CONTENTS.

BOOK I.

BEFORE THE CONQUEST.

I.—Original Home of the English. Legend of Beowa. Pred-

atory Excursions. The English in Britain. Kingdoms of the

Jutes, Saxons, and Angles. Kingship. Significance of the

Comitatus. Teutonic Deities,

II.-State of English Culture. Influence of Romans and

Celts. English Language. Runes. Oral Tradition. The

Glee-men. Widsith. National Poetry. Hymnic Poetry

among the Teutonic Peoples. Development of the Epic.

Epic Songs. Growth of an Epos among the English Tribes.

This Growth not quite Complete. Epic Style. Epic Meas-

The Saga of Beo-

Epos of Beowulf

Beowulf in Writing.

III.-Development of Epic Poetry Gradual.

wulf and the_Beowa-myth. Origin of the

among the English Tribes in Britain.

Theme and Characteristics of Beowulf. The Battle of Finns-

burg,

IV.—Christianity among the English Tribes. Religious En-

thusiasm. Church and Culture. Importance of Canterbury,

Malmesbury, Wearmouth, Jarrow, York. Aldhelm and Beda.

Christian Poetry. Its Relation to the National Epos. Leg-

end of Caedmon. Caedmon's Hymn. The Elder Genesis.

Perhaps a Work of the same Poet. Contents and Style of

the Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Judith. Metrical License of

the Religious Poets,

V.-Legends of the Saints in Verse. Religious Lyrics. Psalms,

Prayers. Latin Homiletic Literature. Animal Symbolism.

Fragment of an Old English Physiologus. Cynewulf. His

Riddles. His Vision of the Cross. His Christ, Descent into

Hell, Phoenix. Guthlac, Juliana, Andreas, Elene. Cyne-

wulf as Poet,

1-8

8-23

23-32

32-48

48-59

For-

VI.-Influence of Christianity upon the Secular Lyric, Deor's

Lament. The Old English Lyric. The Ruin. The Wan-

derer. The Seafarer. The Sentiment of Love in Old Eng-

lish Poetry. Message of the Husband. Gnomic Poetry.
Its Original Form. Later Forms. The Rune-song.
mulas of Incantation. Pagan and Christian Elements,

VII.-Prominence of the Anglian Territories in the Develop-

ment of Old English Poetry. Rise of Wessex. Ecgberht.

Danish Invasions. Aelfred the Great. His Labours for the

Promotion of Morals and Education. Earliest Prose: Laws,

Records, etc. National Annal-writing. The Annals of Win-

chester. Rise of Historical Writing under Aelfred. Ael-

fred as Translator. His Orosius. His Beda. His Boë-

thius. The Metra of Boëthius. Aelfred's Gregory. The

Pastoral Care. Last Years of Aelfred's Reign. The Annals

from 894 to 924,

VIII.-Foreign Influence upon English Poetry. The Later

Genesis. The Rhyme-song. Native Tradition of Religious

Poetry. The Fallen Angels. Descent and Resurrection.

The Temptation of Christ. Gnomic Dialogue. Salomo

and Saturnus. Decline of Poetic Form. Translation of

Psalms. Historical Poetry. The Battle of Brunanburh.

The Menologium. Byrhinoth's Death. Decline of the An-

cient Verse,

cae.

IX.-Prose. Literature of Medicine and Natural Science.

Religious Prose of the Tenth Century. Decay of Monastic

Discipline. Dunstan and his Reforms. Aethelwold. His

Translation of the Rule of St. Benedict. The Homilies of

the Blickling Manuscript. Aelfric. The Homiliae catholi

Aelfric's Grammatical and Scientific Writings. The

Passiones sanctorum. Pastoral Letter. Aelfric's Later

Writings. His Agency in the Growth of Education and Lit-

erature. Wulfstan and his Sermons. Translation of the

Gospels. Translation of the Evangelium Nicodemi. Writ

ings in Latin. English Annals. Canterbury. Annals of

Worcester. Annals of Abingdon. England just before the

Conquest. Chivalry Prefigured. Apollonius of Tyre. The

Wonders of the Orient,

59-67

67-83

83-97

97-115

BOOK 11.

THE TRANSITION PERIOD.

I. The Normans and Normandy. State, Church, School.

Conquest and Pilgrimage. Alliance with the Papacy. Re-

sults of the Conquest,

II.-The Song of Roland. Influence of the Normans upon the
Development of the French National Epos. Spirit of the

119-121

CONTENTS.

Song of Roland. Metre and Style. Further Development
of the Epic under the Influence of the Crusades. Activity
of the Fongleurs. Materials of the Chanson de geste. The
Charlemagne. Science and Literature in Anglo-Norman
England. Relations with France. Lanfranc. Anselm.
Ascetic and Devotional Writings. Lives of Saints. Ailred
of Rievaux. Mathematics and Natural History. Athelard
of Bath. Latin Poetry. Godfrey of Winchester. Regi-
nald of Canterbury. Laurence of Durham. Historical
Writing. Norman Historiographers. History among the
Anglo-Norman Clergy. Eadmer of Canterbury. Ordericus
Vitalis. Florence of Worcester and Simeon of Durham.
William of Malmesbury. Henry of Huntingdon. Geoffrey
of Monmouth. Stories of British Kings and the Arthurian
Saga. Alfred of Beverley,

III.-Norman Clerical Poetry. Philipe de Thaun. His Com-

put and Bestiare. Legend of St. Brandan. Historical Po-

etry. Geoffrey Gaimar. Wace. His Legends. The Ro-

man de Brut. Further Growth of the Arthurian Saga. The

Roman de Rou. Wace as Representative of the Earlier Nor-

man Clerical Poesy,

IV. The English Language in the Background. Final Fort-

unes of the English Annals. Canterbury, Worcester, Pe-

terborough. Theological and Scientific Prose. Changes in

the English Lauguage,

V.-English Folk-poetry. Continued Life of the Epic Saga.

Mythological Conceptions. Woden and Robin. Popular

Heroes. Gesta Herewardi Saxonis. Sagas of Horn and

Havelok. Guy of Warwick and Bevis of Hampton. Wal-

theof. Recollections of Aelfred. Proverbs of Alfred. De-

velopment of a Short Rhymed Couplet from the Alliterative

Long Line,

VI.-Religious Poetry. New Verse-forms. Poema morale.

The Catalectic Tetrameter. Explanation of the Paternoster.

The Short Couplet from a Foreign Model,

VII.-The Empire of the Plantagenets and International Cult-

ure. Rise of the Troubadours. Poetry of the Troubadours.

Its Spirit. Forms and Varieties. Esthetic Character. Lan-

guage and Style. The Earliest Troubadours: Guilhem de

Poitiers, Cercalmon, Marcabru, Jaufre Rudel. Bernart de

Ventadorn. Relations with the Court of the Plantagenets.

Bertran de Born. Richard Cœur de Lion. Effect upon

Northern France. The North-French Lyric compared with

the Provençal. Districts in which the Former Especially

Flourished. The Art-lyric among the Anglo-Normans,

xi

122-136

136

143-147

148-153

153-156

. 156-164
VIII.-Development of the French Art-epic. Foreign Mate-
rials. The Saga of Alexander. Pseudo-Callisthenes. Julius

Valerius. The Archpresbyter Leo. Alberic of Besançon.
Lambert the Crooked and Alexander of Paris. Virgil's
Eneid and its Renderers. The Troy-saga. Dares and Ďic-
tys. New Elements in Dares. Joseph of Exeter. Benoit
de Sainte More. Episode of Troilus and Briseida. Character
of Benoit. Romance of Adventure. Late Greek and By.
zantine Materials. Celtic Materials. Further Development
of the Arthurian Legend. The Graal-saga. Its Antece-
dents. The Legend of Joseph of Arimathea. Le petit saint
Le grand saint Graal. La queste del saint Graal.
Crestien de Troyes's Conte del Graal. Wolfram's Parzival.
The Tristan-saga. Form, Style, and Spirit of the Court-ro-
Crestien de Troyes. The Metrical Tale and its Va-

rieties. Cycles of Material. The Oriental Tale and the

Manner of its Circulation. The Book of the Seven Wise

Masters. The Disciplina clericalis.

Literature toward these Materials.

Lai, Fabliau, and Dit,

Graal.

mance.

Attitude of French

Characteristics of the

IX.-Anglo-Normans and the French Art-epic. Anglo-Nor-

man Writers of Tales. Marie de France. Corruption of the

Anglo-Norman Language and Metre. Historical Poetry un-

der Henry II. Benoit's Chronicle. Jordan Fantosme.

Norman Versions of English or Anglo-Danish_Traditions.

Materials from Anglo-Norman History. The Renaissance

under Henry II. Relations to France. John of Salisbury.

Walter Map. Peter of Blois. William of Newbury. Ger-

vase of Tilbury. Gerald de Bary. Richard Fitz Nigel.

Latin Poetry. Alexander Neckham. Joseph of Exeter.

Geoffrey de Vinsauf. Poetry of the Strollers. Student Life.

Speculum stultorum,

X.-Return to English Literature. Lazamon.

and Character. His Brut and its Sources.

and Treatment of Material. Oral Tradition.

the Arthurian Saga. Lazamon's Esthetic

Significance,

IIis Education

Metre, Style,

Broadening of

and Historical

XI.-English Literature and Norman-French Influence. Glee-
men and Clerics. The Anglian Territories. Northeastern
Mercia. Orm. Language and Culture. The Ormulum.
Verse and Style. Orthography. East Anglia. The Bes-
tiary. The Genesis. The Exodus,

XII.-The Literature of the South. Alliterative Lives of

Saints. Alliterative Homily. Love in Religion. Rise of

Prose. Ancren Riwle. Character of the Author. Contents

and Plan of the Work. Style. Wohunge of ure Lauerde.

Sawles Warde. Time and Place of the Origin of these Writ

ings, .

XIII.-Religious Lyrical Poetry. Religious Love. Prayer
to the Holy Virgin. Influence of the Poema morale. Influ

164-18

180-187

187-193

193-198

199-205

CONTENTS.

Ecclesiastical

ence of French and Middle Latin Poetry. New Strophic
Forms. The Love-song of Thomas de Hales,
XIV.-Poetical Sermon. Satire on all Classes.
Epic. The Vision of St. Paul.
and the Nightingale. Its Class.
Poem. Character of the Author.
Lyric,

Proverb Poetry. The Owl
Contents and Idea of the
Relation to the Religious

XV.-Growth of English National Feeling. Fusion of Angles

and Normans. Constitutional Struggles under Henry III.

Simon de Montfort. The Proclamation of October 18, 1258.

Political Freedom and National Prosperity,

4

BOOK III.

FROM LEWES TO CRECY.

I.-Continued Development of the English Language. Influ-

ences Favourable to the Influx of Romanic Elements. Epic

Poetry. Comparison of France and England. The Song of

King Horn. Analysis of the Same. Character and Place

of Origin. The Poem of Havelok the Dane. Place of Ori-

gin. Analysis and Characterisation. Comparison with King

Horn,

II.-Translation of French Romances. Origin, Cultivation,

and Remodelling of such Translations. Floriz and Blanche-

flur. Tristan and Isold. Poet of Sir Tristrem. Romance

and Ballad. Strophe of Sir Tristrem. King Alexander.

Richard Cœur de Lion. Arthurian Saga. Romance of

Arthur and Merlin. Saga of Charlemagne. Song of Ro-

land. Sire Otuel. Charlemagne and Roland. National

Saga. Guy of Warwick. Bevis of Hampton. Forms of

the Romance Poesy. The Short Couplet.

The ryme

couee. Court and Popular Poetry. Amis and Amiloun.

The King of Tarsus. Sire Degarre. Character of the Old

English Romance,

xiii

205-211

211-218

218-221

225-234

234-253

III.-Romance and Tale. Form and Contents. Most An-
cient Materials of the Tale. French Art-form. English
Poetical Tales. The Fabliau of Dame Siriz. Fox and
Wolf. The Animal-saga in England. Variations of the
Fabliau. The Land of Cokaigne. Debate of the Carpen-
ter's Tools. The Lay of the Ash. Orpheus and Eurydice.
How a Merchant did his Wife Betray. The Proces of the
Sevyn Sages. Origin of the Gesta Romanorum. Signifi-
cance of the Tale in the Last Centuries of the Middle Ages, 253-264
IV.-Religious Legend Poetry. Old and New Materials. As-
sumption of the Virgin. Childhood of Jesus. Legend of
the Holy Rood. Gregorian Saga. Contes dévots. Legends