Liber de duobus monachis Dialogus persecutoris et zelatoris religiosorum: A Critical Edition of a Fourteenth-Century Latin Dialogue Poem

The Liber de duobus monachis, a late example of the creative Latin surge of the long twelfth century, has lain undetected in manuscripts of various European and American libraries for some six hundred years. It deserves far greater recognition than its hiding places have allowed it. A traditional debate poem, it actually varies the tradition enough to take its own original form and shape. Instead of the anonymous voices stating positions that characterise the usual debate poem, the Liber deduobus monachis presents two distinct characters, each with his own point of view, one vituperating monastic life and the other quietly defending it. Over the course of some 1400 lines of convincing, no-holds-barred debate, the two thrash out their respective positions until, not quite unexpectedly, the rebel monk is persuaded to resume his monastic life. The poem strikes an unexpected psychologically accurate note and should receive credit for its artistry.