The volume is divided into five books which contain notices of the chief Christian writers from the beginning till what is known as the Middle Ages, that it, from the great Tertullian at the end of the 1st century of the Christian era to St. Isidore of Seville at the close of the 6th. The books are divided into chapters, prefaced by bibliographical notices & enriched by notes of anything which could serve to inform the reader on the subject matter treated of. The lives of the various writers are brief, but are complete, and contain the important historical settings which gave occasion to the writing of the various pieces. Partial Contents: Latin Christian literature & the old learning; Sources of Origin; Third Century down to the peace of the Church AD 313; Golden age of Latin Christian literature; Break up of the empire; On the Threshold of the Middle Ages.