About the Latin
Caesarius was a monk of the Cistercian abbey of Heisterbach in the Rhineland, and his Dialogus miraculorum, the Dialogue on Miracles, is a long collection of short stories framed as a conversation between a monk and a novice. The monk tells the stories; the novice asks the questions a reader would.
Many of the stories are about the devil and the dead, and Caesarius often names the person who told him, so they read like reports rather than legends. His Latin is clear and direct, full of short exchanges, which makes him one of the most approachable medieval authors.
How hard is it?
Difficulty 5.0 to 5.9, intermediate.
Every reading in the library has a difficulty score, on a scale that runs from about 1 to 11. Beginner texts sit below 3.5 and Advanced texts above 6.8.
Most demanding here: Vocabulary variety, Sentence length, Unseen vocabulary, Nonfinite constructions. Lighter than most of the library: Proper names.
Read Dialogus miraculorum with a definition for every word.
Librorum Capsula currently offers three chapters of the Dialogus miraculorum: The Knight Who Wanted to See a Demon (V.2), Eufemia and the Demons (V.44) and The Good Husband Returns (XII.19).
The Good Husband Returns
A dead Bavarian nobleman returns to his wife with a terrifying explanation of why his celebrated generosity could not save him.
The Knight Who Wanted to See a Demon
A skeptical knight asks to see demons for himself—and discovers that curiosity can summon more than he bargained for.
Eufemia and the Demons
A young nun faces repeated demonic assaults as she contemplates a religious life, with only her faith to shield her.
For one of the stories in detail, see Eufemia and the Demons in Latin →
Where to start
The Good Husband Returns
It is the shortest and gentlest of the three (5.0), a complete story in 257 words. Open it and the reader gives you the Latin with a definition for every word, so you can read at the pace that suits you and look up only what you need.