Those Who Prayed: An Anthology of Medieval Sources. This item is unavailable.Those Who Prayed: An Anthology of Medieval Sources

Peter Speed's volume of medieval sources in English translation includes a wide variety of readings from Britain and the Continent, is richly illustrated, and it provides an ideal introduction to classic sources and new trends in medieval studies for the student and the general reader alike. Chapter topics include: heaven and hell; the Roman Empire; the Early Middle Ages; Spain in the Early Middle Ages; monastic life; the religious orders; women and religion; secular clergy; literacy, education and books; pilgrims; crusaders; heretics; Christians and Jews; and Church and state. 228 readings include chronicles, histories; guidebooks; legal documents; biographies and miracle books; monastic rules, registers and petitions; letters, poetry, and vision literature. Preface, introduction, bibliography, and index. 100 illustrations, 3 plans.

Like the ordinary clergy, bishops were accused of incontinence, greed and neglect of duties, and there was an additional abuse open to them, which was nepotism, or granting benefices to relations. Sometimes, young boys were given important positions: 152. A certain bishop, having received a gift of a basket of pears, asked those who sat at table with him, to whose care he should entrust them. His young nephew, to whom he had given an archdeaconry, said, "I will keep the pears."

To whom his uncle answered, "You rascal! Ill would you keep them!"

Then said a certain honest man who was present, "O wretch! How have you dared to commit an archdeaconry of so many souls to this boy, to whom you would not entrust a basket of pears?" (Etienne de Bourbon, Anecdotes historiques)