The Latin poets, whose study would probably have counteracted the
universal barbarism, were regarded as dangerous, the gods of antiquity
being identified with the demons of the Scriptures. This view was
responsible for the loss of many a valuable manuscript. The favourite
haunts of the demons were the convents, originally designed as
battlefields on which the struggles with the demons were to be fought
out, but frequently perishing in superstition and ignorance. Every monk
had visions of devils; miracles occurred continually; the torturing
problem was as to whether they were worked by God or the devil. Nature
was merely a collection of mystic symbols, divine--or perhaps
diabolical--allegories, whose meaning could be discovered by a correct
interpretation of the Bible. Everything which could possibly happen was
recorded in the Scriptures; they contained the true explanation of all
things. It was only a matter of selecting the right word and
interpreting it correctly, for every word was ambiguous and allegorical.
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