A Thirteenth-century Preacher's Handbook: Studies in MS Laud Misc. 511

The papal approval of two religious orders, the Order of Preachers and the Order of Friars Minor, that followed the decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 gave a powerful impetus to the work of preaching within the medieval Church, producing a veritable sermon industry relating to pastoralia of every kind. This study aims to show that MS Laud Misc. 511 is not only a characteristic example of the late-medieval literary-pastoral genre of the sermon collection, but also a preacher's handbook of some significance, for within its slightly larger-than-pocket-book size it contains a collection of unusual exempla, florilegia and numerous other aids to preaching.