The Harley 2253 Manuscript presents religious and social conditions, royal statutes, and political crises during the English medieval era. Actually, it contains three volumes. The manuscript is organized in a booklet structure, and it contains political songs, love poems, and tantalizing lyrics premeditated to stir religious devotion. Singing and dancing in churchyards had become a common practice by the end of the 12th century. For instance, in Gemma Ecclesiastica, the author narrates a tale about a certain priest in Worcestershire who sang and danced the whole night. The following morning he went to church, and instead of singing a gospel song, he found himself singing a secular song.
In the ABC of Women, the narrator gives a list of the virtues of women. He emphasizes the importance of protecting women from dishonest men. Women are asked to speak against mistreatments by men. The narrator argues that it is wrong to ridicule a woman. He likens the pains of pregnancy and labor to sufferings experienced by Jesus on the cross. The exciting part of these poems is the way religious lyrics have been impacted by the phrases of love lyrics. In The Man in the Moon, the author tells a story about a man in the moon experiencing hardships.
The content presented in the manuscript is noteworthy for its diversity. It embraces both prose and verse and covers secular and religious lyrics with different genres. The authors add details, which makes it clear that they have the object to which they refer in their minds. Several lyrics used in the manuscript show great descriptive power.
