Regula monachorum

Augustine is still thinking about Lucia: “Your girlfriend has left the monastery and disappeared out of view,” says Augustine to Paul.
        “She isn’t my girlfriend.”
        “Not yours, huh? Fine. I’ll greet the girl myself. Who knows. Fortune favours the bold, as the poets say.”
        “Enough of the poets, Augustine; you must finish your work.”
        “Sweet girl, you are remarkable, and Cupid inflames me with love. I shall dedicate songs to you, Lucia … maybe this one of Propertius: While fate permits us, let us fill our eyes with love. Or perhaps this of Catullus: Let us live, my Lucia, and let us make love.”
        “Hey pal, that’s enough of your poems! Now we must do the copying, please, in silence.”
        “Sorry if I’m troublesome to you,” says Augustine, and he looks at the book. All the pages are filled with the rules of the abbots and monks. Stephen had ordered the two of them to copy out all the rules of the monks. “Surely I don’t have to copy out the whole book?” asked Augustine.
        “Yes,” replied Paul, and at last Augustine begins to write: 1– Love the lord God. 
2 – Do not kill.  3 – Do not commit adultery.  4 – No thieving.  5 – Bury the dead. 
6 – Cause no injury.  7 – Love your enemies.  8. Do not bear false witness. 
9 – Clothe the naked.  10 – Visit the sick.  11 – Do not be proud. 
12 – Harbour no grudge.  13 – Enjoy chastity.  14 – Do not have an appetite for wine ... “Heyup, Benedict!” and he sings: “Let him have a drink, and her have one, and let the servant and maid have one too.”
 

Ohe, libelle!

Paul has now left with his work finished, but Augustine is still writing: 27 – Fear the day of judgement.  28 – Offer the truth from your heart and from your mouth.  29 – Prefer nothing to the love of Christ.  30 – Honour all men.  31 – Do not conceal deceit in your heart.  32 – Do not enjoy strife ….. “Writing is difficult,” he says, and murmurs a line of Martial: “Woa, now that’s enough, woa, little book,” and shortly afterwards he falls asleep.
         “Heyup! Where’s the Rule?” shouts Stephen, “Are you asleep, Augustine?” and he wakes Augustine from sleep.
         “Rule? No, Sir, I’m not asleep.”
         “Now the Rule must be finished!”
         “Yes indeed, Father Stephen. I was contemplating the rules.”
         “Contemplating or sleeping?”
         “Forgive me, Sir. I am exhausted.” Suddenly Stephen and Augustine hear a fearful cry. One of the monks begins to howl loudly in the monastery.
         “Who is that? Did you hear it?” Stephen hurried to the window. “Over there Theodorus is running from the wood. Why is Theodorus frightened?” and Stephen quickly left the library.