MAP viii

INTRODUCTION ix

I. ROBERT MANNYNG OF BRUNNE'S HANDLYNG SYNNE 1

The Dancers of Colbek 4

II. SIR ORFEO 13

III. MICHAEL OF NORTHGATE'S AYENBYTE OF INWYT 32

How Mercy increases Temporal Goods 33

IV. RICHARD ROLLE OF HAMPOLE 36

A. Love is Life 37

B. The Nature of the Bee 41

C. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost 42

V. SIR GAWAYNE AND THE GRENE KNIGHT 44

The Testing of Sir Gawayne 46

VI. THE PEARL, ll. 361-612 57

VII. THE GEST HYSTORIALE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY 68

Prologue 69

The XXXI Book: Of the Passage of the Grekys fro Troy 72

VIII. PIERS PLOWMAN 76

A. From the B-Text, Passus VI 78

B. From the C-Text, Passus VI 89

IX. MANDEVILLE'S TRAVELS 94

[Ethiopia.—Of Diamonds] From chap. xiv (xviii), f. 65 b. 96

[Beyond Cathay] Chap. xxvi (xxx), f. 112 a. 100

Epilogue 104

X. JOHN BARBOUR'S BRUCE 107

[An Assault on Berwick (1319)] The Bruce, Bk. xvii, ll. 593 ff. 108

XI. JOHN WICLIF 115

A. The Translation of the Bible 117

B. Of Feigned Contemplative Life 119

XII. JOHN GOWER 129

A. Ceix and Alceone 131

B. Adrian and Bardus 137

XIII. JOHN OF TREVISA'S TRANSLATION OF HIGDEN'S POLYCHRONICON 145

A. The Marvels of Britain 146

B. The Languages of Britain 148

XIV. POLITICAL PIECES 151

A. On the Scots, by Minot 152

B. The Taking of Calais, by Minot 153

C. On the Death of Edward III 157

D. John Ball's Letter to the Peasants of Essex 160

E. On the Year 1390-1 161

XV. MISCELLANEOUS PIECES IN VERSE 162

A. Now Springs the Spray 163

B. Spring 164

C. Alysoun 165

D. The Irish Dancer 166

E. The Maid of the Moor 167

F. The Virgin's Song 167

G. Judas 168

H. The Blacksmiths 169

I. Rats Away 170

XVI. THE YORK PLAY 'HARROWING OF HELL' 171

XVII. THE TOWNELEY PLAY OF NOAH 185

NOTES 204

APPENDIX: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY 265