The Trivium
In Historical Perspective
Overviews of Education, The Liberal Arts, and Rhetoric
This overview of the history of education from the Catholic Encyclopedia includes sections on the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews, and the early Christians as well as modern Catholicism.
This lengthy treatise analyzes the nature and scope of a liberal education from classical antiquity through the Middle Ages and into the modern age.
Philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts
An artistic depiction of philosophy nourishing the seven liberal arts, with a brief description of each.
The Educational Legacy of Medieval and Renaissance Traditions
Brief descriptions of the seven liberal arts in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
A brief overview with extensive contextual links to additional essays; a wonderful introduction.
An Overview of Classical Rhetoric
This overview is from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Links to Rhetorical Theory Notes
An introduction to rhetorical theory followed by synopses of the rhetorics of major figures throughout history, from the Pre-Socratic Sophists through contemporary 20th century rhetoric.
The History of Rhetoric and Composition
From classical antiquity to contemporary issues of concern to teachers of writing.
Life in Elizabethan England: A Classical Education
A tongue-in-cheek rendering of public schooling during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Classic Writings and Views through the Ages
By Isocrates, (436 B.C. - 338 B.C.).
By Isocrates, (436 B.C. - 338 B.C.).
By Aristotle, (384 B.C. - 322 B.C.).
Excerpts from Horace, Pliny the Younger, and Martial.
Cicero: The Genres of Rhetoric
Selected passages from Cicero, (106 B.C. - 34 B.C.)
By Cicero, (106 B.C. - 34 B.C.).
By Longinus.
By Demetrius.
By Quintilian, ca. 90 AD.
Excerpts from Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria.
A letter by Pliny the Younger (61/2-113 AD).
By Plutarch, ca. 110 AD.
By Origen, ca. 295 AD.
By St. Augustine, 397-496 AD.
Statutes for the University of Paris
By Robert de Courcon, 1215.
By P. P. Vergerius the Elder, ca. 1400.
Erasmus and the Classical Conception of Rhetoric
A brief account of Erasmus' influence on rhetoric after the middle ages.
Upon the Right Method of Instruction, by Erasmus, 1511.
By Sir Thomas Elyot, 1531 AD.
By Thomas Wilson, 1560 AD.
By George Puttenham, 1569 AD.
By Roger Ascham, 1570 AD.
By Montaigne, 1575 AD.
By Richard Mulcaster, 1582 AD.
By Henry Peachum, 1593 AD.
Sir Philip Sidney, 1595 AD.
The classic order and method of Jesuit education, 1599.
Francis Bacon, 1605 AD.
By John Milton, ca. 1650 AD.
Laws and Statutes for Students of Harvard College
Harvard College Laws of 1642 and 1700.
The Curriculum of The Boston Latin Grammar School
An interesting document from 1712 AD.
Thomas Jefferson and the Classics
A letter outlining his views on education.
By John Henry Newman, 1854.
The Method of Teaching in Practice
An excerpt from Jesuit Education: Its History and Principles Viewed In the Light of Modern Educational Problems, by Robert Schwickerath, S.J., 1903.
The Arts of Learning and Communication
A treatise on Christian liberal arts education, by Benedict M. Ashley, O.P., 1958.
