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 [Illustration: Names of Middle English texts placed on a map of England and Wales.] INTRODUCTION I Two periods of our early history promise most for the future of English literature—the end of the seventh with the eighth century; the end of the twelfth century with the thirteenth. In the first a flourishing vernacular poetry is secondary in importance to the intellectual accomplishment of men like Bede and Alcuin (to name only the greatest and the last of a line of scholars and teachers) who, drawing their inspiration from Ireland and still more from Italy direct, made all the knowledge of the time their own, and learned to move easily in the disciplined forms of Latin prose.