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Kenney_and_Clausen B.M.W.(eds.) - Get a Free Blog

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EPILOGUE<br />

the Tuscidans <strong>and</strong> from the De officiis, which was the main source for ancient<br />

ethical theory till Aristotle was rediscovered. The De amicitia is another<br />

seminal work of Cicero, repeatedly quoted in treatises on human <strong>and</strong> divine<br />

love. Though no scholar before William of Malmesbury knew the entire corpus<br />

of Seneca's Moral epistles, his work was studied in more restricted compass in<br />

the schools <strong>and</strong> the monasteries, <strong>and</strong> the Quaesdones naturales inspired a treatise<br />

of the same title by Adelard of Bath.<br />

This brief sketch reveals how vital the study of the classical authors is for a<br />

thorough underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the central intellectual concerns of the Middle Ages.<br />

The scholar who carries forward his knowledge of the Roman authors, <strong>and</strong><br />

complements this secular learning with a knowledge of the Latin Bible <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Fathers, will have the indispensable tools for an underst<strong>and</strong>ing of medieval<br />

literature.<br />

795<br />

Cambridge Histories Online © Cambridge University Press, 2008

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