(© Cologne, Historisches Archiv, G.B. quarto, 249, fol. 68r)
Hic non defectus est, sed cattus minxit desuper nocte quadam. Confundatur pessimus cattus qui minxit super librum istum in nocte Daventrie, et consimiliter omnes alii propter illum. Et cavendum valde ne permittantur libri aperti per noctem ubi cattie venire possunt.
Here is nothing missing, but a cat urinated on this during a certain night. Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer and because of it many others [other cats] too. And beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come.
Don't get me wrong - my cat would never do such a thing! (Mostly because it hasn't occurred to her yet.) But there are plenty of other people and things in this life that have just the same effect on our hard-scribed words - unkind reviews, discouraging sale numbers, lukewarm publishers, absences on bookshop shelves - hell, I've been known to pee on my stuff all by myself! (We're talking metaphorically here, right?) But, after the finger-pointing and the cursing, what did the monk do next? He turned the page, and he carried on.
And that's the moral of the story. Though the smell of pee may remain for days (and days and days and days), there's another page waiting.
Onwards!
Many thanks to Pigeons Rule for popping this image up on Facebook, and Medieval Fragments Blogspot.
Joan Lennon's website.
Joan Lennon's blog.
Don't get me wrong - my cat would never do such a thing! (Mostly because it hasn't occurred to her yet.) But there are plenty of other people and things in this life that have just the same effect on our hard-scribed words - unkind reviews, discouraging sale numbers, lukewarm publishers, absences on bookshop shelves - hell, I've been known to pee on my stuff all by myself! (We're talking metaphorically here, right?) But, after the finger-pointing and the cursing, what did the monk do next? He turned the page, and he carried on.
And that's the moral of the story. Though the smell of pee may remain for days (and days and days and days), there's another page waiting.
Onwards!
Many thanks to Pigeons Rule for popping this image up on Facebook, and Medieval Fragments Blogspot.
Joan Lennon's website.
Joan Lennon's blog.
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