CRANE— MEDIEVAL SERMON-BOOKS AND STORIES. 401 



larization. The first is by the late Dr. Jacob Ulrich, professor in 

 the university of Zurich, " Proben der lateinischen NoveUistik des 

 Mittelalters," Leipzig, 1906. The editor's object is to give the 

 student a selection from mediaeval fiction, embracing fables, transla- 

 tions of the Oriental story-books, and a considerable number of 

 exempla from the " Gesta Romanorum," Jacques de Vitry, fitienne 

 de Bourbon and the collection of Tours as cited by Lecoy de la 

 Marche in his " Etienne de Bourbon." Ulrich has given brief refer- 

 ences to the individual stories, and furnished a work of value to the 

 student beginning his researches in this fascinating field. I am 

 surprised that the book is not better known. 



The second work to which I have referred is by Albert Wesselski, 

 " Monchslatein, Erzahlungen aus geistlichen Schriften des XIII. 

 Jahrhunderts," Leipzig, 1909. The unfortunate title gives no idea 

 of the contents of this handsome volume. It really contains a Ger- 

 man translation of one hundred and fifty-four cxcmpla, of which 

 ten are from Wright's " Latin Stories," eight from Bromyard's 

 " Summa Pradicantium," twenty-six from Cassarius, eighteen from 

 fitienne de Bourbon, seven from the " Gesta Romanorum," six from 

 Herolt's " Sermones " and " Promptuarium," thirty-six from 

 "Jacques de Vitry," twenty-two from the " Mensa Philosophica," 

 and the rest from Odo of Cheriton, Vincent of Beauvais, Nicolaus 

 Pergamenus, Thomas Cantipratensis, etc. There is an introduc- 

 tion of no original value, and the individual exempla are accom- 

 panied by extensive notes, which constitute the most important 

 feature of the work. The contents are more varied than is the case 

 with Klapper's second collection, and greater stress is laid on anec- 

 dotes and jests. 



I have not space to refer in detail to the extensive use of 

 exempla during the last thirty-four years in tracing the diffusion of 

 popular tales. The articles in which exempla are so employed must 

 be sought in the periodicals devoted to popular literature or in the 

 collected writings of Benfey, Kohler, \\'. Hertz, and others. 



It is perhaps too soon to be able to speak with authority upon 

 the value of exempla for " Kulturgeschichte " (history, superstitions, 

 etc.), and comparative story olog>'. Much yet remains to be edited, 

 and what is accessible has not yet been closely examined from the 



PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC, VOL. LVI. AA. JULY 1~ . IQI?. 



