Bytuene Mersh and Averil,
    When spray biginneth to springe
    The lutel foul[59] hath hire wyl
    On hyre lud[60] to synge. 
    Ich libbe[61] in love longinge
    For semlokest[62] of all thinge. 
    She may me blisse bringe;
    Icham[63] in hire baundoun.[64]
        An hendy hap ichabbe yhent,[65]
        Ichot[66] from hevene it is me sent,
        From alle wymmen mi love is lent[67]
        And lyht[68] on Alysoun.

SUMMARY OF THE NORMAN PERIOD.  The Normans were originally a hardy race of sea rovers inhabiting Scandinavia.  In the tenth century they conquered a part of northern France, which is still called Normandy, and rapidly adopted French civilization and the French language.  Their conquest of Anglo-Saxon England under William, Duke of Normandy, began with the battle of Hastings in 1066.  The literature which they brought to England is remarkable for its bright, romantic tales of love and adventure, in marked contrast with the strength and somberness of Anglo-Saxon poetry.  During the three centuries following Hastings, Normans and Saxons gradually united.  The Anglo-Saxon speech simplified itself by dropping most of its Teutonic inflections, absorbed eventually a large part of the French vocabulary, and became our English language.  English literature is also a combination of French and Saxon elements.  The three chief effects of the conquest were (1) the bringing of Roman civilization to England; (2) the growth of nationality, i.e. a strong centralized government, instead of the loose union of Saxon tribes; (3) the new language and literature, which were proclaimed in Chaucer.

At first the new literature was remarkably varied, but of small intrinsic worth; and very little of it is now read.  In our study we have noted:  (1) Geoffrey’s History, which is valuable as a source book of literature, since it contains the native Celtic legends of Arthur. (2) The work of the French writers, who made the Arthurian legends popular. (3) Riming Chronicles, i.e. history in doggerel verse, like Layamon’s Brut. (4) Metrical Romances, or tales in verse.  These were numerous, and of four classes:  (a) the Matter of France, tales centering about Charlemagne and his peers, chief of which is the Chanson de Roland; (b) Matter of Greece and Rome, an endless series of fabulous tales about Alexander, and about the Fall of Troy; (c) Matter of England, stories of Bevis of Hampton, Guy of Warwick, Robin Hood, etc.; (d) Matter of Britain, tales having for their heroes Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.  The best of these romances is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. (5) Miscellaneous literature,—­the Ancren Riwle, our best piece of early English prose; Orm’s Ormulum; Cursor Mundi, with its suggestive parallel to the Miracle plays; and ballads, like King Horn and the Robin Hood songs, which were the only poetry of the common people.