Excerpt from English Poems: Old English and Middle English Periods, 450-1550 This volume is the first in order, although the last to appear, in a series of four volumes of English Poems, in tended especially for use with college classes. The aim and method of the series as a whole have been set forth in the prefaces to the other volumes and need not be repeated here, the less because the present volume differs considerably from the rest. It cannot well be used separately, as the later volumes can, but derives its chief value from its connection with the series: for the thorough study of Old English and Middle English poetry it is quite inadequate, but in an introductory survey course in English literature it may serve a useful end. To increase the value of the book for this purpose, some specimens of the early drama are given. Although plays are elsewhere excluded from the series and some of those here included exceed the strict chrono logical limits of the period. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.