3 h 33 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 3 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if you wake in a medieval village where ordinary people are ready to challenge their lords?
In William Morris's A Dream of John Ball, a troubled man from the author's own century wakes in fourteenth-century Kent. Will Green, a young bowman, befriends him and brings him among the rebels. Around them, farmers and archers face the hopes and dangers of the Peasants' Revolt, resisting the poll tax and bondage to their lords.
At the heart of the dream stands John Ball, a wandering priest who preaches equality and fellowship. In a quiet night of conversation, he and the dreamer bring two ages face to face. The companion tale, A King's Lesson, turns to a ruler taught by those he rules, keeping questions of power and justice close at hand.
What you’ll discover
- A village before rebellion Walk among houses, fields, and market talk as hope meets wariness in Kent.
- A priest of fellowship Meet John Ball, whose calm force gives voice to the rising against bondage.
- Two ages in conversation Listen as the dreamer and Ball consider the world beyond the rebels' own time.
- The rhythm of old prose Settle into a first-person dream whose language draws on old English chronicles and romances.
- A ruler becomes a pupil Explore A King's Lesson, where those under a ruler become his teachers.
Who will love it
Readers who love medieval England, village life, outlaw songs and tales of fellowship will feel at home here. So will fans of William Morris.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Dreamer Wakes in Medieval Kent
- Songs and News Gather at the Rose
- John Ball Preaches That Fellowship Is Heaven
- A Prison Memory Becomes a Call to Act
- Bows, Hedges and a Warning Win the Skirmish
- A Night Among the Dead Tests Two Beliefs
- The Dreamer Describes a Freedom That Still Binds
- A King Takes the Hoe in a Vineyard
Who’s who
- The DreamerA modern man who wakes in medieval Kent, wears a scholar's gown, and tells a priest what the centuries will bring.
- Will GreenA black bearded yeoman and longbow archer who welcomes the stranger, loves his home and daughter, and is ready to march to London.
- John BallA rebel priest freed from prison who preaches that fellowship is heaven and wants the people to act together.
- Jack StrawA captain in a field smock over steel armor who plans the defence of the village and speaks bluntly to the king's herald.
- Long Gregory TailorA very tall scout who rides north to learn who is coming and returns with news of the sheriff's men.
- Matthias CorvinusThe king of Hungary in the fable, who tests his peasants' toil by making his nobles take their places.
- The CaptainA black bearded soldier of the Black Band who speaks frankly to the king and sees his own trade for what it is.
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Sueño de John Ball y La lección de un rey
by William Morris · 1888
A dreamer wakes in a Kentish village where archers gather to hear John Ball preach fellowship.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEspañol
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In short
Imagine falling asleep after a day of worrying about the world, then waking on the grass beside a straight road in fourteenth century England. Apples are reddening, a white spire is still new, and a stranger in a black gown is asked whose man he is.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Dreamer Wakes in Medieval Kent
The tale begins with a modern man describing how he often dreams of old buildings. He calls these dreams a reward for worrying so much about the affairs of his day.
This night is different. The dream thins, and he believes he wakes on waste ground beside a straight road, near an oak copse and a village. The fields lie open in small strips. A hawthorn hedge shuts in white poppies and red roses, and beyond a copse rises a brand new white spire. A horseman in odd steel and leather trots past with a billhook on his shoulder. The dreamer is not surprised.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1888
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 2 h 15 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Morris, William. A Dream of John Ball & A King's Lesson. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-dream-of-john-ball-a-kings-lesson.
Morris, W. (2026). A dream of John Ball & a king's lesson. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-dream-of-john-ball-a-kings-lesson (Original work published 1888)
Morris, William. A Dream of John Ball & A King's Lesson. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-dream-of-john-ball-a-kings-lesson.
@book{morris2026dream,
author = {Morris, William},
title = {A Dream of John Ball \& A King's Lesson},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-dream-of-john-ball-a-kings-lesson},
note = {First published 1888}
}
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What is A Dream of John Ball about?
A modern man dreams that he wakes in a Kentish village in the fourteenth century, on the eve of the Peasants Revolt. He meets the archer Will Green and the priest John Ball, and sees a small fight before a long night talk.
Is A Dream of John Ball a true story?
It is a work of fiction, a dream vision by William Morris. John Ball and Jack Straw were real figures of the 1381 rising, but the village, the dreamer and the night talk in the church are Morris's invention.
Who was John Ball?
John Ball was a real English priest who preached against serfdom and the power of lords and bishops. In the tale he is the leader and speaker of the rebels, famous for the rhyme about Adam digging and Eve spinning.
The author
William Morris
1834–1896 · English poet and designer
William Morris (1834–1896) was an English writer, textile designer, artist, and printer. He was born in Walthamstow and died in London. His books include The House of the Wolfings (1889), News from Nowhere (1890), and The Well at the World's End (1896). He founded the Kelmscott Press in 1891.
More by William Morris
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