Medieval Sourcebook:
Johann Busch: Reading in the Vernacular
[Coulton Introduction] Johann Busch was born at Zwolle in 1399.
He showed brilliant scholarship as a boy; but as a youth he chose
to join the same congregation of Austin Canons to which his contemporary
Thomas à Kempis belonged. In 1440 he became Subprior of
Wittenberg, and began his long and arduous career as reformer
of monasteries under a commission from the Pope and the Council
of Bâle. In this work he attained more success than any
of his contemporaries except the distinguished Cardinal Nicolaus
von Cusa. His chief writings were (i) a charming chronicle of
the monastery of Windesheim, and (ii) the Liber de Reformatione
Monasteriorum, a minute and often very humorous record of his
life's work. The edition here used is that of K. Grube (Halle:
1887). A translation of it was begun, but never completed, in
the British Magazine for April, 1841, etc.; and the reader may
there find some strange things for which there is no place here.
BOOK-KEEPING BY DOUBLE ENTRY
from Lib.Ref. Bk. 15, c. 3, p 73o
A CERTAIN Lector of the Dominicans had publicly preached in the
town of Zutphen, that layfolk should have no books in the German
tongue, and that no sermons should be preached to the people save
only in the church or churchyard. When therefore I heard this
(for I was then a simple Brother at Windesheim, and had been sent
with Brother Dietrich Willemzoon to conclude certain business
of our monastery in Zutphen) then, knowing that there were more
than a hundred congregations of Sisters and B6guines in the diocese
of Utrecht which possessed several books in the mother tongue,
which the Sisters read daily either by them selves or publicly
in refectory, I stoutly gainsaid this friar, seeing that they
read and hear German books of this sort in Zutphen, Deventer,
Zwolle, Kampen, and everywhere in the cities and country districts
[of the Netherlands]. Wherefore I went to the Dominican convent
and asked for the Prior, to Whom I said: "My lord Prior,
I have heard that your Lector has publicly preached that layfolk
ought not to have books in the German tongue. In this he has preached
ill, and he must publicly revoke it: for the princes of the land,
the common people, men and women throughout the whole world have
many books written in the vulgar German tongue which they read
and study. Moreover you and your Brethren preach oftentimes to
the people in the vulgar tongue; would you wish also that they
might remember your sermons by heart?". "Yes,"
said he. Then I answered, "If they had them in writing, then
they would certainly keep them better in their memory; why then
should they not have books in German?" He answered, "The
layfolk have many books in German, namely books of Sentences and
suchlike, which a certain Doctor of our Order has translated into
German; and others have a missal, with the Canon of the Mass,
in the vulgar tongue; therefore it is not good that they should
have and read books in German." To which I answered, "I
do not, indeed approve that plain laymen and lay-women should
have in German such lofty and divine books as that; nay, I myself
burned a canon of the Mass in German which was found in the possession
of some nuns. Yet is it most profitable for all men, learned or
unlearned, to possess and daily to read moral books, treating
of the vices and the virtues, of the Lord's incarnation, life,
and passion, of the life and holy conversation and martyrdom of
apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins, together with homilies
and sermons of holy men provoking to amendment of life, moral
discipline, fear of hell-fire, and love of the celestial country.
If you will not allow such books, then I will I show you in writing
the sayings of such Doctors of the Holy Church as Augustine,
Gregory, Ambrose and Jerome, and other orthodox writers, to the
effect that it is lawful and mos profitable to have such books."
Then said he, "If you produce the written words of Doctors,
we too will produce the contrary sayings of other Doctors."
Then said I more I plainly: "My Lord Prior, your lector muct
revoke publicaly that which he has publicly preached to the people
against possessing books in the German tongue; otherwise I will
so order things with the lord David bishop of Utrecht with his
High Chapter, that neither you nor your Lector shall preach again
in this diocese." Then said the Prior: "You seem to
have a commission to this effect from the Bishop of Utrecht. Be
at peace; I will see to it that our Lector shall revoke this."
And when I would have gone of mine own authority to the Lector,
who was lying on his bed, then said the Prior, " He is a
most learned man." To whom I made answer, "I am all
the more willing to speak with him since he is learned, for then
he will the better understand his own error." Notwithstanding
I desisted at the petition of the Prior and the Brother who was
with me, and went not to the sick man; more especially because
his Prior had promised me that he should revoke those words.
Another day as I journeyed by boat on the Yssel from Deventer
to Zutphen, I questioned the men and women that voyaged with me,
asking what the Preachers are wont to preach at Zutphen. Whereupon
they answered, "Our Lector formerly preached that layfolk
should have no German books. This he has revoked in brief, saying,
'Good folk, when I preach the gospel to you here, ye repeat it
all awry to other men. I spoke to you the other day in my sermon
concerning German books, that the laity should not possess them,
whereby I meant this: Certain women, or even men, sometimes lay
certain writings in the German tongue under the altar-cloths,
that a mass may be read over them; after which they take these
same writings away and work with them many incantations and divinations
or auguries. Those were the writings that I forbade you to have
and read; but you may well possess good and moral books in the
German tongue, and read them"' And they who were in the boat
added and said how they had marveled greatly that he should so
revoke his own words, not knowing who had compelled him to do
so. I for my part was well pleased to hear of this his revocation,
for in that same town were two houses of Sisters that always read
when they sat at meals by the table in the refectory.
From C.G. Coulton, ed, Life in the Middle Ages, (New York:
Macmillan, c.1910), Vol II, 128-130 [text slightly modernized]
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(c)Paul Halsall August 1996
halsall@murray.fordham.edu
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