of the Gospel of St. John. It is in the greatness and variety of Bæda's Latin works, however, that English literature strikes its key-note. Six hundred scholars gathered around Bæda ere he died; but toward the end of his life this northern literature began to decay, and after 866 it was, we may say, blotted out by the Danes. The long battle with these invaders was lost in Northumbria, but it was gained for a time by Elfred the Great in Wessex; and with Ælfred's literary work learning changed its seat from the north to the south, and he made it by his writings, an English, not a Latin literature. In his translation, he, since Bæda's work is lost, is the true father of English prose. J. R. Green says of him:

"With the peace of Wedmore in 878 began a work even more noble than this deliverance of Wessex from the Danes. 'So long as I have lived,' wrote Ælfred in latter days, 'I have striven to live worthily.' He longed, when death overtook him, 'to leave to the men that come after a remembrance of me in good works.' The aim has been more than fulfilled. The memory of the life and doings of the noblest of English rulers has come down to us living and distinct through the mists of exaggeration and legend that gathered around it. He really lived for the good of his people. He is the first instance, in the history of Christendom, of the Christian King, of a ruler who put aside every personal aim or ambition to devote himself to the welfare of those whom he ruled."

Submitting the foregoing examples of the beginning of English literature as evidenced by the earliest writers of Anglo-Saxon, we now leap over a space of nearly 700 years, during which time literature very much declined on account of the Norman Conquest. The historical events of this period we shall present in a separate article devoted to the salient points of history, without special reference to literature.

Mandeville, Wicklif, and Chaucer are the leading lights of a constellation that rose above the literary horizon about the year 1300. By this time the language had developed from the Anglo-Saxon form into what we now call the Early Eng

lish; and while the reader peruses the quotations we give and notes the advances made both in thought and expression, he should bear in mind that all this progress, both in quantity and quality, was made more than a hundred years before printing was invented.

Sir John Mandeville was a renowned traveller, and all writers agree that he was a most remarkable man, since he accomplished so much at a time when no reasonably fair facilities existed. To show how he stood in his own country, we quote from John Bale, who wrote of him about two hundred years later:

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'John Mandevil Knight, borne in the towne of S. Albans, was so well given to the study of learning from his childhood, that he seemed to plant a good part of his felicitie in the same; for he supposed that the honour of his Birth would nothing availe him, except he could render the same more honourable, by his knowledge in good letters. Having therefore well grounded himself in Religion, by reading the Scriptures, he applied his studies to the Art of Physicke, a profession worthy a noble Wit: but amongst other things, he was ravished with a mightie desire to see the greater parts of the world, as Asia and Africa. Having therefore provided all things necessary for his journey, he departed from his Countrey in the yeere of Christ 1322; and as another Ulysses, returned home, after the space of thirty-four yeeres, and was then knowen to a very fewe. In the time of his Travaile he was in Scythia, the greater and lesse Armenia, Egypt, both Libyas, Arabia, Syria, Media, Mesopotamia, Persia, Chaldaea, Greece, Illyrium, Tartarie, and divers other Kingdomes of the World: and having gotten by this meanes the knowledge of the Languages, least so many and great varieties, and things miraculous, whereof himself had bene an eie witnes, should perish in oblivion, he committed his whole Travell of thirty-four yeeres to writing, in three divers tongues, English, French and Latine. Being arrived again in England and having seene the wickedness of that age, he gave out this Speech: In our time, (said he)

it may be spoken more truly then of olde, that Vertue is gone, the Church is under foote, the Clergie is in errour, the Devil raigneth, and Simonie beareth sway.'

Passing by much that many others have written of John Mandeville, we now quote some of his own writings, illustrative of the spelling and general construction of words in the Early English.

First, from the Prologue: "And for als moche (forasmuch) as it is longe tyme passed, that ther was no generalle Passage ne Vyage over the See; and many Men desiren for to here speke of the Holy Lond, and han (have) thereof gret solace and Comfort; I John Maundevylle, Knyght, alle be it I be not worthi, that was born in Englond, in the Town of Seynt Albones, passed the See, in the Zeer of our Lord Jesu Crist MCCCXXII, in the Day of Seynt Michelle; and hidre to (hitherto) have been longe tyme over the See, and have seyn and gon thorghe manye dyverse Londes, and many Provynces and Kingdomes and Iles, and have passed thorghe Tartarye, Percye, Ermonye (Armenia) the litylle and the grete; thorghe Lybye, Caldee, and a gret partie of Ethiope; thorghe Amazoyne, Inde, the lasse and the more, a gret partie; and thorghe out (throughout) many othere Iles, that ben abouten Inde; where dwellen many dyverse Folkes, and of dyverse Maneres and Lawes, and of dyverse Schappes (shapes) of men. Of whiche Londes and Iles, I schalle speke more pleynly hereaftre. And I schalle devise zou sum partie of thinges that there ben, whan time schalle ben, aftre it may best come to my mynde; and specyally for hem, that wylle and are in purpos for to visite the Holy Citee of Jerusalem, and the holy Places that are thereaboute. And I schalle telle the Weye, that thei schulle holden thidre. For I have often tymes passed and ryden (ridden) the way, with gode Companye of many Lordes: God be thonked.

And Zee schulle understonde, that I have put this Boke out of Latyn into Frensche, and translated it azen out of Frensche into Englyssche, that every man of my Nacioun

lish; and while the reader peruses the quotations we give and notes the advances made both in thought and expression, he should bear in mind that all this progress, both in quantity and quality, was made more than a hundred years before printing was invented.

Sir John Mandeville was a renowned traveller, and all writers agree that he was a most remarkable man, since he accomplished so much at a time when no reasonably fair facilities existed. To show how he stood in his own country, we quote from John Bale, who wrote of him about two hundred years later:

"John Mandevil Knight, borne in the towne of S. Albans, was so well given to the study of learning from his childhood, that he seemed to plant a good part of his felicitie in the same; for he supposed that the honour of his Birth would nothing availe him, except he could render the same more honourable, by his knowledge in good letters. Having therefore well grounded himself in Religion, by reading the Scriptures, he applied his studies to the Art of Physicke, a profession worthy a noble Wit: but amongst other things, he was ravished with a mightie desire to see the greater parts of the world, as Asia and Africa. Having therefore provided all things necessary for his journey, he departed from his Countrey in the yeere of Christ 1322; and as another Ulysses, returned home, after the space of thirty-four yeeres, and was then knowen to a very fewe. In the time of his Travaile he was in Scythia, the greater and lesse Armenia, Egypt, both Libyas, Arabia, Syria, Media, Mesopotamia, Persia, Chaldaea, Greece, Illyrium, Tartarie, and divers other Kingdomes of the World: and having gotten by this meanes the knowledge of the Languages, least so many and great varieties, and things miraculous, whereof himself had bene an eie witnes, should perish in oblivion, he committed his whole Travell of thirty-four yeeres to writing, in three divers tongues, English, French and Latine. Being arrived again in England and having seene the wickedness of that age, he gave out this Speech: In our time, (said he)

it may be spoken more truly then of olde, that Vertue is gone, the Church is under foote, the Clergie is in errour, the Devil raigneth, and Simonie beareth sway.'"

Passing by much that many others have written of John Mandeville, we now quote some of his own writings, illustrative of the spelling and general construction of words in the Early English.

First, from the Prologue: "And for als moche (forasmuch) as it is longe tyme passed, that ther was no generalle Passage ne Vyage over the See; and many Men desiren for to here speke of the Holy Lond, and han (have) thereof gret solace and Comfort; I John Maundevylle, Knyght, alle be it I be not worthi, that was born in Englond, in the Town of Seynt Albones, passed the See, in the Zeer of our Lord Jesu Crist MCCCXXII, in the Day of Seynt Michelle; and hidre to (hitherto) have been longe tyme over the See, and have seyn and gon thorghe manye dyverse Londes, and many Provynces and Kingdomes and Iles, and have passed thorghe Tartarye, Percye, Ermonye (Armenia) the litylle and the grete; thorghe Lybye, Caldee, and a gret partie of Ethiope; thorghe Amazoyne, Inde, the lasse and the more, a gret partie; and thorghe out (throughout) many othere Iles, that ben abouten Inde; where dwellen many dyverse Folkes, and of dyverse Maneres and Lawes, and of dyverse Schappes (shapes) of men. Of whiche Londes and Iles, I schalle speke more pleynly hereaftre. And I schalle devise zou sum partie of thinges that there ben, whan time schalle ben, aftre it may best come to my mynde; and specyally for hem, that wylle and are in purpos for to visite the Holy Citee of Jerusalem, and the holy Places that are thereaboute. And I schalle telle the Weye, that thei schulle holden thidre. For I have often tymes passed and ryden (ridden) the way, with gode Companye of many Lordes: God be thonked.

And Zee schulle understonde, that I have put this Boke out of Latyn into Frensche, and translated it azen out of Frensche into Englyssche, that every man of my Nacioun.