The twelfth-century French poet Chrétien de Troyes is a major figure in European literature. His courtly romances fathered the Arthurian tradition and influenced countless other poets in England as well as on the continent. Yet because of the difficulty of capturing his swift-moving style in translation, English-speaking audiences are largely unfamiliar with the pleasures of reading his poems. Now, for the first time, an experienced translator of medieval verse who is himself a poet provides a translation of Chrétien’s major poem, Yvain, in verse that fully and satisfyingly captures the movement, the sense, and the spirit of the Old French original. Yvain is a courtly romance with a moral tenor; it is ironic and sometimes bawdy; the poetry is crisp and vivid. In addition, the psychological and the socio-historical perceptions of the poem are of profound literary and historical importance, for it evokes the emotions and the values of a flourishing, vibrant medieval past.

Richard Baxter wrote "The Saints' Everlasting Rest" to help prepare him for death during a life-threatening illness. It has inspired Christians for centuries to lift their eyes above this world to the place where they will spend eternity. Born in 1615, Richard Baxter lived and ministered throughout most of the seventeenth century. After being forced from his pulpit with some two thousand other Puritan ministers in the Great Ejection of 1660, he continued his writing ministry, authoring more than 140 books. Originally published in 1649, this work was forty-six chapters long, covering 844 pages. It was abridged in 1758, condensing it to sixteen chapters. Reading Baxter's book will challenge you to rediscover the wonders of the Lord through reflection and meditation. Taking captive our thoughts and making them obedient to Christ will make us strong in the faith and bring victory to our spiritual walks.--

Richard Baxter writes on the best preservatives against melancholy and sorrow. He wrote with astonishing relevance about the complexities of dealing with Christians who seem to lack the joy of the Lord and who are unable to enjoy God. '¬SDelighting in God, and in his word and ways,'¬ he said, '¬Sis the ?ower and life of true religion. But these that I speak of can delight in nothÂing'¬ ;neither God, nor in his word, nor any duty.'¬