ABSTRACT
Nothing is known about the author of this remarkable poem except that, according to the scribe of the only surviving manuscript, “Frater Thomas de Hales” belonged to the order of Fratres Minores (the Minorites, or Franciscans, who first came to England in 1224) and composed the work for a girl who had dedicated herself to God. Presumably Friar Thomas or his family originated in the village of Hailes (near Gloucester); the Southwestern dialect of the piece supports this likelihood.
