“The Survey of Cities in Neckam’s Laus Sapientiae Divinae”
Ronald E. Pepin

As his long life devoted to scholarly inquiry and scientific observation drew toward its close, Alexander Neckam was still at work. This prolific writer, schoolmaster, theologian and encyclopedist was composing (ca. 1215) a vast poem, “a pageant of the wonders of the world,” to complement his prose treatise on natural science. Laus Sapientiae Divinae comprises ten distinctiones in which the poet ranges over every aspect of the natural world, from sky, earth and elements, to herbs, fish and animals. The greater part of one distinctio (5) is given to a survey of cities. The 395 elegiac couplets offer a European progression from Rome northward through France and then to the British Isles. The list is completed by brief descriptions of non-European sites, chiefly ones with Biblical significance, such as Jerusalem. The treatment of cities is uneven, as one might expect, but the survey is fascinating in its selection of details and for its insights into the purpose and personality of its cosmopolitan author.

This paper illustrates how Neckam employed historical anecdotes, local heroes and etymologies to define a metropolis. It shows how the poet commended each city to his readers far less for wondrous sights, the mirabilia emphasized in other contemporary guides, than for notable people who resided there. His Christian and his classical outlook are evident as Neckam salutes chiefly the saints and scholars who graced a particular place. Among these are near-contemporaries singled out for special tribute. They and their bones bring glory to a city, in the poet’s view. To be sure, Neckam hailed the founders and conquerors associated with a place, but the martyrs and men of letters predominate. Moreover, almost as if he had pilgrims in mind as he wrote, this learned abbot of Cirencester highlighted tombs for special mention. Of course, certain famous architectural or natural wonders did not escape the poet’s notice: the magnificent abbey church of Saint Denis or the warm springs of Bath.

My study goes on to analyze how Neckam’s personal preferences and prejudices were brought to bear on his review of cities, how he imposed his own harsh judgment on locales of scandal and heresy. For example, he chastized Toulouse as a hotbed of Catharism, and in Juvenalian strains he contributed to the conventional satire of Rome. At times, however, his affection for a city is expressed in a charming epithet, such as his punning paradisus deliciarum for Paris. In short, the survey of cities in Neckam’s Laus Sapientiae Divinae is not a sterile compilation, but a tour guided by a medieval man of urbane wit, strong views and remarkable scholarship.