LANCELAND, ROBERT, an old English poet of the 14th century, and one of the first disciples of Wickliffe the reformer. He is said to have been born in Shropshire. He wrote The visions of Pierce Plowman; a piece which abounds with imagination and humour, though dressed to great disadvantage in very uncouth versification.
Langeland verification and obsolete language. It is written without rhyme, an ornament which the poet has endeavoured to supply by making every verse begin with the same letter. Dr. Hickes observes, that this kind of alliterative verification was adopted by Langeland from the practice of the Saxon poets, and that these visions abound with Saxonisms: he styles him celeberrimus ille satirographus, morum vindex acerrimus, &c. Chaucer and Spenser have attempted imitations of his visions, and the learned Selden mentions him with honour.