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A literary criticism is presented of the devotional poems of George Herbert that appear in the book "The Temple," particularly the author's frequent use of the word "sweet" in various forms. The author argues that the word is deliberately used by Herbert to describe his relationship to God. Other topics include the difference between public and private devotion, God's love, imagery in the poems, and delight.

A literary criticism is presented of the Old English poem "The Dream of the Rood." Of particular interest is the idea that Anglo-Saxon poets believed the human mind was contained. In this poem and others, including "Juliana" and the "Homiletic Fragment II," a treasure motif is used to associate wisdom and the mind with holy relics like the True Cross in the poem. The religious significance of dreams according to the Anglo-Saxons is also considered.