Wittenwiler's "Ring" and the Anonymous Scots Poem "Colkelbie Sow": Two Comic-Didactic Works from the Fifteenth Century

Translated by George Fenwick Jones. Heinrich Wittenwiler's 'Ring', written in a Swiss dialect and presented in English translation for the first time in this 1956 volume, is a comic-didactic and religious allegory that documents late medieval views on many aspects of literature, history, law and religion. Besides his translation of 'Ring', Jones adds an exposition on the text as well as a translation of the Middle Scots poem 'Colkelbie Sow' with a comparative analysis of the two works. Frontispieces Foreword to the 'Ring' Translation Preface PART ONE — THE COURTSHIP The Peasant Tournament The Mock Confession The Tournament Resumed The After-tourney The Serenade The Tryst in the Barn The Vigil on the Roof Metzi’s Imprisonment The Art of Love The Seduction Metzi’s Love-letter The Go-between PART TWO — THE WEDDING The Marriage Debate The Match-making Metzi’s Family Council Bertschi’s Catechism A Code for Scholars A Doctrine for Christians A Hygiene Lecture A Lecture on Morals Hints on Housekeeping The Marriage Ceremony Guests, Gifts, and Nuptial Mass The Banquet The Dance PART THREE — THE CONFLICT The Brawl The Nissingers’ War Council The Bridal Night The Lappenhausers’ War Council The Nissingers’ Quest for Allies The Lappenhausers’ Quest for Allies Strudel’s Speech to his Troops A Code of Ethics for the Soldier The Battle Begins The Witches versus the Dwarves The Giants versus the Dwarves The Heroes versus the Giants The Heathens versus the Heroes The Swiss versus the Heathens and Heretics The Lappenhausers versus the Nissingers The Betrayal The Siege The End Exposition Appendix I — Controversial Points Appendix II — Quotations from and Allusions to Scripture Appendix III — Bibliography Appendix IV — Index and Name-list "COLKELBIE SOW" Foreword to Translation Prohemium Part One Part Two Part Three Exposition Notes to Exposition Controversial Points