The Eulogium is a world history from the Creation to 1366. The majority of the work is taken from earlier writers, many of whom are named. For the period 1356–66 the writer, probably Thomas, a monk of Malmesbury, provides an insight into the attitudes and opinions of his own time, and also into the historical sources available to a member of a large religious house. The work was obviously well regarded, as it survives in several manuscripts, two of which were continued by unknown authors, one to 1413 and one to 1490; these continuations are also included in this three-volume edition by Frank Scott Haydon (1822–87). Volume 1, published in 1858, contains the author's preface, and the first three books, covering the period from the Creation to Christ, the history of the popes, and ancient history.