The eleventh-century Liber confortatorius ( The Book of Encouragement and Consolation) is a treatise of spiritual direction written by Goscelin of St. Bertin for the recluse Eva. The Liber is the earliest known work of spiritual guidance composed for an English recluse and, in its tone and purpose, one of the most complicated. Far more so than later anchoritic writings, Goscelin fashions his text by drawing from a wide array of patristic, classical, hagiographical, and biblical writings. The Liber is a rhetorically ornate and intellectually accomplished work that speaks to the exceptional learning of its recipient and author.