ADDRESSES ON DECORATIVE COLOUR 475

(an initial letter) was written as an ornament to a psalter belonging to a lady who died in the year 656, St. Salaberga.¹ It would be perceived that the colours employed in writing in that day were simply black, yellow and red. The design in the example was a continuous scroll, beginning in a bird’s beak, and terminating in a sort of yellow dragon. It never encountered itself at a turn, but it glanced off and met again in some different part of its progress, and never doubled simply upon itself. Such was the general character of the MS. of that century. It was not very easy to imitate. He had himself tried it, but found it difficult; and to do it well considerable practice would be required. He wished, however, to draw attention to the fact that there was a character and a finish about this writing which was not found in common penmanship.

2. From these yellow and black scrolls they went on improving until the great masters of the time of Charlemagne, when the art of illuminated writing received a great impulse. Then more and more colour was introduced in the finish, and greater variety in the outline. It had been frequently said that Charlemagne could not write, but that was very imperfectly true. True, he could not write in what would be called writing now; for what we now understand as writing would not have been called writing in the days of Charlemagne. Here was an example of the writing of that age. This (the specimen exhibited) was written in the eighth century, and it was the beginning of one of the books of the Gospel. It would be observed that more colour was introduced about this time; and they would notice how it was stolen in, as it were, upon the gold. But though it was said Charlemagne could not write, though he could not write as we write now, yet he could write after a fashion. He always carried tablets about with him, upon which he from time to time put down anything he desired to remember. He could not, however, write like the specimen the meeting were now examining; but he employed those who could, and paid great respect to them. Immense respect was paid to the writers of those days. He (the lecturer) would much like that respect paid to the art of writing now. As showing the kind of respect which this art commanded in the Middle Ages, he would read an anecdote respecting an eminent writer who lived in the time of Charlemagne.

“There was in the monastery of Arnisberg a writer named Richard, an Englishman, who had with his own hand copied a great number of books, hoping to receive in heaven a recompense for his labours. When he quitted this life his brother monks buried him in a place of honour. Twenty years afterwards his tomb was opened, and his right hand was found in as perfect a state of preservation as though it were alive, and appeared to have been recently cut off from an animated body, while all the rest of the corpse was dust. This hand is shown as a great miracle to this day in the monastery of Arnisberg.”

3. This showed the honour with which a good writer was regarded at that period; and not only was the art honourable and profitable to those who practised it, but its effect was profitable and valuable to others. We had an instance of this in the history of one to whom we were indebted for

¹ [This Psalter was one of the MSS. in the Duke of Hamilton’s library, which Ruskin had examined in 1853 (see above, p. lxvii.).]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]