s 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
very cold weather a small brazier of charcoal was also introduced.

Cassiodorus writes thus of the privilege of being a copyist of
holy books. "He may fill his mind with the Scriptures while copying
the sayings of the Lord; with his fingers he gives life to men
and arms against the wiles of the Devil; as the antiquarius copies
the word of Christ, so many wounds does he inflict upon Satan. What
he writes in his cell will be carried far and wide over distant
provinces. Man multiplies the word of Heaven: if I may dare so to
speak, the three fingers of his right hand are made to represent
the utterances of the Holy Trinity. The fast travelling reed writes
down the holy words, thus avenging the malice of the wicked one,
who caused a reed to be used to smite the head of the Saviour."

When the scriptorium was consecrated, these words were used (and
they would be most fitting words to-day, in the consecration of
libraries or class rooms which are to be devoted to religious study):
"Vouchsafe, O, Lord, to bless this workroom of thy servants, that all
which they write therein may be comprehended by their intelligence,
and realized by their work." Scriptorium work was considered equal
to labour in the fields. In the Rule of St. Fereol, in the sixth
century, there is this clause: "He who doth not turn up the earth
with his plough, ought to write the parchment with his fingers."
The Capitulary of Charlemagne contains this phrase: "Do not permit
your scribes or pupils, either in reading or writing, to garble the
text; when you are preparing copies of the Gospels, the Psalter,
or the Missal, see that the work is confided to men of mature age,
who will write with due care." Some of the scribes were prolific
book transcribers. Jacob of Breslau, who died in 1480, copied so
many books that it is said that "six horses could with difficulty
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 risi