Vade mecum in tribulatione. Translated into Medieval Vernaculars.

he Vade mecum in tribulatione, written in Latin by French Franciscan John of Rupescissa in the 1356, belongs to the most popular late medieval prophetic works. Testimony of this is the fact that it was translated very soon into many different vernacular languages. The present volume contains an edition and comparative analysis of sixteen translations and adaptations into seven medieval vernaculars prepared by an international team of philologists. The joint editorial work represents the first enterprise of this type in medieval studies. The translations here edited comprise four in French, three in German, three in Czech, three in Castilian, and single ones in Italian, English and Catalan. The number of languages into which the Vade mecum in tribulatione was translated is very high even when compared with the most popular medieval religious educational bestsellers. Harsh criticism of the church hierarchy, religious orders as well as secular lordship, concrete information on the arrival of Antichrist and of future plagues and catastrophes embedded in a set of religious admonitions were applicable in different times, different places and in different societies. The reception of Rupescissa’s prophetic compendium in medieval Europe shows very clearly how differently texts were read and interpreted, even works with seemingly very urgent messages. The edition of the extant translations of Vade mecum in tribulatione provides an excellent basis for new approaches to late medieval religiosity.