Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Full Text Sources
Editor: Paul Halsall
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is located at
the
Fordham University Center for
Medieval Studies.
Guide to Contents
The structure of this section of the Sourcebook is as follows. You can browse
through the entire list, or jump directly to the part that interests you by selecting the
underlined links.
- Main Page
will take you back to Sourcebook main page.
- Selected Sources will take you to
the index of selected and excerpted medieval sources.
- Saints' Lives will take you to the page
on hagiography. Note - full text saints' lives are not listed in this "Full Text
Sources" page.
- Medieval Legal History will take you
to the page on the history of law page.
- Search the Sourcebook will enable
searches of the full texts of all the source texts at Fordham, at ORB, or selected
ancient, late antique, and medieval text databases.
Full Text Sources for Medieval History
Note: It may also be worth checking out the slightly mistitled Early Church Documents page of the ECOLE Project. It contains a purely alphabetical listing of historical texts
(many of them here) up until circa 1300. It is especially good for varied links to various
works of each of the Church Fathers.
CHURCH COUNCILS
For texts in the Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers series, see below
NOTE: The texts at this site here are public domain English translations
from the Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers series for the first Seven ecumenical councils and
from H.J. Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils, (St. Louis: B.
Herder, 1937) [US Copyright expired - confirmed by TAN books, current owner of B. Herder's
list]. These are not necessarily the best available sources for the various council texts,
although they are quite serviceable, and the notes in the NPNF series are very useful.
More recent editions and translations should be consulted for serious academic publication
purposes. I have prepared a Guide to Documentary Sources
for Catholic Teaching which lists, in some detail, what I take to be the current
standard editions.
See also
Ecumenical Councils - a useful, if denominationally partisan, article from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
- First Ecumenical: Nicea I. 325. Canons and commentary on
the First Council of Nicea from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers. See also
Catholic Encyclopedia: Homoousion
- Second Ecumenical: Constantinople I, 381. Canons and
commentary on the First Council of Constantinople from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post
Nicene Fathers. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: First Council of Constantinople
- Third Ecumenical: Ephesus, 431. Canons and commentary
on the Council of Ephesus from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers. See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of
Ephesus
NOTE: Only the first three councils would be accepted as ecumenical by the so-called
"monophysite" churches, e.g. the Coptic and Armenian Orthodox Churches.
- Fourth Ecumenical: Chalcedon, 451. Canons and
commentary on the Council of Chalcedon from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers.
- Council of Orange 529, or Version [At EWTN]
- Fifth Ecumenical: Constantinople II, 553. canons and
commentary on the Second Council of Constantinople from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post
Nicene Fathers or text of canons alone. See also
Catholic Encyclopedia: Second
Council of Constantinople
- Sixth Ecumenical: Constantinople III, 680-681. Canons
and commentary on the Second Council of Constantinople from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post
Nicene Fathers. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Third Council of Constantinople
- The Quinisext Council: or Council in Trullo,
692. Canons and commentary on the Council in Trullo from Volume XIV of Nicene and
Post Nicene Fathers. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Council in Trullo
- Seventh Ecumenical: Nicea II, 787. Canons and commentary
on the Second Council of Nicea from Volume XIV of Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers. See also
Catholic Encyclopedia: Nicaea,
Second Council of
NOTE: The following councils, although some of them had the support and participation
of Orthodox bishops at the time [e.g. Constantinople IV, Lyons II, Florence] are generally
not regarded as "ecumenical" by Eastern Orthodox or Anglican churches.
- Eighth Ecumenical: Constantinople IV, 869-870. Canons
from Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Fourth
Council of Constantinople
- Ninth Ecumenical: Council:
Lateran I, 1123. Canons from Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General
Councils See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Lateran Council, First
- Tenth Ecumenical: Council:
Lateran II, 1139. Canons from Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General
Councils See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Lateran Council, Second
-
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Lateran Council, Third
- Twelfth Ecumenical: Lateran IV, 1215. Canons from
Schroeder, Disciplinary Decrees of the General Councils See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Lateran
Council, Fourth
- Council of Trent, 1545-63. [at
Hanover College - public domain]
There are also online etexts of council decrees from Norman Tanner, ed., Decrees
of the Ecumenical Councils, (London: Sheed and Ward; Washington. D.C: Georgetown
University Press. 1990).
I have made these off-site links (at http://www.ewtn.com)
available, but note that there is no indication that copy permission has been
obtained. EWTN is a very conservative Catholic web site, but it does have a lot of files
[over 9000].
- Council of Nicaea I : 325
A.D., with
Catholic
Encyclopedia article
- Council of Constantinople I
: 381 A.D.
- Council of Ephesus : 431 A.D.
- Council of Chalcedon : 451
A.D.
- Council of Constantinople II
: 553 AD
- Council of Constantinople
III : 680-681 A.D.
- Council of Nicaea II : 787
A.D. , - with Catholic
Encylopedia article
Cf. Nicea II 753 (Iconcolast Synod)
- Council of Constantinople IV
: 869-870 A.D.
- Lateran Council I : 1123
A.D.
- Lateran Council II : 1139
A.D.
- Lateran Council III : 1179
A.D.
- Lateran Council IV : 1215
A.D.
- Council of Lyons 1 : 1245 A.D.
- Council of Lyons 2 : 1274 A.D.
- Council of Vienne : 1311-12
A.D.
- Council of Constance 1414-18
A.D.
- Council of
Basel-Ferrara-Florence : 1431-1435 A.D. See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Council of
Basel
- Lateran Council V : 1512-17
A.D. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Fifth Lateran Council
- Council of Trent : 1545-63 A.D. [at Hanover College - this is public domain]. Also a Zipped version [At EWTN]
- Vatican Council I : 1869 AD
- Vatican Council 2: Index [Text
version - at RCNET]
Vatican Council 2: Index [HTML versions - at EWTN]
Jump Back to Contents
FATHERS
The first six items are links to more extended collections and indexes.
- WEB Writings of
Church Fathers/Doctors/Saints (index at American University)
-
WEB Guide to Early Church Documents (index with brief descriptions; from ICLnet)
- WEB EWTN.
[At EWTN]. EWTN is a conservative Catholic web site, but it has a huge file library of
over 9000 items, with good search facilities. Many are useless files from modern journals,
but there are also very extensive selections from the fathers and medieval writers.
- WEB FATHERS OF THE CHURCH [At New Advent] New
Advent has taken the entire Father so the Church series, as at the Wheaton College site,
and broken the files down to the size of individual works.
The following works by various fathers are in rough chronological order. Most are
off site links to documents or indexes.
ANTE-NICENE FATHERS
POST NICENE: NON-GREEK/NON LATIN FATHERS
POST NICENE: GREEK FATHERS
-
Athanasius (c.295-373): On the Incarnation, c.
318 [At CCEL]
. See
Encyclopeadia Britannica (9th
ed.): Athanasius
-
Cyril of Jerusalem (c.315-c.386): The
Procatechesis or Prologue to the Catechetical Lectures [At New Advent]
-
Cyril of Jerusalem (c.315-c.386): First
Chatechetical Lecture [At New Advent]
-
Cyril of Jerusalem (c.315-c.386): Second
Chatechetical Lecture [At New Advent]
-
Gregory of Nyssa (c.335 -c.394): Homepage [At BHSU]. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Saint Gregory of Nyssa
-
Cyril of Alexandria (Bishop, 412-444): Index [At Geocities]
Collected translations of writings by Cyril.
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homilies
on the Gospel of St. Matthew [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homilies
on Acts and Romans [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homilies
on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colessians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and
Philemon [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homilies
on the Gospel of St. John and Hebrews [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c.347-407): Homilies Against the
Jews
Full text of six of the eight sermons.
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Treatise on the Priesthood,
full text [At Fish Eaters]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Letters to Olympias [At St. Michael]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Letter to certain
Presbyters of Antioch [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Correspondence with the Bishop of Rome [At St.
CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homilies on Saint
Ignatius and Saint Babylas [At CCEL]
- John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Concerning the Power of Demons - Three Homilies [At
CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): On Eutropius the
Eunuch, Patrician and Consul - Homil 1 [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): On Eutropius the
Eunuch, Patrician and Consul - Homily 2 [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Concerning
Lowliness (Humility) of Mind [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Homily on the
Paralytic Let Down Through the Roof [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Against Publishing
the Errors of the Brethren [At CCEL]
-
A Treatise to
Prove that No One Can Harm the Man Who Does Not Injure Himself [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c. 346-407): Against Marcionists and
Manichaeans [At CCEL]
-
John Chrysostom (c.347-407): Homilies on the Statues [At CCEL]
- Zosimus: Concerning the Life of the Blessed from Vol X
of Ante-Nicene Fathers series
- John of Damascus: Apologia Against Those Who
Decry Holy Images, full text
- John of Damascus: Three Sermons on the
Dormition (koimhsiV) of the Virgin, full text
POST NICENE: LATIN FATHERS
-
Jerome (c. 347-420) [and Paula?]: Vulgate Bible [At Sacred Texts]
- Jerome (c. 347-420): Letters
and Selected Works [At CCEL]
-
WEB As well as the following texts, see
the page of Augustine texts, in
English and Latin, maintained by James O'Donnell at U Penn.
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Against
the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Answer
to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Concerning the
Nature of Good, Against the Manichaean [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Confessions [At
CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Confessions, in modern
translation [At UPenn]. The Latin Text is also
online [At Upenn].
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): De Dialectica [At
Penn]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Enchiridion (Handbook on
Faith, Hope, and Love) [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Letters [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): On
Baptism, Against the Donatists [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): On Christian Doctrine [At
CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Of the Morals of
the Catholic Church [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): On The Morals of
the Manichaeans [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Reply to
Faustus the Manichaean [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): A
Treatise Concerning the Correction of the Donatists [At CCEL]
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): Two Souls,
Against the Manichaeans (391; from CCEL)
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430): The City
of God, complete in HTML from Nicene And Post-Nicene Fathers
- St. Vincent of Lerins: Commonitory
on the Catholic Faith, c. 495, [at CCEL]
- Pope Gregory I (d.604): Moralia in
Iob, draft translation by James O'Donnell, [At U Penn]
- Pope Nicholas I: Responses to the Questions of
the Bulgars A.D. 866 (Letter 99), trans. W. North, full text.
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LATE ANTIQUITY
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BYZANTIUM
- See Greek Fathers above
- Cosmas Indicopleustes: Christian
Topography
- Procopius of Caesarea: Secret History
- Liutprand of Cremona: Report on Mission to
Constantinople, 963
-
Corpus Cyrillo-Methodianum
Helsingiense, An Electronic Corpus of Old Church Slavonic Texts, [At Helsinki.fi]
- Armenian/Georgian Historical Resources Site,
various full text translations by Robert Bedrosian.
- P'awstos Buzandac'i'. History
of the Armenians, 5th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist.
Resources]
- Ghazar P'arbec'i'. History of the Armenians,
5th century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, At [Arm. Hist. Resources]
- Sebeos: History, 7th century, full text,
trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources] [this is the first of a series of
files].
- John Mamikonean: History of Taron, 10th
century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources] [this is the first
of a series of files].
- Aristakes Lastivertc'i': History,
11th-century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources]
- The Georgian Chronicle, 12-13th century,
full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources][this is the first of a
series of files].
- Kirakos Gandzakets'i': History of the Armenians,
13th-century, full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources] [this is the
first of a series of files].
- T'ovma Metsobets'i': History of Tamerlane and
His Successors , full text, trans. Robert Bedrosian, [At Arm. Hist. Resources] [this
is the first of a series of files].
- Michael Psellus (1018-after 1078): Chronographia,
full text.
The history of the Roman Empire 976-1078 by one of the liveliest writers of the middle
ages.
- Anna Comnena (1093-after 1148): The Alexiad.
full text
The account of her father, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I, by Princess Anna
Comnena is perhaps the most important historical work by a woman writer written before the
modern period.
- Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents [At DO]
A Complete Translation of the Surviving Founder's Typika and Testaments. Edited by John
Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero with the assistance of Giles Constable.
The texts are all in PDF form [for which you need the free Acrobat reader,
downloadable from the index page]. Although it is possible to read these within the
browser with Acrobat as a plugin, that often seems to destabilize a system. I recommend
downloading the files onto a hard disk, and then opening them with Acrobat running
independantly of the Browser.
- Byzantine Commonwealth
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ISLAM
Religious Texts
-
Qu'ran, Part I, and Part II, translated by E.H.
Palmer, Full text [At Sacred Texts]
- The Holy
Qur'an, trans. M.H. Shakir, Full text [At CMU]
-
The Qu'ran,
trans. Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali, [At The Noble Qu'ran]. This is an English
translation endorsed by the Saudi government. Includes Arabic commentary by Ibn Katheer,
Tabari, and Qurtubi. See also Catholic
Encyclopedia:
KORAN
-
The Qu'ran, translated
Maulvi Sher Ali, Full Text [At Al Islam]
- The Qu'ran in Arabic script with audio recitation, Full Text, [At IslamiCity]
- The Quran: Three Versions Side By Side [At USC-MSA]
Contains Yusuf Ali, Pickthall and Shakir's versions side by side for each sura.
-
See also the Sunnah and
Hadith page with links to texts of various Hadith Collections.
- Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE): Munkidh min
al-Dalal (Confessions, or Deliverance from Error), c. 1100 CE
Literary and Historiographical Texts
- Al Hariri of Basrah (446-516 A.H./1054-1122 CE): Maqamat,
(The Assemblies), c. 1100 CE, 12 of the 50 "assemblies".
-
The 1001 Nights- Burton Translation
- Omar Khayyam (d. 1123 CE): The
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (first edition), trans. by Edward FitzGerald (page images [At
Virginia]
- Omar Khayyam: The Rubiayat, c. 1120 CE, trans.
Edward Fitgerald.
- Omar Khayyam (d. 1123 CE): The Rubaiyat, c.
1120
This is not the famous translation by Edward Fitgerald, but a more complete version by
E. H. Whinfield.
- Sa'di (1184-1292 CE): Gulistan,
1258 CE, Full text, in short sections. [At MIT]
- Sa'di (1184-1292 CE):
Gulistan, 1258 CE,
Full text of Persian prose/poetry text with significant homoerotic content
- Sa'di (1184-1292): The Gulistan, c. 1256 CE.
another translation.
- Sa'di (1184-1292 CE): The Bustan
- Sheikh Nefzaoui: The Perfumed
Garden, 11th century CE/c. A.H 925, translated by Sir Richard Burton , in chapter
files, full text, [At Bibliomania]
A guide to sex by a Tunisian writer of the 16th century. Does not discuss male
homosexuality, but does discuss Lesbianism (in chap. 20).
- Alpamysh, a Central Asian, Turkic epic, [At
ukc.ac.uk] and here [At Kansas]
Full text of H.B. Paksoy, ALPAMYSH Central Asian Identity under Russian Rule (Hartford, Connecticut: AACAR, 1989), including translation
-
Nasir-i-Khusraw (1046-1052): Book
of Travels (Safarnama) [At Traveling to Jerusalem/U Sth Colorado]
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MONASTICISM
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HISTORIOGRAPHY
- Tacitus: Germania. full text, trans. J. Church
and W. J. Brodribb.
- Tacitus: Germania, trans. Thomas
Gordon, full text, Also available in Latin.
- Eusebius Pamphlius of Caesarea (260-340): Church History [At New Advent
site] [From Ante-Nicene and Nicene Fathers Series] [Covers church history from
beginning to Constantine I]
- Socrates Scholasticus (c.379-440): Ecclesiastical History [At New
Advent site] [From Ante-Nicene and Nicene Fathers Series] [Covers 305-446 CE]
- Sozomen Hermias (5th Century): Ecclesiastical
History [At New Advent site] [From Ante-Nicene and Nicene Fathers Series][Covers 324-440 CE]
-
Sulpitius Severus: Sacred
History [At New Advent site] [From Ante-Nicene and Nicene Fathers Series]
-
Theodoret of Cyrrhus (d.c.457): Ecclesiastical
History [At New Advent site] [From Ante-Nicene and Nicene Fathers Series]
[Covers 322-427 CE]
- Jordanes: History
of the Goths.
See
also J.J. O'Donnell: The Aims
of Jordanes [At UPenn]
- Procopius of Caesarea: Secret History, (6th
century)
- Gregory of Tours: History of the Franks,
(6th century)
Complete text of Earnest Brehaut's 1916 abridged translation.
- Gildas (c.504-570): Works, full text
- Bede (673-735)
- Nennius: Historia Brittonum, 8th century, full
text
- Agnellus of Ravenna: Liber
pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis (c. 830 - 846). Full Latin Text [At Upenn]
- Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne (c. 817-830), Full
text. The Latin text of the
Vita
Karoli Magni is also available [At Latin Library]; See also
Catholic Encyclopedia: Einhard and
Catholic Encyclopedia:
Charlemagne
- The Monk of Saint Gall (Notker the Stammerer): The
Life of Charlemagne, c. 883/4, Full text
- Liutprand of Cremona: Report on Mission to
Constantinople, 963
- Asser: Life of King Alfred Translation: J.A. Giles [At OMACL]
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Translation: J. Ingram, [At OMACL] 17.
- The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle [in Anglo-Saxon] [At Labyrinth]
- Saxo Grammaticus (d. ca. 1220): Danish
History (Books I-IX) Translation: Oliver Elton
- Saxo Grammaticus (d. ca. 1220): Gesta Danorum in the
original Latin text Kobenhavn: Levin & Munksgaard, 1957. [At www.kb.dk].
- Sturlson, Snorri: Heimskringla
or The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway [At OMACL]
- Dudo of St. Quentin (c. 965-died before 1043): Gesta Normannorum (written btw. 996-1015), ed. and trans. Felice Lifshitz. Transcription of Latin Text also available., [At this site, was at ORB Library]
- Chronicle of the Counts of Anjou (c.1100) trans.
Steve Lane
- Michael Psellus (1018-after 1078): Chronographia,
full text.
The history of the Roman Empire 976-1078 by one of the liveliest writers of the middle
ages.
- William of Newburgh: History, full text
- Abbot Suger: Life of King Louis the Fat, full
text, trans. Jean Dunbabin.
-
Rigord (1145/50-1209): Deeds of Philip II
Augustus, trans Paul Hyams, full text? [At Cornell]
- Jocelin of Brakelond (c.1156-d.1202?): Chronicle of the
Abbey of St. Edmunds (1173-1202)
- Guillame de Tyr (William of Tyre) (c.1130- 1190): Historia rerum in partibus
transmarinis gestarum [History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea], full text of Old French
version (13th century) available 9/3/98
- Geoffry de Villehardouin: Chronicle of the Fourth
Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinople
- Jean de Joinville: Memoirs [At Virginia] See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Louis IX, Saint
- Jean Froissart: Chronicles, full [or at least
very extensive] text see also The
Chronicles of Froissart
-
John Mandeville: The Travels of
Sir John Mandeville [At Project Gutenberg],
-
Giorgio Vasari: Lives of the
Artists, [At UM-Baltimore]
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MODERN HISTORIOGRAPHY
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LITERARY TEXTS
Latin
French
- The Song of Roland, c. 11th Century, full
texts, trans. John O'Hagan [Here]
In rhyming couplets!
- The Song of Roland, c. 11th
Century, full texts, trans. Charles Scott Moncrief. [At OMACL]
- Chretien de Troyes: Cliges,
Translation: W.W. Comfort [At OMACL]
- Chretien de Troyes: Erec et Enide,
Translation: W.W. Comfort [At OMACL]
- Chretien de Troyes: Lancelot or,
The Knight of the Cart, Translation: W.W. Comfort [At OMACL]
- Chretien de Troyes: Yvain, or The
Knight With the Lion,Translation: W.W. Comfort [At OMACL]
-
Chretien de Troyes: Four Arthurian
Romances, [At Project Gutenberg].
These are the same texts as above, but here in one file.
- High History of the Holy Graal,
13th century. Translation: Sebastian Evans [At OMACL]
.
-
Ballads
Lyrics and Poems of Old France [At Project Gutenberg]
-
Geste Francor An anonymous 14th century Franco-Italian Epic, trans. Leslie Z. Morgan [ORB Library]
Italian
Spanish/Portuguese
Celtic
German
Nordic
English
- WEB Arthurian texts, for
those not collected here, see the Camelot Project, and especially
the Camelot Project Author
Menu for beautifully presented, introduced, and annotated texts of:
- The Alliterative Morte Arthure
- Annales Cambriae (Annals of Wales), Arthurian References in (c. 960-980)
- The Avowyng of Arthur
- The Awntyrs off Arthur
- The Carle of Carlisle
- Culwch and Olwen (translated by Lady Charlotte Guest as Kilhwch and Olwen)
- The Greene Knight
- The Jeaste of Sir Gawain
- King Arthur and King Cornwall
- The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain
- Lancelot of the Laik
- The Marriage of Sir Gawain
- Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle
- Sir Perceval of Galles
- Sir Tristrem
- Stanzaic Morte Arthur
- The Turke and Sir Gawain ((c) TEAMS)
- The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle
- A selection of post medieval Arthurian literature [Tennyson, Emerson, Swinbourne and so
on.]
-
WEB The Robin Hood Text
Archive [At Rochester]
With both medieval and post-medieval texts.
ANGLO-SAXON
- Codex Junius 11 [At OMACL] -
Anglo-Saxon poems
- Apollonius of Tyre Version in
Old English and translation into modern English
- Beowulf (in Old English), Klaeber edition
- Beowulf, 8th century, trans Francis Gummere
-
Beowulf, trans
Francis Gummere [At Adelaide]
- Beowulf, c. 1100
[At Lone Star] modern verse translation by Davidn Breeden.
Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in English literature, and it survives in only one
manuscript. This copy survived both the wholesale destruction of religious artifacts
during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire which
destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631). The poem still bears the
scars of the fire, visible at the upper left corner of the manuscript.
MIDDLE ENGLISH
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MEDIEVAL THOUGHT
- Boethius: Consolation
of Philosophy
- Rabanus Maurus: De rerum natura [ORB Libary] In
Latin. See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Blessed Maurus Magnentius Rabanus
- Anselm (1033-1109): Proslogium, full text
- Gaunilo: In Behalf of the Fool, with Anselm's: Reply
Gaunilo's attack on the argument in the Proslogium, and Anselm's
reformulation.
- Anselm (1033-1109): Monologium, full text
- Anselm (1033-1109): Cur Deus Homo (Why God
Became Man)
- Anselm (1033-1109): Introduction to His Writings
- Anselm (1033-1109): Philosophers' Criticisms of
Anselm's Ontological Argument for the Being of God
- Guibert of Nogent (1053-1124): Autobiography,
trans. C.C. Swinton Bland.
- Peter Abelard (1079?-1144?): History of My
Calamities - English translation by Henry Adams Bellows
- Abelard and Heloise: Letters
[including "History of my Calamities"]. - In Latin
- Alain of Lille (d. 1203): The Plaint of Nature
- Thomas Aquinas (1225/7-1274): Summa
Theologica [At New Advent].
See also Walter Farrell: A Companion to the
Summa, and Catholic
Encyclopedia: Thomas Aquinas or
Encyclopedia Britannica (9th ed):
Aquinas, Thomas.
- Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): Summa Contra Gentiles, with
some abridgement, trans. Joseph Rickaby 1905, full text, [At Maritian Center]
<
-
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): Catena Aurea: Patristic
Commentary on the Gospels: Matthew and Mark, full text, [At CCEL]
-
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): On The Principles of Nature,
trans Stephen Loughlin. [At Desales]
- Thomas Aquinas (1225/7-1274): On the Eternity of the
World, trans. Robert T. Miller.
- Thomas Aquinas (1225/7-1274): On Being and Essence (De
Ente et Essentia), trans. Robert T. Miller.
- John Duns Scotus (1266?-1308): A Treatise on God as First
Principle [At EWTN] See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS
-
Nicholas Cusanus: Where
is he that is born king of the Jews?, 1456, a new translation of Ubi est qui natus
est rex Iudaeorum?" by Clyde Lee Miller [At Internet Archive, from Stonybrook],
-
Richard de Bury (1281-1345): The Love of
Books (The Philobiblon), trans. E.C.Thomas 1888, [At Project Gutenberg]
Richard de Bury was an English bishop and politician. He was also a book lover. This text
was completed on the 24th of January, 1345, as he lay ill. The treatise contains his rules
for the library of the new College at Oxford--Durham College (where Trinity College now
stands).
-
Michael de Leone: Introduction
to Ein Buch von guter spise
Cookery book in German with English translation. MS. dated between 1345 and 1354.
Jump Back to Contents
MEDIEVAL SPIRITUAL WRITING
-
Sepher
Yetzirah, translated from the Hebrew by Wm. Wynn Westcott, [At Wolf's Den]
The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient Qabalistic texts. It was
first put into writing around 200 C.E. Westcott's Translation was first published in 1887.
- Tridentine Rite Mass in Latin and English - [making
use of HTML tables for better presentation] A Parallel text readable by all browsers is
also available Tridentine Rite Mass in Latin and English
[no tables].
- The Divine Liturgy of
John Chrysostom as used in Orthodox Churches
- The Liturgy of the Assyrian Rite See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Assyrian Rite
- Divine Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom in form used by Eastern Catholic churches
-
Hours of the Virgin
in Latin and English
- Peter Moghila of Kiev: Orthodox
Confession of the Faith. Perhaps the most Western "Orthodox" confession ever
written
- Orthodox Prayers
-
Ancrene Wisse, In Middle
English, with some Latin, [At Google Books]. A collection of rules and advice for English nuns.
- Guibert of Nogent (1053-1124): Autobiography, full
text, trans. C.C. Swinton Bland
- Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153): The Love of God [At
CCEL].
-
Conrad of Saxony: Mirror of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, often ascribed to St. Bonaventure, but now considered the
work of Conrad by many scholars., [At Intratext]
- Jordan of Saxony : Handbook on the Origins of the Order
of Preachers, a machine translation of Livret sur les orignes
de l'Ordre des Prêcheurs d'après la traduction du frère Marie-Humbert Vicaire,
o.p., parue dans l'ouvrage Saint Dominique et ses frères. Évangile ou croisade, coll.
Chrétiens de tous les temps, n° 19, (Paris : éditions du Cerf, 1967).
- Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) : Dialogue 1370 [At CCEL]. See
also Catholic Encyclopedia:
Catherine of Siena, Saint
- Julian of Norwich (1342-1443): Revelations
of Divine Love, 1371 in Modern English, [At CCEL] See also Catholic Encyclopedia: Juliana of
Norwich
- The Cloud of Unknowing, 15th
century, trans Evelyn Underhill, [At CCEL]
-
John of Ruysbroeck (1293-1381): The Adornment of
Spiritual Marriage [At CCEL].
- Thomas à Kempis (c.1380-1471): The Imitation of Christ [modern translation] [At CCEL].
-
Thomas à Kempis (c.1380-1471): The Imitation of Christ,
translated by William Benham [Project Gutenberg Release #1653]
- The Cell of Self-Knowledge Seven Early English Mystical Treatises, [At CCEL]
- Walter Hilton (d.1396): Treatise
Written to A Devout Man[At CCEL]
-
Johannes Tauler: The
Inner Way [At CCEL]
See also John Burke:
Johannes Tauler, O.P.:
Mystic, Pastor, and Preacher, [At EWTN]
-
Erasmus (ca. 1469-1536): In Praise
of Folly, trans. John Wilson, 1688 [Full text] [At University of the South] [More
Erasmus texts are at the Erasmus Text Project.
- Travel and Pilgrimage Texts
Jump Back to Contents
GOVERNMENTAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS
- See the specific Medieval Sourcebook: Medieval Legal History page
- Laws of
Alfred and Ine [In Anglo Saxon] [At Labryinth]
- Anglo Saxon Dooms, 560-975, In English. These
include:
- The Laws of Æthelberht, King of Kent 560-616 A.D.
- The Laws of Kings Hlothhære and Eadric 673-686 A.D.
- The Laws of King Wihtræd 690-725 A.D.
- The Laws of King Alfred 871-901 A.D.
- The Laws of King Edward the Elder, 901-924 A.D.
- The Laws of Alfred, Guthrum, and Edward the Elder
- The North People's Law
- Mercian Law
- The Laws of King Athelstan 924-939 A.D.
- The Laws of King Edmund I 939-946 A.D.
- The Laws of King Edgar 959-975 A.D.
- The Visigothic
Code (Forum iudicum) ed. and trans. by S.P. Scott (Print edition: Boston Book Company,
1910)[At Libro]
- Dialogue of the Exchequer, 1180s, [Full text of Book
First, titles of Book Second]
- Bracton: De Legibus Et
Consuetudinibus Angliæ (On the Laws and Customs of England), in English and Latin,
attributed to Henry of Bratton, (c.1210-1268), Full Text, [At Harvard]
- Anthology
of Chancery English [At UVA]
- René of Anjou: Tournament Book,
1406. [At Princeton]
Old French and English text of instructions on how to hold a tournement by King Rene of
Anjou.
- Transcript of Trial of Joan of Arc, 1431
- Paston
Family Letters and Papers [At UVA]
Jump Back to Contents
RENAISSANCE TEXTS
-
WEB I classici italiani in HTML [At
Nuovo Rinascimento] [Many Full texts - all in Italian]
-
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): The Digital Dante project [At
Columbia]
See also
Guide to
E-Texts of Dante's Works, by Otto Lieberknecht [At Great Dante.net]; and Catholic Encyclopedia: Dante
Alighieri
- Dante Alighieri (1165-1321): Letter to
Cangrande. [At U. Penn]
Dante's letter explaining the Divine Comedy
-
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): La Divina
Commedia, [Complete, In Italian], [At La Dante]
-
Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): Divine Comedy [In English]
The following etexts are available from Project Gutenberg
- Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): La Divina Commedia in Italian
- Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375):
- The Decameron Full text of English translation [Used
to be at Virginia Tech, now in one vert large ascii file at this Site]
-
The Decameron,
in Italian and English [At Brown]
- Bartolus of Sassoferrato: On the Tyrant (ca.1330); trans. Steve Lane [slane@tezcat.com]
- Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527): The Prince,
1513, full text in HTML.
- Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527): The Prince, in
chapter files, full text, [At Bibliomania]
- Giovanni Pico della Mirandola: Oration
on the Dignity of Man, full text, [At Santa Fe]
- Baldesar Castiglione (1478-1529): The Book of the Courtier,
translated by Sir Thomas Hoby (1561), full text [At Oregon]
[The English is too archaic for classroom use.]
- Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533): Orlando
Furioso ("Orlando Enraged") [At OMACL]
- Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574): Lives of the
Artists, Complete in English. Aslo available Lives of the Artists complete [PDF].
- Torquato Tasso (1544-1595): Gerusalemme
Liberata ("Jerusalem Delivered") [At OMACL]
Jump Back to Contents
REFORMATION TEXTS
- WEB Project
Wittenberg
A collection of Lutheran historical texts - by Luther and other leading early figures such
as Melanchthon.
- WEB Modern History Sourcebook for
more texts.
-
Martin Luther: Theologia
Germanica [At CCEL] See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: MARTIN LUTHER
- Martin Luther: The German Mass
and Order of Divine Service [At Hanover]
- Martin Luther: The Larger
Cathechism" [At CCEL]
- Martin Luther: Preface to Romans [At CCEL]
-
Martin Luther: Von
der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen The Freedom of A Christian Man, [In German] [At
Heilengenlexikon]
- Martin Luther: On
the Freedom of a Christian, full text
- Martin Luther: A Christian
sermon over the body and at the funeral of the venerable Dr. Martin Luther, preached
by Mr. Johann Bugenhagen Pomeranus, doctor and pastor of the churches in Wittenberg.
Printed in Wittenberg by Georg Rhau,in the year 1546. [At Emory.edu]
- "On The Jews and Their Lies", a treatise by Martin Luther (translated by Martin H. Bertram, Luther's Works, Vol. 47: The Christian In Society IV, ed. by Franklin Sherman (c) 1971
Fortress Press, pages 121-306) has been removed because of copyright objections. We will attempt
to provide a new translation of the German text at some point, but meanwhile welcome a translation
any scholar wishes to supply.
-
John Calvin (1509-64) [Information, At CCEL] See also
Catholic
Encyclopedia: Calvin, John
- John Calvin (1509-1564): The Institutes [At CCEL]
-
John Calvin (1509-1564): Biblical Commentaries [At CCEL]
- John Foxe (1516-1587): Book of Martyrs [At CCEL]
- Westminster Confession of Faith,
1646 [At Presbyterian reformed Site]
Jump Back to Contents
CATHOLIC REFORMATION TEXTS
Jump Back to Contents
WEB The Early Church
Fathers
Note The Medieval Sourcebook aims to present classroom sized texts. But a
major resource for many scholars are the translations in the Early Church Fathers
Series. The entire 38 volume set is now available on line. Some of it is nicely marked
up, other texts are available only in large lumps of text. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library at Wheaton College is
to site with the texts. The Library has made the texts available in both text, zipped,
and, where possible, HTML form. The following information and links have been lifted
directly from the Ethereal Library site
The Early Church Fathers is a 38-volume collection of writings from the first 800 years
of the Church. This collection is divided into three series, the Ante-Nicene, Nicene, and
Post-Nicene Fathers.
These files have the majority of the text printed in the actual books -- however, some
portions have been excluded, such as the prefaces written by the editors, footnotes,
indices, etc. In fact, Volume IX of the Ante-Nicene Series was omitted because it consists
entirely of index information. --Adapted from the introduction to the Electronic Bible Society CD-ROM Volume 1.
These volumes are in the process of being converted to multi-file HTML webs. The
volumes that have not yet been converted are available as large text files of 1.5 to 3.5
MB each. Because of this and because the text paragraphs are not wrapped, you will
probably have to download them to your system and read them with a word processor. A
windows-based word processor is preferable because some special characters from the
Windows character set are used. Some of the volumes that have been converted to HTML webs
can be downloaded as a single zip file via FTP -- look for a file called
html-web.zip.
You will soon be able to get the Early Church Fathers commercially on a CD-ROM from Logos Research, in a much improved form. Look for major
improvements here, as well, in the next couple of years.
These files are also available, usefully, in plain text form, split up into the
various works, and with many typos eliminated at EWTN.
EWTN is a conservative Catholic web site and has removed, as "too Protestant"
all the notes and introductory matter from the files. In some cases this may have been justified, in other cases good scholarship was discarded because it offended against some
modern standard of orthodoxy. Although EWTN has stuck on a claim to copyright to the
"electronic form" of these texts, they are in fact all public domain in the US.
Ante-Nicene Fathers to A.D. 325
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors.
Volume I -- The Apostolic Fathers
with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus: Clement, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias,
Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.
Volume II -- Fathers of the Second Century: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus,
Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria.
Volume III -- Latin Christianity:
Its Founder Tertullian: I. Apologetic, II. Anti-Marcion, III. Ethical.
Volume IV -- Fathers of the Third Century: Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodianus, Origen.
Volume V -- Fathers of the Third Century: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian,
Appendix: Baptism of Heretics, Anonymous Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian, Anonymous
Treatise on Rebaptism.
Volume VI -- Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the
Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius and Minor Writers, Archelaus, Alexander of Lycopolis,
Peter of Alexandria, Alexander of Alexandria, Methodius, Arnobius.
Volume VII -- Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Lactantius, Dionysius of
Rome, Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, The Homily
Ascribed to Clement, Early Liturgies.
Volume VIII -- Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries: Testaments of the Twelve
Patriarchs, Theodotus: Excerpts, Epistles Concerning Virginity, Pseudo-Clementine
Literature, Apocrypha of the New Testament, Decretals Memoire of Edessa and Ancient Syriac
Documentary remains of the Second and Third Centuries.
Volume IX -- Original supplement to the American Edition: Gospel of Peter,
Diatessaron of Tatian, Apocalypse of Peter, Visio Pauli, Apocalypses of the Virgin and of
Sedrach, Testament of Abraham, Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Narrative of Zosimus,
Apology of Aeristedes, Epistles of Clement (complete), Origen's Commentaries on John and
Matthew (partial).
Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series I
Philip Schaff, editor
St. Augustine Volumes:
Volume I -- Prolegomena;
Life and Works; Confessions; Letters
Volume II -- The City of God;
Christian Doctrine
Volume III -- Doctrinal
Treatises; Moral Treatises
Volume IV -- Anti-Manichaean
and Anti-Donatist Writings
Volume V --
Anti-Pelagian Writings
Volume VI -- The
Sermon on the Mount; Harmony of the Gospels; Homilies on the Gospels
Volume VII --
Homilies on the Gospel and the First Epistle of John; Soliloquies
Volume VIII -- Expositions on
the Psalms
St. Chrysostom Volumes:
Volume IX -- Prolegomena; On
the Priesthood; Ascetic Treatises; Select Homilies and Letters; Homilies on the Statues
Volume X -- Homilies on the
Gospel of St. Matthew
Volume XI -- Homilies on the
Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle to the Romans
Volume XII -- Homilies on the
Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians
Volume XIII -- Homilies on
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon
Volume XIV -- Homilies on the
Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews
NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS, Series II
Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, editors
Volume I -- Eusebius; Church
History; Life of Constantine the Great; Oration in Praise of Constantine
Volume II -- Socrates Scholasticus: Ecclesiastical History; Sozomenus: Ecclesiastical History
Volume III -- Theodoret:
Ecclesiastical History, Dialogues, Letters; Jerome and Gennadius: Illustrious Men; Rufinus
and Jerome; Life of Rufinus; Apology vs. Rufinus
Volume IV -- Athanasius:
Select Works and Letters
Volume V -- Gregory
of Nyssa: Select Writings and Letters; Dogmatic Treatises
Volume VI -- St. Jerome:
Letters and Select Works
Volume VII -- St. Cyril of
Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures; St. Gregory Nazianzen: Select Orations, Sermons,
Letters; Dogmatic Treatises
Volume VIII -- St. Basil:
Treatise De Spiritu Sancto; Nine Homilies of Hexaemeron
Volume IX -- St.
Hilary of Poitiers: Select Works on the Trinity and Psalms; John
of Damascus: Exposition of Faith
Volume X -- St. Ambrose:
Principal Works, Dogmatic Treatises, Ethical Works, etc.
Volume XI -- Sulpitius Severus:
Extant Works; Vincent of Lerins: The Catholic Faith; John Cassian:
Conferences
On the
Incarnation vs. Nestorius
Volume XII -- Leo the Great:
Letters, Sermons; Gregory the Great: Pastoral Rule, etc.
Volume XIII -- Gregory the
Great: Selected Epistles; Ephraim the Syrian: Hymns, Homilies; Aphrahat: Demonstrations
Volume XIV -- The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church; Canons and
Decrees; Canons of Local Synods with Ecumenical Acceptance
NOTE: The date of inception of the Internet
Medieval Sourcebook was 1/20/1996. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At <some indication of the site name
or location>]. No indication means that the text file is local. WEB indicates a link to one of small
number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable
overview.
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the
Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University.
Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not
the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 20 January 2021
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