"But at the time when he wrote, Englishmen, with the rarest exceptions, wrote only in French or Latin; and when they began to write in English, a man of genius, to interpret and improve on him, was not found for a long time"

This quote by George Saintsbury talks to the state of English literature in the Middle Ages. At the time when he wrote, Englishmen were not writing in English, but rather in French or Latin. This was because of the fact that English was not seen as a language of elegance or intelligence, and so it was not utilized for composing. It was not till much later that a guy of genius emerged to translate and surpass the works of the past. This male of genius contributed in helping to form English literature and bring it to the level of elegance and intelligence that it is today. His work was the structure for the English language as we know it today.