A Literary History of the English People, from the Origins to the Renaissance

ENGLISH WAYFARING LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES (XIVth Century). Translated by L. T. Smith . Revised and Enlarged by the Author. 4th Edition. 61 Illustrations. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d. "An extremely fascinating book."— Times. THE ENGLISH NOVEL IN THE TIME OF SHAKESPEARE. Translated by E. Lee . Revised and Enlarged by the Author. Illustrated by 6 Heliogravures by Dujardin , and 21 full-page and many smaller illustrations. 3rd Edition. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d. "One of the brightest, most scholarly, and most interesting volumes of literary history."— Speaker. A FRENCH AMBASSADOR AT THE COURT OF CHARLES II.: Le Comte de Cominges, from his unpublished correspondence. 10 Portraits. Second Edition. Large crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d. "The whole book is delightful reading."— Spectator. PIERS PLOWMAN: A Contribution to the History of English Mysticism. Translated by M. E. R. Revised and Enlarged by the Author. Illustrated. Demy 8vo, cloth, 12s. "This masterly interpretation of an epoch-making book."— Standard. London : T. FISHER UNWIN. HÉLIOG DUJARDIN IMP.CH.WITTMANN PARIS MEDIÆVAL LONDON from manuscript 16 F. II in the British Museum A Literary History of The English People from the Origins To the Renaissance By J. J. Jusserand London T. Fisher Unwin Mdcccccv PREFACE Many histories have preceded this one; many others will come after. Such is the charm of the subject that volunteers will never be lacking to undertake this journey, so hard, so delightful too. As years go on, the journey lengthens: wider grows the field, further advance the seekers, and from the top of unexplored headlands, through morning mists, they descry the outlines of countries till then unknown. They must be followed to realms beyond the grave, to the silent domains of the dead, across barren moors and frozen fens, among chill rushes and briars that never blossom, till those Edens of poetry are reached, the echoes of which, by a gift of fairies or of muses, still vibrate to the melody of voices long since hushed. More has been done during the last fifty years to shed light on the origins than in all the rest of modern times. Deciphering, annotating, printing, have gone on at an extraordinary pace and without interruption; the empire of letters has thus been enlarged, according to the chances of the explorers' discoveries, by gardens and deserts, cloudy immensities, and boundless forests; its limits have receded into space: at least so it seems…