About the Latin
William of Newburgh wrote his Historia rerum Anglicarum, the History of English Affairs, in the late twelfth century. Among the kings and campaigns, it records a handful of strange events from his own time: the best known are its revenants, the dead who walked.
His Latin is serious historian’s prose, built in long, carefully balanced sentences. That makes even a short chapter demanding, and a good test before longer medieval history.
How hard is it?
Difficulty 7.6, advanced.
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: Sentence length, Vocabulary variety, Rare vocabulary, Very rare vocabulary, Unseen vocabulary, Nonfinite constructions, Subordination. Lighter than most of the library: Proper names.
Read Historia rerum Anglicarum with a definition for every word.
Librorum Capsula currently offers one chapter of the Historia rerum Anglicarum: Book V, chapter 23, the Berwick revenant.
The Berwick Revenant
A wealthy but notorious dead man begins roaming the nighttime streets of Berwick, pursued by barking dogs, and the townspeople must try to put him to rest.
For the story itself, see The Berwick Revenant in Latin →
Where to start
The Berwick Revenant
It is the most famous chapter of the history and the only William of Newburgh in the catalog so far. 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.