That they may better spend their time.
To all true Christians under sun,
To good and loyal men of Brunn,
And specially all by name
O’ the Brotherhood of Sempringhame,
Robert of Brunn now greeteth ye,
And prays for your prosperity.
ROBERT DE BRUNNE
Robert was a translator and no original composer, but he was the first after Layamon, the Worcestershire monk who lived just before him, to write English in its present form. Chaucer followed him, then Spenser, after which all was easy. But he was, according to Freeman, the pioneer who created standard English by giving the language of the natives a literary expression.
