''Handlyng Synne'' by Robert Manning of Brunne is a

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

verse devotional work, intended for the use of both learned and unlearned men, dealing with the theory and practice of morality, and illustrating this doctrine with stories drawn from ordinary life. It was begun in the year 1303. It is valued today for its simple and entertaining style, and for the light it throws on English life in the Middle Ages.

Description

''Handlyng Synne'' was adapted from, and improves upon, an Anglo-Norman work attributed to

William of Waddington William of Waddington was an Anglo-Norman poet of the thirteenth century, best known as the author of '' Manuel des pechiez''. He may have been a priest at Rydal. The ''Manuel des pechiez'' ("Manual of the Sins") is a didactic poem, written betwe ...

, the ''

Manuel de Pechiez Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel Charles Fuqua Manuel Jr. (born January 4, 1944), is an American former professional baseball playe ...

''. It consists of more than 12,000 lines of verse, arranged in four-stress couplets. It is a discussion of the

ten commandments The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

, the

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...

, the

seven sacraments There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which according to Catholic theology were instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church. Sacraments are visible rites seen as signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God to all those ...

, and the elements of

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the grou