The poems in the present volume, three in number, seem to have been written for the purpose of enforcing, by line upon line and precept upon precept, Resignation to the will of God; Purity of life as manifested in thought, word, and deed; Obedience to the Divine command; and Patience under affliction. In the first poem, entitled by me “_The Pearl_”, the author evidently gives expression to his own sorrow for the loss of his infant child, a girl of two years old, whom he describes as a Perle plesaunte to prynces paye _Pearl pleasant to princes’ pleasure,_ To clanly clos in golde so clere _Most neatly set in gold so clear._ Of her death he says: Allas! I leste hyr in on erbere _Alas! I lost her in an arbour,_ Þurȝ gresse to grounde hit fro me yot _Through grass to ground it from me got._ --(p. 1.) The writer then represents himself as visiting his child’s grave (or arbour) in the “high season of August,” and giving way to his grief (p. 2). He falls asleep, and in a dream is carried toward a forest, where he saw rich rocks gleaming gloriously, hill sides decked with crystal cliffs, and trees the leaves of which were as burnished silver. The gravel under his feet was “precious pearls of orient,” and birds “of flaming hues” flew about in company, whose notes were far sweeter than those of the cytole or gittern (guitar) (p. 3). The dreamer arrives at the bank of a stream, which flows over stones (shining like stars in the welkin on a winter’s night) and pebbles of emeralds, sapphires, or other precious gems, so Þat all the loȝe lemed of lyȝt _That all the deep gleamed of light,_ So dere watȝ hit adubbement _So dear was its adornment._ --(p. 4.) Following the course of the stream, he perceives on the opposite side a crystal cliff, from which was reflected many a “royal ray” (p. 5). At þe fote þer-of þer sete a faunt _At the foot thereof there sat a child,_ A mayden of menske, ful debonere _A maiden of honour, full debonnair;_ Blysnande whyt watȝ hyr bleaunt _Glistening white was her robe,_ (I knew hyr wel, I hade sen hyr ere) _(I knew her well, I had seen her before)_ At glysnande golde þat man con schore _As shining gold that man did purify,_ So schon þat schene an-vnder schore _So shone that sheen (bright one) on the opposite shore;_ On lenghe I loked to hyr þere _Long I looked to her there,_ Þe lenger I knew hyr more & more _The longer I knew her, more and more._ --(pp. 6, 7.)