A remarkably rare medieval manuscript, overlooked for centuries in the library of a 474-year-old English boarding school, has been identified as the oldest surviving edition of The Emending of Life by Richard Rolle, a highly influential yet often forgotten mystic of the Late Medieval Era. The discovery sheds new light on one of history’s most widely read authors, offering a direct link to his original writings.
The Forgotten Author: Richard Rolle and His Impact
Richard Rolle, born around 1300 in Yorkshire, England, was a prolific writer whose work resonated deeply with his contemporaries. Unlike many medieval figures, Rolle’s writings were widespread. Over 650 surviving manuscripts contain his work—significantly more than those attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer, a writer better known today.
Rolle’s writings focused on practical spiritual guidance. The Emending of Life, written in Latin, detailed twelve stages of spiritual development, effectively serving as a medieval self-help guide for navigating distractions and cultivating inner peace. Historians note his popularity stemmed from his ability to offer tangible strategies for mental discipline in a world not so different from our own.
“Medieval people struggled with distractions as we do today. Rolle offered practical strategies to help, and some people treated him like a saint for it.” – Timothy Glover, historian at the University of Bergen.
The Rediscovery of MS 25
The manuscript, cataloged as “MS 25,” first came to scholarly attention in the 1920s, though it had been part of the Shrewsbury School library since 1607. A 2009 study dismissed its unique passages as later additions. However, recent forensic analysis by historian Timothy Glover has overturned that assessment.
Glover’s re-examination of the manuscript revealed a key passage detailing “six different kinds of dreams,” mirroring a similar section in Rolle’s English work, The Form of Living. This comparison sparked the realization that MS 25 contained Rolle’s unaltered original draft.
The “Smoking Gun”: A Unique Linguistic Marker
The definitive proof lies in a single, invented word found within the manuscript: “melliphono.” This term, unique to Rolle’s writings, appears nowhere else in the medieval period. As Glover explains, it reflects Rolle’s fascination with spiritual music and his elaborate descriptions of heavenly experiences. The presence of this idiosyncratic marker confirms the manuscript’s authenticity.
Currently, Glover remains the only person since the Middle Ages to have read the manuscript with full certainty of its origin. The discovery underscores the importance of revisiting historical archives, where forgotten treasures like this one still await rediscovery.
This manuscript offers a direct connection to an author who deserves far greater recognition, and its re-emergence reminds us that even in the most well-documented periods of history, significant knowledge can remain hidden in plain sight.
