Early English Text Society

Byrhtferth of Ramsey was one of the outstanding scholars of the late Anglo-Saxon Church, the pupil of Abbo of Fleury, probably the most learned man in the Europe of his day. From Abbo, Byrhtferth learned the intricacies of medieval date-reckoning (computus), as well as familiarity with the syllabus of the quadrivium (astronomy, arithmetic, harmony, geometry). The Enchiridion, completed in 1011, is a handbook designed to explain the complexities of computus to young monks in his charge, but Byrhtferth disgresses widely in discussions of metrics and rhetoric, as well as his scientific intersts. As such, it is a work in the forefront of Anglo-Saxon scholarship. This edition of the Enchiridion supersedes that of S. J. Crawford, published for the Society in 1929 as vol. 177 of the Original Series. The new edition contains a full introduction, describing the nature of Byrhtferth's schooling at Ramsey. The text is presented with a facing translation, and is followed by a detailed commentary. The edition also includes the text of Byrhtferth's Latin treatise on computus, which has never been printed before. The Latin text is the model for the Enchiridion, which cannot be understood without reference to it.

THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING and THE BOOK OF PRIVY COUNSELING are the first explorations in the English language of the soul’s quest for God. Written in Middle English by an unknown fourteenth-century mystic, THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING expresses with beauty a message that has inspired such great religious thinkers as St. John of the Cross and Teilhard de Chardin, as well as countless others in search of God. Offering a practical guide to the life of contemplation, the author explains that ordinary thoughts and earthly concepts must be buried beneath a “cloud of forgetting,” while our love must rise toward a God hidden in the “cloud of unknowing.” THE BOOK OF PRIVY COUNSELING, also included in this volume, is a short and moving text on the way to enlightenment through a total loss of self and a consciousness only of the divine. William Johnston, an authority on fourteenth-century mysticism and spirituality, provides an accessible discussion of the works, detailing what is known about the history of the texts and their author. In a new foreword, Huston Smith draws on his extensive knowledge of the varieties of religious experience to illuminate the relevance of these works for contemporary readers.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Combining insight from a variety of linguistic perspectives including Hallidayan functional linguistics and relevance theory, Tony Bex demonstrates how written texts operate within society to convey meaning. This book: - * looks at a wide variety of written genres - advertisments, letters, poetry and literature * provides an accessible and comprehensive survey of genre theory * proposes a challenging new way of analysing genre which emphasises communicative function * unusually, considers the relevance of linguistic theories of genre to the study of literary texts. * includes numerous exercises and annotated bibliographies Variety in Written Discourse will be of interest to all students of language and communication. In addition, it will be an invaluable text for those interested in literature, as well as English for Specific Purposes.

The story of the eventful and controversial life of Margery Kempe - wife, mother, businesswoman, pilgrim and visionary - is the earliest surviving autobiography in English. Here Kempe (c.1373-c.1440) recounts in vivid, unembarrassed detail the madness that followed the birth of the first of her fourteen children, the failure of her brewery business, her dramatic call to the spiritual life, her visions and uncontrollable tears, the struggle to convert her husband to a vow of chastity and her pilgrimages to Europe and the Holy Land. Margery Kempe could not read or write, and dictated her remarkable story late in life. It remains an extraordinary record of human faith and a portrait of a medieval woman of unforgettable character and courage.