The ''Auctores octo morales'' (Eight Moral Authors) was a collection of Latin textbooks, of an elementary standard, that was used for pedagogy in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

in Europe. It was printed in many editions, from the end of the fifteenth century. At that time it became standardised as: #

Distichs of Cato The ''Distichs of Cato'' (Latin: ''Catonis Disticha'', most famously known simply as Cato), is a Latin collection of proverbial wisdom and morality by an unknown author from the 3rd or 4th century AD. The ''Cato'' was the most popular medieval sc ...

# Eclogue of Theodulus #'' Facetus: Liber Faceti docens mores iuvenum (Also believed to be by Cato of the Distichs) #'' De contemptu mundi'' #'' Liber Floretus'' # Matthew of Vendôme, ''Tobias'' #

Alan of Lille Alain de Lille (Alan of Lille) (Latin: ''Alanus ab Insulis''; 11281202/03) was a French theologian and poet. He was born in Lille, some time before 1128. His exact date of death remains unclear as well, with most research pointing toward it bei ...

, ''Doctrinale altum parabolarum'' #

Aesop Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales c ...

, version attributed to

Gualterus Anglicus Gualterus Anglicus (Medieval Latin for Walter the Englishman) was an Anglo-Norman poet and scribe who produced a seminal version of ''Aesop's Fables'' (in distichs) around the year 1175. Identification of the author This author was earlier calle ...

online text
.''A selection of some eighty fables was turned into indifferent prose in the ninth century, probably at the Schools of Charles the Great. This was attributed to a fictitious Romulus. Another prose collection by

Ademar of Chabannes Ademar is a masculine Germanic name, ultimately derived from ''Audamar'', as is the German form Otmar. It was in use in medieval France, Latinized as ''Adamarus'', and in modern times has been popular in French, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking cou ...

was made before 1030, and still preserves some of the lines of the lost Fables of Phaedrus. The Fables became especially popular among the Normans. A number of them occur on the Bayeux Tapestry, and in the twelfth century England, the head of the Angevin empire became the home of the Fable, all the important adaptations and versions of Aesop being made in this country. One of these done into Latin verse by Walter the Englishman became the standard Aesop of medieval Christendom.''

Notes

External links

Catalogue entry for ''Auctores Octo cum Commentario'' of 1494Auctores Octo Morales full book on Google Books
Medieval European education Latin textbooks 15th-century Latin books {{latin-stub