Concerning Conjoined Twins, Some Incorruptibles, and Royal Murders
We continue on from last episode's look at the Green Children of Woolpit with a further consideration of what it meant to wonder at a marvel in the middle ages, with additional illustration of some wondrous things from William of Malmesbury.
Today's Texts
- Gervase of Tilbury. Otia Imperialia. Edited and translated by S.E. Banks and J.W. Binns, Clarendon Press, 2002.
- Isidore of Seville. The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville. Translated by Stephen A. Barney, W.J. Lewis, J.A. Beach, and Oliver Berghof with Muriel Hall, Cambridge UP, 2006.
- William of Malmesbury. Chronicle of the Kings of England. Edited by J.A. Giles, translated by John Sharpe and J.A. Giles, George Bell & Sons, 1895. Google Books.
Chapters
00:00:00: Introduction
00:09:48: Text: from Gervase of Tilbury's Otia Imperialia
00:13:29: Commentary
00:16:23: Text: from Isidore of Seville's Etymologies
00:21:02: Commentary
00:23:05: Text: from William of Malmesbury's Gesta Regum Anglorum
00:39:32: Commentary
00:43:23: Text: from Caroline Walker Bynum's "Wonder"
00:48:08: Commentary
00:48:26: Mystery Word: glop
00:54:15: Outro
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56:09
Concerning the Green Children of Woolpit and Other Prodigies
This Halloween marks our 10th anniversary, and we observe it by hearing the earliest written accounts of one of the most well-known pieces of medieval weird history: the Green Children of Woolpit -- and also hear the other less famous prodigies their story was originally presented alongside.
Today's Texts:
Radulphi de Coggeshall. Chronicon Anglicanum. Edited by Joseph Stevenson, Longman & Co., 1875. Google Books.
William of Newburgh. The History of William of Newburgh. The Church Historians of England, vol. IV, part II, translated by Joseph Stevenson, Seeleys, 1856, pp. 395–670. Google Books.
Chapters
00:00:00: Introduction
00:06:32: Text: from Ralph of Coggeshall's Chronicon Anglicanum
00:15:36: Commentary
00:24:31: Text: Ch. 27 & 28 from William of Newburgh's Historia rerum Anglicarum
00:35:10: Commentary
00:58:25: Riddle
01:01:13: Outro
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1:03:59
Concerning the Miseries of the Flesh according to Pope Innocent III
In this episode, we explore the tradition of contemptus mundi with a text all about how horrible it is to be a human being, On the Misery of the Human Condition, written by Pope Innocent III (when he was but Cardinal Lotario di Segni).
Today's Texts:
Lotario dei Contie di Segni [Pope Innocent III]. De miseria condicionis humane. The Latin Library, https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/innocent1.html
References:
Lothario Dei Segni [Pope Innocent III]. On the Misery of the Human Condition. Edited by Donald R. Howard, translated by Margaret Mary Dietz. Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1969. Archive.org.
Moore, John C. "Innocent III's De Miseria Humanae Conditionis: A Speculum Curiae?" The Catholic Historical Review, vol. 67, no. 4, Oct. 1981, pp. 553-564. JSTOR.
Chapters
00:00:00: Introduction
00:17:00: Text: from Book I of De miseria condicionis humane by Lotario di Segni
00:17:01: Preface
00:18:05: 1. On the Miseries of Humanity
00:20:48: 2. On the Vileness of Our Matter
00:22:42: 3. On the Manner of Conception
00:26:19: 4. On the Food by which the Fetus is Nourished in the Womb
00:27:22: 5. On the Weakness of the Infant
00:28:37: 8. What Fruit Does a Person Produce?
00:29:43: 9. On the Inconvenience of Old Age
00:31:58: 12. On the Various Pursuits of Human Beings
00:34:07: 13. On Various Anxieties
00:34:56: 14. On the Misery of the Poor and the Rich
00:36:55: 15. On the Misery of Servants and Masters
00:38:53: 22. On the Proximity of Death
00:40:11: 27. On the Various Types of Tortures
00:41:26: Commentary
00:47:13: Mystery Word: furcifer
00:51:35: Outro
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53:36
MDT Ep. 108: Concerning the End of the Interdict and a Vexatious Prophet
We continue from our last episode into the years 1212-1214 in the Melrose Chronicle, where we come to the end of the interdict, and perhaps the prophesized end of King John's true sovereignty. Along the way, we also cover some of the more common ecclesiastical offices and check the accuracy of the chronicle's battlefield accounting.
Today's Texts:
The Chronicle of Melrose. Edited and translated by Joseph Stevenson, The Church Historians of England, vol. 4, part 1, Seeley’s, 1856, pp. 79-242. Google Books.
Ranulf Higden. Polychronicon. Vol. 8. Edited by Joseph Rawson Lumby, translated by John Trevisa, Longman and Co., 1882. Google Books.
Roger of Wendover. Flowers of History. Vol. 2. Translated by J.A. Giles, Henry G. Bohn, 1849. Google Books.
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41:32
MDT Ep. 107: Concerning Portents, an Interdiction, Persecutions, Heresy, and a Year of Bloodshed
We return to the Melrose Chronicle with a notably nasty run of years from 1205 to 1211. We also consider why people -- medieval and modern -- are so captivated by bad news.
Today's Texts:
The Chronicle of Melrose. Edited and translated by Joseph Stevenson, The Church Historians of England, vol. 4, part 1, Seeley’s, 1856, pp. 79-242. Google Books.
Netherlands