description of the House drawn up
after the Reformation by some one who had known it well in other days,
premising only that it represents the final arrangements adopted by the
Order, and takes no account of the steps that led to them.

In the north syde of the Cloister, from the corner over
against the Church dour to the corner over againste the
Dorter dour, was all fynely glased from the hight to the
sole within a litle of the grownd into the Cloister
garth. And in every wyndowe iij Pewes or Carrells, where
every one of the old Monks had his carrell, severall by
himselfe, that, when they had dyned, they dyd resorte to
that place of Cloister, and there studyed upon there
books, every one in his carrell, all the after nonne,
unto evensong tyme. This was there exercise every daie.

All there pewes or carrells was all fynely wainscotted
and verie close, all but the forepart, which had carved
wourke that gave light in at ther carrell doures of
wainscott. And in every carrell was a deske to lye there
bookes on. And the carrells