The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume 1A: The Middle Ages Book

*** denotes selection is new to this edition.

THE MIDDLE AGES

Before the Norman Conquest

BEOWULF***

Response

John Gardner: from Grendel

THE TÁIN***

EARLY IRISH VERSE

To Crinog

Pangur the Cat

Writing in the Wood

The Viking Terror

The Old Woman of Beare

Findabair Remembers Fróech

A Grave Marked with Ogam

from The Voyage of Máel Dúin

JUDITH

THE DREAM OF THE ROOD

PERSPECTIVES: ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS ENCOUNTERS

Bede

from An Ecclesiastical History of the English People

Bishop asser

from The Life of King Alfred

King alfred

Preface to Saint Gregory’s Pastoral Care

Ohthere’s journeys

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Stamford Bridge and Hastings

TALIESIN

Urien Yrechwydd

The Battle of Argoed Llwyfain

The War-Band’s Return

Lament for Owain Son of Urien

THE WANDERER

WULF AND EADWACER AND THE WIFE’S LAMENT

RIDDLES

Three Anglo-Latin Riddles by Aldhelm

Five Old English Riddles

After the Norman Conquest

PERSPECTIVES: ARTHURIAN MYTH IN THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN

Geoffrey of Monmouth

from History of the Kings of Britain

Gerald of Wales

from The Instruction of Princes

Edward I

Letter sent to the Papal Court of Rome

Response

A Report to Edward I

Arthurian Romance

MARIE DE FRANCE

Lais

Prologue

Lanval

Chevrefoil (The Honeysuckle)

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT***

SIR THOMAS MALORY

Morte Darthur

from Caxton’s Prologue

The Miracle of Galahad

The Poisoned Apple

The Day of Destiny

Responses

Marion Zimmer Bradley: from The Mists of Avalon

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin: scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

The Canterbury Tales

The General Prologue (Middle English and modern translation)

The Miller’s Tale

The Introduction

The Tale

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

The Prologue

The Tale

The Pardoner’s Prologue

The Pardoner’s Tale

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

The Parson’s Tale

The Introduction

[The Remedy for the Sin of Lechery]

Chaucer’s Retraction

To His Scribe Adam

Complaint to His Purse

WILLIAM LANGLAND

Piers Plowman

Prologue

Passus 2

from Passus 6

Passus 8

Passus 20

“Piers Plowman” and Its Time

The Rising of 1381

from The Anonimalle Chronicle [Wat Tyler’s Demands to Richard II, and His Death]

Three Poems on the Rising of 1381: John Ball’s First Letter • John Ball’s Second Letter • The Course of Revolt

John Gower: from The Voice of One Crying

Mystical Writings

JULIAN OF NORWICH

A Book of Showings

[Three Graces. Illness. The First Revelation]

[Laughing at the Devil]

[Christ Draws Julian in through His Wound]

[The Necessity of Sin, and of Hating Sin]

[God as Father, Mother, Husband]

[The Soul as Christ’s Citadel]

[The Meaning of the Visions Is Love]

Companion Readings

Richard Rolle: from The Fire of Love

from The Cloud of Unknowing

Response

Rebecca Jackson: The Dream of Washing Quilts

Medieval Biblical Drama

THE SECOND PLAY OF THE SHEPHERDS

THE YORK PLAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION

MARGERY KEMPE

The Book of Margery Kempe

The Preface

[Early Life and Temptations, Revelation, Desire for Foreign Pilgrimage]

[Meeting with Bishop of Lincoln and Archbishop of Canterbury]

[Visit with Julian of Norwich]

[Pilgrimage to Jerusalem]

[Arrest by Duke of Bedford’s Men; Meeting with Archbishop of York]

MIDDLE ENGLISH LYRICS

The Cuckoo Song (“Sumer is icumen in”)

Spring (“Lenten is come with love to toune”)

Alisoun (“Bitwene Mersh and Averil”)

I Have a Noble Cock

My Lefe Is Faren in a Lond

Fowls in the Frith

Abuse of Women (“In every place ye may well see”)

The Irish Dancer (“Gode sire, pray ich thee”)

A Forsaken Maiden’s Lament (“I lovede a child of this cuntree”)

The Wily Clerk (“This enther day I mete a clerke”)

Jolly Jankin (“As I went on YoI Day in our procession”)

Adam Lay Ibounden

I Sing of a Maiden

In Praise of Mary (“Edi be thu, Hevene Quene”)

Mary Is with Child (“Under a tree”)

Sweet Jesus, King of Bliss

Now Goeth Sun under Wood

Jesus, My Sweet Lover (“Jesu Christ, my lemmon swete”)

Contempt of the World (“Where beth they biforen us weren?”)

DAFYDD AP GWILYM

Aubade

One Saving Place

Tale of a Wayside Inn

The Winter

The Ruin

Middle Scots Poets

WILLIAM DUNBAR

Lament for the Makars

Done Is a Battell

In Secreit Place This Hyndir Nycht

ROBERT HENRYSON

Robene and Makyne

Late Medieval Allegory

CHARLES D’ORLEANS

Ballade 26

Ballade 61

Roundel 94

MANKIND

(acting edition by Peter Meredith)

CHRISTINE DE PIZAN

from Book of the City of Ladies

(trans. by Earl Jeffrey Richards)