Editing Alexander Barclay (section)

==Works==
''The Ship of Fools'' (1509) was as popular in its [[English language|English]] dress as it had been in Germany. It was the starting-point of a new satirical literature. In itself a product of the medieval conception of the fool who figured so largely in the [[Shrovetide]] and other [[procession|pageant]]s, it differs entirely from the general [[allegorical]] [[satire]]s of the preceding centuries. The figures are no longer abstractions; they are concrete examples of the folly of the bibliophile who collects books but learns nothing from them, of the evil judge who takes bribes to favour the guilty, of the old fool whom time merely strengthens in his folly, of those who are eager to follow the fashions, of the priests who spend their time in church telling "gestes" of [[Robin Hood]] and so forth.  Thus, the work is of interest as throwing light on the manners and customs of the times to which it refers.

Barclay wrote the ''Life of St George'' (c. 1515) for [[Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk]] with a dedication to [[Nicholas West]]. He translated the ''Mirrour of Good Manners'' (c. 1518), from the Italian of [[Dominic Mancini]]. This work was written at the command of Sir Giles Alington.<ref>Antony Hasler, ''Court Poetry in Late Medieval England and Scotland'' (Cambridge, 2011), pp. 89-90.</ref>

Most of Barclay's works were made in collaboration with the printer [[Richard Pynson]]. He wrote five ''Eclogues'', part printed by [[Wynkyn de Worde]] around 1518, and printed in full in [[John Cawood (printer)|John Cawood's]] 1570 edition. The sources of the ''Eclogues'' include works by [[Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini]], [[Baptista Mantuanus]], and [[Jean Lemaire de Belges]]. The ''Eclogues'' include laments for [[John Alcock (bishop)|John Alcock]], [[John Morton (cardinal)|John Morton]], and Roger Westminster, Prior of Ely.<ref>Antony Hasler, ''Court Poetry in Late Medieval England and Scotland'' (Cambridge, 2011), pp. 88-93.</ref>