“Scripture teaches nothing but charity, nor condemns anything except cupidity, and in this way shapes the minds of men” (3.10.15). If this scriptural pedagogy is not immediately apparent at the literal level of a specific biblical text, one seeks it “beneath the veil” of the letter. The literary theory of the De doctrina is founded upon this principle: searching for the charitable spirit beneath the letter of the text will prove both spiritually and aesthetically rewarding (2.8.6). Elaborations in