JOHN H. MUNDY, RICHARD W. EMERY, and BENJAMIN N. NELSON (Eds.). Essays in Medieval Life and Thought. Pp. xviii, 258. New York: Columbia University Press, 1955. $4.00

• DOI: 10.1177/000271625630400179
• Date: 01 March 1956
• Author: Gray C. Boyce
• Published date: 01 March 1956
• Subject Matter: Articles

193
however, are the chapters on the setting
urged to be made by careful, often arduous
and procedure of the congress and the pro-
and difficult examination of printed and
cedure of the Franco-Burgundian treaty.
manuscript sources. Many of the authors
One could wish that the historical sig-
present their findings in tentative fashion
nificance of Arras were not so obscured by
and all are duly modest, possibly too
detail in this study. Events leading up to
modest in evaluating their offerings. There
the treaty have been largely glossed over,
is respect for what others have done and
and economic considerations ignored com-
full understanding of what yet needs to be
pletely. These lacks are relatively unim-
accomplished in the many areas of scholar-
portant, though, when the author has so
ship represented.
admirably treated the procedural details
William May’s &dquo;The Confession of Prous
regulating international diplomatic customs
Boneta, Heretic and Heresiarch,&dquo; a posthu-
of the fifteenth century.
mous publication; Francis Benjamin’s &dquo;The
The appendices include sixteen previously
De Quantitatibus Stellarum of Thebit Ben
unpublished sources dealing with invitations
Kourrah,&dquo; Marshall Clagett’s &dquo;The Quad-
and replies to the congress, instructions
ratura per Lunulas. A Thirteenth-Century
and powers of the delegates and mediators,
Fragment of Simplicius’ Commentary on
and the consequences of the congress.
the Physics of Aristotle,&dquo; George Fowler’s
These are admirably chosen to illustrate
&dquo;Engelbert of Admont’s Tractatus De Of-
pertinent points of diplomatic procedure.
ficiis et Abusionibus eorum,&dquo; and Sister
Other appendices include an annotated
Mary Ambrose’s &dquo;Statutes on Clothmaking:
sourca list, a list of the Duke of Burgundy’s
Toulouse 1227,&dquo; are all welcome scholarly
gifts to those attending the congress, and a
contributions of distinction. They are all,
note on the Burgundian memoranda con-
however,...