Middle English Religious Prose

The present volume, which contains a selection of the religious prose from the Middle English period, is designed to introduce the reader to the richness and diversity of Middle English prose. Since separate volumes in this series may be devoted to them at a later date, selections from the most famous prose works have not been included. The pieces date from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, and they illustrate the wide range of interests of medieval churchmen. Each piece is presented in its entirety so that it can be appreciated as a literary work in its own right. But both in the introduction and in the notes the editor has drawn attention to the many parallels among the selections themselves and to the many points of contact between them and Middle English poems. It is hoped that not only will the prose be studied for its own intrinsic merit, but also that the pieces will provide students of Middle English poetry with first-hand information of the religious concerns and ideas of the time as a background to their reading. All the selections have been newly edited from the manuscripts.