HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE MIDDLE AGES - Julian Emperor

356 MICHAEL GOODICHDominican provincial of Poland, is organized around the following:her formative years, marriage, and love of continence; followed byaccounts of her humility, patience, austerity, prayer, and devotionto God; works of mercy, miracles during her life, her spirit ofprophecy, death, posthumous miracles, canonization, and translation.This structure may reflect the rubrics of topics dealt with at the 1267canonization trial, which Simon cites as his source. 7Protestations of modesty are exemplified by the anonymous authorof the life (ca. 1220) of Hugh of Lincoln addressed to prior Robertof Witham:My ignorance would tell in my favour; for in attempting a theme farbeyond my capacity, I should win forgiveness and even merit for myhumble obedience. ... May it please you to overlook my defects as awriter, since whatever God may inspire me to set down has only beenundertaken by me at your request. ... Everyone would agree that Iam unequal to and incapable of such a task. ... The sender and thepackage may have their failings and defects, but the contents, I trust,will amply atone for them. 8Rodulphus Glaber (ca. 985–1046), in his life of the Cluniac Williamof Saint Benigné, wrote:Indeed, the many things which we have seen and the many more garneredfrom the truthful narrators will shape the course of this narrative.Therefore we appeal to the common and virtue-born love of thefaithful that the simple style should not be held in contempt, and thata mouthful of fine flour should not be spat out because of a poor basket,for if its material were worked by a prudent hand it would beable to drive out all lack and provide unceasing sustenance. 9The learned Dominican Giovanni of San Gemignano claims toemploy such a literary style “that neither the rusticity of languagewill diminish the nobility of history, nor the ornate flow cause suspicionsof untruth”. 107Simon of Trebnitz, Vita maior S. Hedwigis, in August Bielowski, ed., Monumentapoloniae historica, 6 vols. (Warsaw, 1864–93), 4:510–11.8The Life of St Hugh of Lincoln, ed. D. Douie and H. Farmer, 2 vols. (London,1961), 1:1–4.9Rodulphus Glaber, Vita domni Willelmi abbatis, in Opera omnia, ed. N. Bulst andtrans. J. France and P. Reynolds (Oxford, 1989), 255.10John of San Gemignano, Vita Finae, in Acta sanctorum quotquot tote urbe colluntur(hereafter AA.SS), ed. Socii Bollandiani, new ed., 66 vols.to date (Paris, 1863–1940),12 March 2:235.