Odo of Cheriton
Encyclopedia
Odo of Cheriton (c.1185 – 1246/47) was a Roman Catholic preacher and fabulist.
He visited Paris, and it was probably there that he gained the degree of Master. Bale mentions a tradition that he was a Cistercian or a Præmonstratensian; but he can hardly have taken vows if, as seems most likely, he was the Master Odo of Cheriton mentioned in Kentish and London records from 1211 to 1247, the son of William of Cheriton, lord of the manor
of Delce in Rochester. In 1211-12 William was debited with a fine to the crown, for Odo to have the custodia of Cheriton
church, near Folkestone
. In 1233 Odo inherited his father's estates in Delce, Cheriton, and elsewhere. A charter of 1235-6 (British Museum, Harl. Ch. 49 B 45), by which he quitclaimed the rent of a shop in London, has his seal attached, bearing the figure of a monk seated at a desk, with a star above him (St. Odo of Cluny?). He died in 1247.
Like Jacques de Vitry
, he introduced exempla freely into his sermon
s; his best known work, a collection of moralized fables and anecdotes in Latin
, sometimes titled Parabolæ from the opening words of the prologue (Aperiam in parabolis os meum), was evidently designed for preachers. Though partly composed of commonly known adaptations and extracts, it shows originality and the moralizations are full of pungent denunciations of the prevalent vices of clergy and laity.
The collection contains some seventy-five fables, twenty-six of the from the Aesop corpus
, others taken from the Roman writers Seneca
, Ovid
and Juvenal
, from the Medieval writers Petrus Alphonsi
, Jacques de Vitry and Stephen of Bourbon
, from the Bible
and from English folktales. It exists in numerous manuscripts and the work was printed by Léopold Hervieux (Fabulistes Latins, IV, 173-255); a thirteenth century French version is extant, as is a 14th century Welsh
version called Chwedlau Odo ("Odo's Tales") and an early Spanish translation. Some of the contents reappear, along with many other exempla, in his sermons on the Sunday Gospels, completed in 1219, extant in several manuscripts; an abridgment of this, prepared by Mathieu Makerel, was printed by Jodocus Badius Ascensius in 1520.
The only other extant works, certainly authentic, are Tractatus de Penitentia, Tractatus de Passione, and Sermones de Sanctis; but the Speculum Laicorum also cites him as authority for many other exempla. Hauréau's contention (Journal des Savants, 1896, 111-123), that the fabulist was a distinct person from the author of the sermons and treatises, is not supported.
He visited Paris, and it was probably there that he gained the degree of Master. Bale mentions a tradition that he was a Cistercian or a Præmonstratensian; but he can hardly have taken vows if, as seems most likely, he was the Master Odo of Cheriton mentioned in Kentish and London records from 1211 to 1247, the son of William of Cheriton, lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Delce in Rochester. In 1211-12 William was debited with a fine to the crown, for Odo to have the custodia of Cheriton
Cheriton, Kent
Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in Kent that is the location of the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel. It is the location of the major army barracks of Shorncliffe Camp.- History :...
church, near Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
. In 1233 Odo inherited his father's estates in Delce, Cheriton, and elsewhere. A charter of 1235-6 (British Museum, Harl. Ch. 49 B 45), by which he quitclaimed the rent of a shop in London, has his seal attached, bearing the figure of a monk seated at a desk, with a star above him (St. Odo of Cluny?). He died in 1247.
Like Jacques de Vitry
Jacques de Vitry
Jacques de Vitry was a theologian chronicler and cardinal from 1229 – 40.He was born in central France and studied at the University of Paris, becoming a regular canon in 1210 at the church of Saint-Nicolas d'Oignies in the Diocese of Liège, a post he maintained until 1216...
, he introduced exempla freely into his sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s; his best known work, a collection of moralized fables and anecdotes in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, sometimes titled Parabolæ from the opening words of the prologue (Aperiam in parabolis os meum), was evidently designed for preachers. Though partly composed of commonly known adaptations and extracts, it shows originality and the moralizations are full of pungent denunciations of the prevalent vices of clergy and laity.
The collection contains some seventy-five fables, twenty-six of the from the Aesop corpus
Aesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
, others taken from the Roman writers Seneca
Seneca
-People:*Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Seneca the Younger aka Seneca , son of Seneca the Elder, Roman philosopher and playwright, tutor and advisor of Nero*Seneca the Elder , Roman orator and writer...
, Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
and Juvenal
Juvenal
The Satires are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD.Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a...
, from the Medieval writers Petrus Alphonsi
Petrus Alphonsi
Petrus Alphonsi was a Jewish Spanish writer and astronomer, and polemicist, who converted to Christianity....
, Jacques de Vitry and Stephen of Bourbon
Stephen of Bourbon
Stephen of Bourbon was a writer and preacher, especially noted as a historian of medieval heresies, b. in Belleville towards the end of the twelfth century; d. around 1261....
, from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and from English folktales. It exists in numerous manuscripts and the work was printed by Léopold Hervieux (Fabulistes Latins, IV, 173-255); a thirteenth century French version is extant, as is a 14th century Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
version called Chwedlau Odo ("Odo's Tales") and an early Spanish translation. Some of the contents reappear, along with many other exempla, in his sermons on the Sunday Gospels, completed in 1219, extant in several manuscripts; an abridgment of this, prepared by Mathieu Makerel, was printed by Jodocus Badius Ascensius in 1520.
The only other extant works, certainly authentic, are Tractatus de Penitentia, Tractatus de Passione, and Sermones de Sanctis; but the Speculum Laicorum also cites him as authority for many other exempla. Hauréau's contention (Journal des Savants, 1896, 111-123), that the fabulist was a distinct person from the author of the sermons and treatises, is not supported.