adultery by a man who said he would otherwise kill himself, about
three men who found a pile of gold and murdered each other to
take it all, about an angry man who wanted to kill, about a
malicious man who had joy in seeing other men in trouble and
misfortune, about a man whose face turned red in shame, about a
wife expecting to have half of what her husband owned.

Will Langland's poem "The Vision of William Concerning Piers
Plowman" portrays a pilgrimage of common people to the shrine of
Truth led by a virtuous laborer. Mystics wrote practical advice
with transcendental teaching, for instance "Scale of Perfection"
attributed to Walter Hilton and "Cloud of Unknowing". Richard
Rolle wrote about spiritual matters, probably the "Prick of
Conscience". Richard de Bury wrote "Philobiblon" about book
lovers. Jean Froissart wrote the "Chronicles" on knights. Courtly
ideals were expressed in "Sir Gawaine and the Grene Knyght",
wherein the adventures of the hero, an Arthur knight, are
allegorical in the struggle against the world, the flesh, and the
devil (1370). "Pearl" eulogized all that is pure and innocent on
the event of the death of a two year old child. Paper
supplemented parchment, so there were more books.

Political songs and poems were written about the evil times of
King Edward II, the military triumphs of King Edward III, and the
complaints of the poor against their oppressors, such as "Song of
the Husbandman". John Gower wrote moralizing poems on the
peasant's revolt, the sins of the clergy and lawyers, and the bad
rule of King Richard II. Robin Hood ballads were popular. The
minstrel, who was a honorable person, replaced the troubadour of
older times.