Some things never change

I've been reading Ayn Rand recently. I've been thinking a lot about her idea of a free market (an individual's right to exchange the best they can produce for the best another individual can produce through the medium of money) and how it invariably meets fierce opposition.

Today a visiting American friend and I toured the Catharijne Convent museum, a former nunnery around the corner from my house. The museum showcases the history of Christianity in the Netherlands and, according to a curator's introduction to the audio tour, professes to show its relevance to modern times. That kind of annoyed me since Christiantiy is relevant to modern times, no museum necessary.

But I got over it and enjoyed a really cool exhibit on medieval books. I saw a copy of Augustine's Confessions from 1430. That's one of my favorite books. Of course I know it's ancient, but seeing that handwritten version in the original Latin was still quite moving. I also saw a beautiful Bible from a church in Zwolle (a city close to my mom's hometown which I've visited many times.) The borders around the text were decorated with wild flowers.

I was particularly struck by one copy of the Book of Hours from 1450. According to the audio tour, the illustrations for such books were made separately and pasted in. The illustrations in this copy featured a small "B" in the corner, signifying that they were made in Brugge. Apparently, the best book illustrations at that time were made by monks in Utrecht. In order to protect local monks, however, the government of Brugge passed a law that all books printed there could only include illlustrations that were also made in Brugge, i.e., ones featuring the "B."

So in 1450 people were already trying to stop the free market! Ayn Rand would not be amused.