Abstract The epilogue rearranges the verse covered in the book as a whole back into a chronological narrative, from 1150 to 1500, to balance the non-chronological treatment of the topic necessary in the book as a whole. The time around 1400 is picked out as perhaps the hinge or pivot of the whole history of English poetry, the moment of the greatest potential and variety. The chapter reviews and emphasizes the uncentredness and possibility of early poetry: in its distribution, whether in writing or performance; in its lack of strong linguistic norms; and in the absence of a dominant prestige form. The task of reading early poetry is passed on to the book’s readers.