Other Works
Psellos left a large amount of other writings too:
- "Historia syntomos", a shorter, didactic historical text in the form of a world chronicle.
- A large number of scientific, philosophical and religious treatises. One well-known example of these is De Operatione Daemonum, a classification of demons. He wrote or compiled an important work on philosohy, the De omnifaria doctrina. Other works deal with topics such as astronomy, medicine, music, jurisprudence, physics, and laography.
- Various didactic poems on topics such as grammar and rhetorics.
- Three Epitaphioi or funeral orations over the patriarchs Michael Keroularios, Constantine III Leichoudes and John Xiphilinos.
- A funeral oration for his mother, including a large amount of autobiographic information.
- Several panegyrics, persuasive speeches (including works against the Bogomils and Euchites) and speeches addressed to his patron emperors at court.
- Several hundred personal letters.
- Rhetorical exercises and essays on set themes.
- Occasional, satirical, and epigrammatic verse.
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Famous quotes containing the word works:
“His character as one of the fathers of the English language would alone make his works important, even those which have little poetical merit. He was as simple as Wordsworth in preferring his homely but vigorous Saxon tongue, when it was neglected by the court, and had not yet attained to the dignity of a literature, and rendered a similar service to his country to that which Dante rendered to Italy.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“When life has been well spent, age is a loss of what it can well spare,—muscular strength, organic instincts, gross bulk, and works that belong to these. But the central wisdom, which was old in infancy, is young in fourscore years, and dropping off obstructions, leaves in happy subjects the mind purified and wise.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)