Re: Life in Library

From: BEThexton <bethexton_at_...>
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 15:34:06 -0000

Second, and with a nod to the recent threads about books, you might want to read the "Matthew Bartholomew" historical mysteries by Susanna Gregory. The main character is a physician and lecturer at Cambridge during (in the first book) and after (in the subsequent ones) the Black Death. There is a lot of background detail about life at the university which I expect you could borrow, and of course most of the books centre around plots and murders at the university, so there may be plot lines you could adapt. Of course it won't be a perfect analog, but it probably would give you a coherent picture to use as a reference.

Personally, I think that there is no way that you can keep a group of young men fully sequestered, especially a group that is probably more of more than average intelligence. Junior apprentices no doubt have to board at the temple (and go read any of the numerous british youngadult  books about life in a boarding school for ideas here), but they must have opportunities to go out into town and on other outings occasionally, and most likely there are well known "secret" ways for the more adventurous to slip out.

Senior apprentices and scholars probably can live at the temple, in return for certain services (supervising junior apprentices, cleaning the stacks, whatever), but those with independant income may prefer to live in lodgings in town.

I would think that there would also be a small supply of initiands (those initiated into communal worship, but not yet initiated to a specific god), who are disposed to LM, serving time at the temple. I suspect they don't live in the temple per se (not being initiates, etc), but there are probably hostels nearby that serve them. They would spend much of their time as errand boys in the temple, but would also attend lectures in their hostel.

I hope this was of some use.

-Bryan

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