Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus

Mediaeval Lore from Bartholomew Anglicus is a compendium of knowledge compiled by Bartholomew Anglicus, a 13th-century scholar and Franciscan friar. His work, often referred to simply as De Proprietatibus Rerum (On the Properties of Things), aims to catalog a wide range of information about the natural world, human society, and the sciences as understood during the medieval period. The text is structured in a methodical way, presenting an encyclopedic approach to various topics such as animals, plants, minerals, and their uses in medicine, folklore, and daily life. The content reflects the scholastic traditions of the time, blending classical knowledge from ancient authors with contemporary medieval thought. Anglicus draws on a variety of sources, including the works of Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, and Isidore of Seville, to provide explanations and descriptions that illuminate the medieval understanding of the world. His discussions encompass themes of symbolism and moral lessons attributed to various natural phenomena, reflecting the era's worldview where science, philosophy, and spirituality were intricately intertwined.