The Branding Needle; or, The Monastery of Charolles: A Tale of the First Communal Charter — John Shaqi
The Branding Needle; or, The Monastery of Charolles: A Tale of the First Communal CharterSue, Eugène
History
The Branding Needle; or, The Monastery of Charolles: A Tale of the First Communal Charter
Sue, Eugène
Brunehaut, Queen, consort of Sigebert, King of Austrasia, 534-613; France -- History -- To 987 -- Fiction
"Who labors prays. Jesus of Nazareth severely condemns the do-nothings
who will not move with one of their fingers the heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne which they lay on their brothers' shoulders and for
a pretence make long prayers. We want no idlers here. We are all
brothers, and the children of one God. Whether a monk be lay or
ecclesiastic they are all alike, provided they live Christian lives. If
any there be who, having done his full share in the work of the
cloister, chooses to employ in prayer the leisure that man needs after
work, he is free to do so--as free as are other members of our community
to employ their leisure in the cultivation of flowers, in reading, in
conversation with their friends, in fishing, in promenading, in singing,
in designing manuscripts, or in any other accomplishment, including the
exercise of arms, seeing that we live in days when it is often necessary
to repel force with force, and defend one's own life and the lives of
his family against violence. Accordingly, in my eyes, he who, after
work, seeks honest recreation, is as worthy as he who employs his
leisure in prayer. Only idlers are impious! We despise all those who
refuse to work."
Loysik was so universally venerated and the community was so happy and
thriving that the outside priests never succeeded in permanently
disturbing its quiet and harmony. Moreover, Loysik owned both the land
and the buildings of the monastery by virtue of an authentic charter
issued to him by King Clotaire. Accordingly, the prelates of Chalon
found themselves obliged to respect his rights, while they never
desisted from pursuing their ends through perfidious means.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account