ABSTRACT
The Ancrene Riwle1 (“Rule for Anchoresses”) is the most remarkable prose work in English literature between King Alfred and Malory. To every new reader it comes as a complete surprise that anything with so unpromising a title should have so much interest and charm. Its appeal is not in its subject, since this has lost much of its significance in a materialistic and often skeptical world. But the freshness of its treatment and the personality of its author which shines through every page remain undimmed after the lapse of seven centuries. In two hundred pages of modern print this anonymous treatise offers a complete guide to, and a warm justification of, the anchoress’s life. It is carefully planned throughout its eight distinctions or books. Book one is devoted entirely to religious observances and devotional exercises. Then follow books on the five senses as guardians of the heart, the advantages of a life of retirement from the world, the temptations fleshly and spiritual which must be resisted, confession, penitence, and the love of Christ. The eighth and last book gives specific advice on domestic matters-food, clothing, attendants, and a variety of small but important and interesting points.
