The Medieval Church · 1159
Metalogicon
John of Salisbury · c. 1120–1180
What it is
A defence of the study of logic and grammar against those who want students hurried to profitable subjects, with vivid recollections of the masters he studied under in Paris.
Why it lasted
The best contemporary account of the twelfth-century schools, and the source of the image of standing on the shoulders of giants.
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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