Quotation Listing

John Gower

It hath and schal ben evermor / That love is maister wher he while.
- John Gower, Confessio Amantis (Prologue, 1.34)
Source: 'The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979. 233.'
For in good feith this wolde I rede, / That every man ensample take / Of wisdom which him is betake, / And that he wot of good aprise / To teche it forth, for such emprise / Is forto preise
- John Gower, Confessio Amantis (Book 1, 1.78)

Source Listing

Pierre Abelard (1079 - c. 1142)
Pierre Abelard was a French philosopher who is also famous for his passionate yet tragic love affair with French noblewoman Heloise.
Alfred the Great (871 - 900)
Alfred the Great was the youngest son of King Aethelwulf and he became King of Wessex during a time when Vikings were constantly attacking. His reign was characterized by military victories, codifying of laws, and patronage of education and the arts.
Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321)
A great Italian poet whose most famous work is The Divine Comedy (originally entitled Comedia), which was written entirely in vernacular Italian.
Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225 - 1274)
A philosopher and theologian, who began the Thomistic school of philosophy. He is considered by the Catholic church to be its greatest theologian.
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)
An English poet and one of the most important figures in English literature. Some of his works include his famous The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde.
Nicetas Choniates (c. 1155 - 1217)
Best known as a Byzantine historian and theologian who wrote a chronicle of Byzantine history during the Third and Fourth Crusades.
Einhard (c. 770 - 840)
The chronicler of the mighty Charlemagne, he wrote The Life of the Emperor Charles.
King Ethelbert (560 - 616)
Ethelbert of Kent was an Anglo-Saxon who ruled over all of Britain south of the Humber River. After Augustine converted him to Christianity, he composed an influential law code circa 604.
Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530 - c. 600)
An influential Latin poet and hymnodist.
Emperor Frederick II (1194 - 1250)
Frederick II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 until his death in 1250. Frederick was a modern ruler for his times, and a patron of science and the arts. His work Liber Augustalis was a set of laws for his realm and was a lasting source of inspiration.
John Gower (c. 1330 - 1408)
An English poet and friend to Geoffrey Chaucer. His most famous work is Confessio Amantis (Lover's Confession).
Gregory the Great (c. 540 - 604)
An abbot, pope, and later canonized as a saint, Gregory the Great is one of the most notable and influential ecclesiastical figures in all of medieval history. The largely autobiographical Dialogues are one of his most famous works.
Heloise (1101 - 1164)
Heloise was the niece of French nobleman Canon Fulbert, and she was one of the most beautiful and well-educated women of her time. She is famous for her passionate and tragic love affair with Pierre Abelard, the French philosopher.
King Henry II (1154 - 1189)
The first of the Angevin kings of England, Henry II is famous for his refinement and strengthening of government and his struggle with Thomas D Becket.
Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 636)
St. Idsidore of Seville was the Archbishop of Seville for over thirty years and is one of the most prominent scholars of the early Middle Ages. He is most famous for his work Etymologiae, which is like a dictionary and is so well-organized that modern people call him the patron saint of computers and the Internet.
Emperor Justinian (c. 483 - 565)
The famous Byzantine emperor who attempted to reclaim parts of the Western Empire and worked to strengthen Constantinople. His reforms and codification of Roman law had a great deal of influence in Western Europe.
Thomas a Kempis (c. 1380 - 1471)
A German monk and writer who was the author of Imitation of Christ, a famous work on Christian devotion.
Henry Knighton (Late Fourteenth Century)
Famous for his eyewitness account of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 which was led by Wat Tyler (a.k.a. Jack Straw).
Ramon Lull (c. 1232 - 1316)
A Spanish philosopher, poet, and theologian who was also probably a courtier at the court of King James II of Aragon. Ars Magna is his most famous work, although The Book of Knighthood and Chivalry was also quite influential.
Magna Carta (1215)
King John's barons forced him to sign this very influential document at Runnymede, limiting the absolute power of the English king for the first time.
Battle of Maldon Saga (Unknown)
The Battle of Maldon was fought in 991 near the coastal town of Maldon between the Anglo-Saxons and the invading Danes. The saga describes how the Saxon leader, Byrhtnoth of Essex, scorned the Vikings' demands for tribute and lead his thanes into battle.
Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1405 - 1471)
An English knight who wrote Le Morte D'Arthur, a very famous work of English prose describing the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
William Occam (c. 1285 - c. 1349)
The English philosopher and Franciscan monk for whom the scientific principle known as Occam's Razor is named.
Christine de Pisan (1364 - 1431)
A French poet, historian, and philosopher whose most famous works include The Treasure of the City of Ladies and The Book of Feats of Arms and Chivalry.
Robert the Monk (1095)
Robert the Monk was present at Pope Urban II's famous speech at Claremont in 1095 that incited many to go on the First Crusade. He is most famous for his version of this speech, which he wrote many years later and reflects the emotional effect the speech had on the listeners.
John of Salisbury (c. 1115 - 1180)
A distinguished philosopher, historian, churchman, and scholar. His works include Metalogicus (a philosophical treatise), the Policraticus (philosophy, learning, and miscellaneous compilation), and the Etheticus (a Latin elegiac poem), among others.
Anonymous Student (12th century)
Gregory of Tours (c. 538 - c. 594)
Gregory of Tours, known as the Chronicler, was a bishop of Tours and a Gallo-Roman historian. He is best known for his work "Historium Francorum" or "History of the Franks" and he is also the main contemporary source for Merovingian history.
Jacques de Vitry (c. 1160 - 1240)
Jacques de Vitry attended the University of Paris, which had recently been established, when he was young. Later he became a bishop and rose through the ranks of the church, traveling extensively in the Middle East and writing accounts of his experiences to the pope.
Gerald of Wales (1147 - 1223)
Known as Gerald of Wales, Geraldus Cambrensis was one of the earliest writers of social history and the author of many accounts of life in what is now Wales. He also wrote works about Ireland's natural history and inhabitants, as well as others describing Henry II of England.
Walter of Guisborough (1300)
A chronicler who lived about 1300, he wrote about William Wallace and Edward I.