The Dialogue on Translation between a Lord and a Clerk forms the preface of John Trevisa

John Trevisa

John Trevisa , was a Cornish writer and translator.Trevisa was born at Trevessa in the parish of St Enoder in mid-Cornwall, and was a native Cornish speaker...

's 1387 translation of the Polychronicon of Ranulf Higden, made for his patron, Lord Berkeley

Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley

Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley the Magnificent was an English peer born in the Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England to Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley and Elizabeth le Despencer....

. Written in Middle English

Middle English

Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....

, it consists of a series of arguments made by the clerk (representing Trevisa) on why books should not be translated from learned languages such as Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, each one followed by a rebuttal from the Lord (representing Lord Berkeley). The clerk eventually agrees and the dialogue concludes with a prayer for guidance in the translation.