Dr. IncramM—On Medieval Moralized Tales. 129 
XXVII.—On two Corrections or Mrprevat Moratwep Tates. By 
Joun K. Ingram, LL.D. 
[Read 10th April, 1882.] 
Ir is well known to students of the literature of the middle ages that 
the clergy of that period often introduced stories and anecdotes into 
their discourses, as indeed modern preachers also occasionally do, for 
the purpose of impressing religious and moral truth on the minds of 
their hearers. To furnish materials of this kind, compilations were 
made, in the Latin language, of narratives capable of being so used, 
with moralizations, as they were called, given in connexion with each. 
These tales are sometimes elevated in tone, and touching, from the 
spirit of simple-minded and earnest piety which is exhibited in them. 
At other times they seem to us strangely incongruous with the sacred 
destination for which they were intended; and not seldom an extraor- 
dinary degree of ingenuity has to be exercised by the narrator to 
extract from them lessons which they do not appear inherently well 
fitted to convey. But, in both cases alike, they are not only in them- 
selves curious and interesting, but they give us a good deal of insight 
into the ideas, sentiments, and modes of action prevalent at the time 
of their compilation. And this all the more because they are essen- 
tially popular in their nature—meant, indeed, for the use of ecclesias- 
tics, but by them to be addressed to the minds of the people at large, 
and therefore adapted to their modes of thinking and feeling. 
The most famous collection of this kind is the Gesta Romanorum. 
This book, which dates from the end of the thirteenth or early years 
of the fourteenth century, had an immense vogue, and exerted no 
inconsiderable influence on European literature. For the critical 
edition of it by Oesterley, no fewer than one hundred and sixty- 
five MSS. were examined. An English version of the Gesta was 
printed by Wynkyn de Worde about 1510-1515, and many editions 
of this were afterwards published. It was edited by Sir Frederic 
Madden, with much learned illustration, for the Roxburghe Club, in 
1838 ; and his edition has been reproduced, with large additional pre- 
fatory matter and comment, by Mr. Sidney Herrtage for the Early 
English Text Society. 
All scholars are aware how largely the Gesta has supplied materials 
which have through various channels passed into general literature, 
and been used by Shakspere and other eminent writers in some of 
their most celebrated works. 
The two books which I exhibit this evening to the Academy are 
of similar character to the Gesta, being collections of Latin Mora- 
lized Tales. But they are not of equal intrinsic merit with that 
work, and on general literature they have had no operation at all. Yet 
R.I.A. PROC., SER. Il. VOL. Il.—POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. Iz 
