Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Foreword
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Eleventh Century
- Twelfth Century
- II.8 Eadmer, The Life of Archbishop Anselm
- II.9 Sæwulf, An Account of a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
- II.10 Twelfth-Century Law Codes
- II.11 The Wreck of the White Ship in 1120, as Recorded by Historians of the Twelfth Century
- II.12 Geoffrey of Monmouth, A History of the Kings of Britain
- II.13 Two Twelfth-Century Lives of St Frideswide
- II.14 Ælred of Rievaulx, Letter Regarding the Nun of Watton Priory
- II.15 William Fitzstephen, A Description of London
- II.16 Thomas Becket
- II.17 Glanvill, The Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of England
- II.18 Richard of Devizes, Chronicle of the Reign of King Richard I
- II.19 Walter Map, Courtiers’ Trifles
- II.20 Hugh Nonant, Bishop of Coventry, Letter Recounting the Spectacular Downfall of Chancellor William de Longchamp
- Thirteenth Century
- Fourteenth Century
- Fifteenth Century
- Select Bibliography for Volume II
- General Index
- Index of Passages Cited
II.14 - Ælred of Rievaulx, Letter Regarding the Nun of Watton Priory
from Twelfth Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 January 2024
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Maps
- Foreword
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Eleventh Century
- Twelfth Century
- II.8 Eadmer, The Life of Archbishop Anselm
- II.9 Sæwulf, An Account of a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
- II.10 Twelfth-Century Law Codes
- II.11 The Wreck of the White Ship in 1120, as Recorded by Historians of the Twelfth Century
- II.12 Geoffrey of Monmouth, A History of the Kings of Britain
- II.13 Two Twelfth-Century Lives of St Frideswide
- II.14 Ælred of Rievaulx, Letter Regarding the Nun of Watton Priory
- II.15 William Fitzstephen, A Description of London
- II.16 Thomas Becket
- II.17 Glanvill, The Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of England
- II.18 Richard of Devizes, Chronicle of the Reign of King Richard I
- II.19 Walter Map, Courtiers’ Trifles
- II.20 Hugh Nonant, Bishop of Coventry, Letter Recounting the Spectacular Downfall of Chancellor William de Longchamp
- Thirteenth Century
- Fourteenth Century
- Fifteenth Century
- Select Bibliography for Volume II
- General Index
- Index of Passages Cited
Summary
Ælred is principally famous for his spiritual works such as his work on friendship, written at the Cistercian monastery of Rievaulx in Yorkshire. Less well known is the letter he wrote to a friend regarding the dramatic incident involving a young girl at the Gilbertine monastery of Watton. The girl, after a sexual liaison with a young man in the male part of the monastery, becomes pregnant but when the nuns discover this they treat her and the man with brutality. When she gives birth, a miracle occurs and the baby disappears, apparently in accordance with God’s will. Ælred is asked to investigate and reports in a very compassionate and perceptive manner in subtle and beautiful Latin prose.
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- Information
- The Cambridge Anthology of British Medieval Latin , pp. 150 - 163Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024