Handlyng Synne by Robert Manning of Brunne is a Middle English verse devotional work, intended for the use of both learned and unlearned men, dealing with the theory and practice of morality, and illustrating this doctrine with stories drawn from ordinary life.
It is a discussion of the ten commandments, the seven deadly sins, the seven sacraments, and the elements of confession, illustrated throughout by exempla, or moral anecdotes, thirteen of which do not appear in the Manuel.
[6] It trenchantly criticizes the mores of the time, saying of tournaments, for example, that they promote all seven deadly sins and could not exist in a world in which each knight loved his fellow man.
[13] Derek Pearsall called Mannyng "a born story-teller", who "displays plenty of vigour, though his professional role allows little sophistication".
[14] Kenneth Sisam believed that "in the art of linking good teaching with entertainment he is a master", and called Handlyng Synne "the best picture of English life before Langland and Chaucer".