I am sure that she never intended these passages to be perpetuated in her Medieval People and I have therefore done what I could to replace them with a reconstructed version of her first draft.  The reconstruction had to be done from somewhat disjointed notes and cannot therefore be word-faithful.  The readers must therefore bear in mind that the first two and the last page of the essay are mere approximations to what Eileen Power in fact wrote.

April, 1963 M.M.  POSTAN Peterhouse, Cambridge.

Contents

  I THE PRECURSORS

 II BODO, A FRANKISH PEASANT IN THE TIME OF
      CHARLEMAGNE

III MARCO POLO, A VENETIAN TRAVELLER OF THE
      THIRTEENTH CENTURY

 IV MADAME EGLENTYNE, CHAUCER’S PRIORESS IN
      REAL LIFE

  V THE MENAGIER’S WIFE, A PARIS HOUSEWIFE
      IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY

 VI THOMAS BETSON, A MERCHANT OF THE STAPLE
      IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY

VII THOMAS PAYCOCKE OF COGGESHALL, AN ESSEX
      CLOTHIER IN THE DAYS OF HENRY VII

    NOTES AND SOURCES

    NOTES ON ILLUSTRATIONS

INDEX

List of Illustrations

   I BODO AT HIS WORK 20
       From MS. Tit.  B.V., Pt.  I.  British Museum

  II EMBARKATION OF THE POLOS AT VENICE 21
       From Bodleian MS. 264.  Oxford

 III PART OF A LANDSCAPE BY CHAO MENG-FU 52
       From the original in the British Museum

  IV MADAME EGLENTYNE AT HOME 53
       From MS. Add. 39843.  British Museum

   V THE MENAGIER’S WIFE HAS A GARDEN PARTY 116
       From Harl.  MS. 4425.  British Museum

VI THE MENAGIER’S WIFE COOKS HIS SUPPER WITH 117
THE AID OF HIS BOOK
From MS. Royal, 15 D. i.  British Museum

VII CALAIS ABOUT THE TIME OF THOMAS BETSON 148
From Cott.  MS. Aug. i, Vol.  II.  British Museum

VIII THOMAS PAYCOCKE’S HOUSE AT COGGESHALL 149
       From The Paycockes of Coggeshall by Eileen Power
         (Methuen & Co.  Ltd.)

A MAP OF THE JOURNEYS OF THE POLOS 68-9

Let us now praise famous men and our fathers that begat us....

There be of them that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported.

And some there be which have no memorial; who are perished, as though they had never been; and are become as though they had never been born; and their children after them.

But these were merciful men, whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.

With their seed shall continually remain a good inheritance, and their children are within the covenant.

Their seed standeth fast, and their children for their sakes.

Their seed shall remain for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted out.