Tyrwhitt (about 1790) dated the A-Text of Piers Plowman upon the evidence of a reference (Passus v, 10–20) to a southwest wind storm which occurred in 1362. Scholars have generally accepted this as the date of composition. But Professor Cargill has shown the reference to have no value in deciding the terminus ad quem in view of the specific and lively records of this storm to be found in later sources: John Richesdale, for example, born after the time of the storm, as he tells us, speaks of it familiarly just as we might of the great blizzard of '88, still a memorable event.