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PROFILES IN SANITY

PROFILES IN SANITY Imprisonment, exile, drinking poison, loss of wife, leaving orphaned children. These were the context of his game, but none the less he deftly played and handled the ball. So too, we should deploy the ballplayer’s consummate skill, but also his indifference as to its object, a mere ball. —Epictetus, Discourses 2.5.19–20 The obituary roll of John Islip with its remarkable drawings was the justification I needed to revisit an archive I have always found congenial, that of Westminster Abbey, where the courtesy of the staff complements the charm of one’s surroundings. On arrival I learned that the roll itself has become too fragile to be handled. I was, therefore, obliged to examine photographs of it: this took only a matter of minutes. Not wanting to vacate so soon a haven of ordered sanity for a disorderly world, I needed other documents to consult. Abbot Islip’s books of household expenditure were obvious candidates. One of these (WAM 33324) is for 1509 –10. In a handful of cases, no more than six in all, there is, in the margin of the main text —which is an account of what was consumed each day — a notation of guests who came http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Common Knowledge Duke University Press

PROFILES IN SANITY

Richmond, Colin
Common Knowledge , Volume 10 (2) – Apr 1, 2004
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Publisher
Duke University Press
Copyright
Copyright 2004 by Duke University Press
ISSN
0961-754X
eISSN
1538-4578
DOI
10.1215/0961754X-10-2-252
Publisher site
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Abstract

Imprisonment, exile, drinking poison, loss of wife, leaving orphaned children. These were the context of his game, but none the less he deftly played and handled the ball. So too, we should deploy the ballplayer’s consummate skill, but also his indifference as to its object, a mere ball. —Epictetus, Discourses 2.5.19–20 The obituary roll of John Islip with its remarkable drawings was the justification I needed to revisit an archive I have always found congenial, that of Westminster Abbey, where the courtesy of the staff complements the charm of one’s surroundings. On arrival I learned that the roll itself has become too fragile to be handled. I was, therefore, obliged to examine photographs of it: this took only a matter of minutes. Not wanting to vacate so soon a haven of ordered sanity for a disorderly world, I needed other documents to consult. Abbot Islip’s books of household expenditure were obvious candidates. One of these (WAM 33324) is for 1509 –10. In a handful of cases, no more than six in all, there is, in the margin of the main text —which is an account of what was consumed each day — a notation of guests who came

Journal

Common Knowledge – Duke University Press

Published: Apr 1, 2004

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