Political Poems and Songs Relating to English History, Composed during the Period from the Accession of Edward III to that of Richard III
First published in 1859, this two-volume set contains a collection of poems and tracts from the late medieval period.
Thomas Wright (Edited by)
9781108042475, Cambridge University Press
Paperback, published 15 November 2012
578 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.3 cm, 0.84 kg
Veering between unprecedented military successes and the violent downfalls of kings, the period between the accession of Edward III and the death of Edward IV was a rich subject for contemporary political writers. This two-volume collection of poems and tracts was first compiled by Thomas Wright as part of the Rolls Series, commissioned to edit and publish publicly owned manuscript texts. First published in 1859 and including thirty-five pieces in English, French and Latin, Volume 1 covers the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. It features poems by Gower and Deschamps, a commentary on a fictional prophecy, and the much-contested Speght text of Chaucer's apocryphal 'Complaint of the Ploughman'. Also included are translations of the French poems, and a contextualising introduction. A fascinating example of Victorian scholarship and its expectations of readers, this set represents an interested resource for students of English literature and history.
Introduction 1. The vows of the heron 2. Epigram on the assumption of the arms of France 3. An invective against France 4. On the Battle of Nevile's Cross 5. On the Battle of Nevile's Cross 6. On Crécy and Nevile's Cross 7. On the truce of 1347 8. 'Songs on King Edward's Wars' by Laurence Minot 9. The dispute between the Englishman and the Frenchman 10. On Prince Edward's expedition into Spain 11. Prince Edward's expedition into Spain, and the 'Battle of Najara' by Walter of Peterborough 12. John of Bridlington 13. On the death of Edward III (English) 14. On the death of Edward III (Latin) 15. On the rebellion of Jack Straw 16. On the slaughter of Archbishop Sudbury 17. Against the Lollards 18. On the earthquake of 1382 19. On the Council of London 20. Song against the friars 21. On the Minorite Friars 22. On the times, 1388 23. Distich on the year 1391 24. On the pestilene (1391) 25. The reconciliation of Richard II with the City of London by Richard de Maidstone 26. On the truce between England and France, 1394 by Eustache Deschamps 27. The complaint of the ploughman 28. On the corruptions of the Age, 1396–7 by John Gower 29. On the vices of the different orders of society by John Gower 30. On King Richard II by John Gower 31. On King Richard's ministers 32. On the expected arrival of the Duke of Lancaster 33. On the deposition of Richard II 34. Gower's Tripartite Chronicle 35. Memorial verses on the reigns of Edward III and Richard II.
Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1 ]