Vergil in the Middle Ages depicts a comprehensive history of the medieval conception of Vergil. It follows Vergil's various evolutions and vicissitudes, and determines the nature and causes of these and their connection with the general history of European thought. The author divides the book into two main parts. The first studies the vicissitudes of Vergil's fame in the medium of the literary tradition during the whole period prior to the Renaissance, a period which closes gloriously with the Vergil of Dante. The second examines the aspect which this fame assumes, after the appearance in it of the popular legends, in the medium of the new popular literature, which was independent of the classical tradition. Long before its translation into English, Vergil in the Middle Ages secured its author a permanent place in the ranks of European philologists.
- Importance for Vergil's reputation of the Aeneid
- Value of the grammatical, rhetorical and erudite elements in the Poem, and importance of these features from the contemporary point of view
- Proofs of the Poet's popularity in the best days of the Empire
- Vergil in the rhetorical schools
- The Time of the Decadence
- Christianity and the Middle Ages
- Vergil as prophet of Christ
- The philosophical allegory
- Grammatical and rhetorical studies in the Middle Ages
- The Vergilian biography
- Medieval Latin poetry in classical form
- Clerical conception of antiquity in the Middle Ages
- The causes that led to the Renaissance
- Dante
- Vergil in the Divina Commedia
- Vergil in the Dolopathos
- Relation of romatic literature to the classical tradition
- The legend at Naples in the Twelfth Century
- Nature and causes of the Neapolitan legend
- Spread of the legend outside Italy
- The seat of Vergil's legendary activity transferred to Rome
- Development of the legend during the Thirteenth Century
- Combination of the idea of Vergil as prophet of Christ with that of Vergil as magician
- Vergil and Women
- Fate of the legend in Italy
- Collections of the legends relative to Vergil
