"
"H'm," said the sub-prior, seeming in great wrath. "Is there no fighting
to be read from Holy Writ that you must take these pagan vanities from
where you ought not? Go to! Yet, by reason of your care for the bishop's
thane, your penance shall be light now and not heavy hereafter. Brother
Guthlac shall read aloud in refectory today the story of David and
Goliath, and you brother," pointing to one, "that of Ahab at Ramoth, and
you, of Joshua at Jericho," and so he went on till each had a chapter of
war assigned him, and I thought it an easy penance.
"But," he added, "and until all these are read, your meals shall be
untasted before you."
Then the brothers looked at one another, for it was certain that all
this reading would last till the meal must be left for vespers.
Then the sub-prior bade the reader take back the book and go to his own
cell, and beckoning me, we passed out and left the brothers in much
dismay, not knowing what should befall them from the abbot when he heard.
So I ventured to tell the sub-prior how this came about, and he smiled,
saying that he should not tell Tatwine the Abbot, for the brothers were
seldom in much fault, and that maybe it was laudable to search even
pagan books for the manners of fiends, seeing that forewarned was
forearmed.
Pages:
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183