CRANE— MEDIEVAL SERMON-BOOKS AND STORIES. 385 



1225, as Schonbach thinks, and Jacques de Vitry's sermons after his 

 residence in Palestine until his death, that is 1227 to 1240, Csesarius 

 is contemporaneous with Odo of Cheriton and a little earlier than 

 Jacques de Vitry. 



I used the " Dialogus Miraculorum " of Caesarius frequently in 

 my notes, but I did not give any space to this interesting personage 

 in my Introduction, although I might have considered the " Dia- 

 logus " as a homiletic treatise, so constantly are they quoted in 

 subsequent sermons and collections of exempla made for the use of 

 preachers. The author was born probably a few years before 1180 

 and educated at St. Andrew's School at Cologne. He entered the 

 Cistercian abbey of Heisterbach, where he became master of the 

 novices and prior, dying about 1240.^* Besides the "Homilies" 

 mentioned above, Csesarius was the author of many theological 

 works, some of which have perished and all have been forgotten 

 except the " Dialogus Miraculorum." This popular and interesting 

 work was composed about 1222 (Schonbach dates it 1223-1224, 

 Herbert says it was completed in or very soon after 1222). It is 

 fortunately accessible in a good modern edition by J. Strange, two 

 volumes, Cologne, 185 1, and consists of twelve books or distinc- 



1909, originally published in the Sitzungsberichte der kais. Akad. der IVissen- 

 schaftcn in Wien, Philosophisch-historisch Classe, Bd. CXLIV., CLIX., 

 CLXIII. Of the 746 stories in the " Dialogus Miraculorum," 84 are found 

 in the " Homilies," and there are 58 in the " Homilies " not found in the 

 "Dialogus," see Schonbach, I., pp. 69-92; HI., pp. 4 et seq. Consequently 

 there are now 142 stories contained in the "Homilies" accessible to students. 

 Czesarius says in regard to his use of exempla (Schonbach, I., p. 20) : 

 " Qusedam (exempla) inserui aliquantulum subtilius ad exercitium legentium, 

 qusedam de Vitis Patrum propter utilitatem simplicium. Nonnulla etiam, 

 quas nostris temporibus sunt gesta et a viris religiosis mihi recitata. Hoc 

 pene in omnibus homiliis observare studui, et, quod probare poteram ex 

 divinae scripturje serttentiis, hoc etiam firmarem exemplis." This use of 

 exempla displeased some even at that early date and he omitted them in his 

 later homilies, saying (Schonbach, op. cit., p. 33) : " Secrete quidam ea scripsi 

 et secrete legi volui, ipsam expositionem ita ordinans, ut conversis, quibus 

 singulis diebus dominicis aliquid de divinis scripturis, et maxime de evangeliis, 

 exponi solet, congrueret. Ilia enim necessitas occasio praecipua fuit scribendi. 

 Propter quod miracula et visiones ipsis expositionibus inserere studui. Et 

 quia hoc quibusdam minus placuit, in homiliis de solemnitatibus sanctorum 

 hoc ipsum cavi." 



!■* See Schonbach, op. cit.; A. Kaufmann, " Caesarius von Heisterbach," 

 Cologne, 1862; and Herbert, "Catalogue," p. 348. 



PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC, VOL. LVI. Z, JULY I3, IQI?. 



