his fame been fresher and his influence upon our poets-and upon our painters as well as our poets-more perceptible than at the present day. When Gower first put forth his "Confessio

s were in French and in Latin) ever became a poet at all. The "Confessio Amantis" is no book for all times like the "Canterbury Tales"; but the conjoined names of Chaucer and Gower added strength to one another in the

ts, of the sights and sounds of which he has left us so vivacious a record-a kind of farcical supplement to the "Prologue" of the "Canterbury Tales." His literary career, part of which certainly belongs to the reign of Henry V, has some resemblance to Chaucer's, though it is less regular and less consistent with itself; and several of his poems bear more or less distinct traces of Chaucer's influence. The "Troy-book" is not founded on "Troilus and Cressid," though it is derived from the sources which had fed the original of Chaucer's poem; but the "Temple of Glass" seems to have been an imitation of the "House of Fame"; and the "Story of Thebes" is actually introduced by its author as an additional "Canterbury Tale," and challenges comparison with the rest of the series into which it asks admittance. Both Occleve and Lydgate enjoyed the patronage of a prince of genius descended from the House, with whose founder Chaucer was so closely connected-Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. Meanwhile, the sovereign of a neighbouring kingdom was in all probability himself the agent who established the influence of Chaucer as predominant in the literature of his native land. The long though honourable captivity in England of King James I of Scotland-the best poet among kings and the best king among poets, as he has been antithetically called-w

nth century. The poetry of Hawes, the learned author of the crabbed "Pastime of Pleasure," exhibits an undeniable continuity with that of Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate, to which triad he devotes a chapter of panegyric. Hawes, however, presses into the service of his allegory not only all the Virtues and all the Vices, whom from habit we can tolerate in such productions, but also Astronomy, Geometry, Arithmetic, and the rest of the seven Daughters of Doctrine, whom we CANNOT; and is altogether inferior to the least of his models. It is at the same time to his credit that he

kelton's patron, William Thynne, a royal official, busied himself with editing Chaucer's works. The loyal servant of Queen Mary, the wise and witty John Heywood, from whose "Interludes" the step is so short to the first regular English comedy, in one of these pieces freely plagiarised a passage in the "Canterbury Tales." Tottel, the printer of the favourite poetic "Miscellany" published shortly before Queen Elizabeth's accession, included in his collection the beautiful lines, cited above, called "Good Counsel of Chaucer." And when, at last, the Elizabethan era properly so-called began, the proof was speedily given that geniuses worthy of holding fellowship with Chaucer had assimilated into their own literary growth what was congruous to it in his, just as he

t's own spirit that he, the younger, follows the footing of his feet, in order so the rather to meet with his meaning. It was this, the romantic spirit proper, which Spenser sought to catch from Chaucer, but which, like all those who consciously seek after it, he transmuted into a new quality and a new power. With Spenser the change was into something mightier and loftier. He would, we cannot doubt, readily have echoed the judgment of his friend and brother-poet concerning Chaucer. "I know not," writes Sir

of those th

s' treasure a

ghty n

his and Chaucer's immediate successors, in his proper rela

ts;" and his learning, and "the natural of his pleasant wit," are alike judiciously commanded. One of Puttenham's best qualities as a critic is that he never speaks without his book; and he comes very near to discovering Chaucer's greatest gift when noticing

raced in a considerable number of these writers, including perhaps among the earliest Richard Edwards as the author of a non-extant tragedy, "Palamon and Arcite," and among the latest the author-or authors-of "The Two Noble Kinsmen." Besides Fletcher and Shakspere, Greene, Nash and Middleton, and more especially Jonson (as both poet and grammarian), were acquainted with Chaucer's writings; so that it is perhaps rather a proof of the widespread popularity of

a certain measure of success. The irrepressible vigour, and the frequent felicity, of Dryden's "Fables" contrast advantageously with the tame evenness of the "Temple of Fame," an early effort by Pope, who had wit enough to imitate in a juvenile parody some of the grossest peculiarities of Chaucer's manner, but who would have been quite ashamed to reproduce him in a serious literary performance, without the inevitable polish and cadence of his own style of verse. Later modernisations-even of those which a band of poets in some instances singularly qualified for the task put forth in a collection published in the year 1841, and which, on the part of some of them at least, was the result of conscientious endeavour-it is needless to characterise here. Slight incidental use

special sense, become the "master dear and father reverent" of some of our living poets, in a wider sense he must hold this relation to them all and to all their successors, so long as he continues to be known and understood. As it is, there are few worthies of our litera

n a lodge wi

walls depict

e of huntsman,

eer. He listen

with the sunshine

ass in leaden

nd he laugheth

in a book l

et of the da

ry Tales, an

l with song;

owing cock, I

innet, and fr

ploughed field

SSA

= bene

e, c

, ju

, angry t

fit;-di

e, f

, well

p,

or, g

ollowing,

e (?), me

wart,

rank,

s, c

dvise,

teward,

h,

l, s

ely,

e, t

nice, sc

target,

participle as i

uite his while, t

y, ac

custom

DE

a Priere de

haucer's

ric

of Br

ces

st" (Ben

dg

ed,

, Qu

Moth" (Ca

iad

toph

lish Poesy"

irag

owls or Parlia

rol

ter Harry.

of Sir

nt to King

e, J

lz

rk

dict

y, Sir

, Lady

ucer's kno

k Fr

k Pr

, Wil

uchess of

cac

thi

he

on and Counsel" (A

f the D

of the

, Sir N

ny, Pe

m, Nic

kto

y, Si

s, R

ro

bri

nac

Yeoman'

non's Y

Can

ter

bury P

les," Chaucer'

s to the com

Prologue to "Lege

acte

ewor

r's obligation

ar st

uage

rce

d of dealing wi

o pros

the condition

n in

reference

s Supple

Elizabethan and J

pent

twr

xt

Alcyone,"

s IV,

V, King

nes (Chauce

er's D

, difficulties as

e of hi

na

ance

as to his e

ce Lionel's

ince to France and

of the chamber

marr

of "Roman

the post of

f the D

ons a

m the Crown of dai

er of the Customs i

xecute the dut

on of ten pou

o the Co

trollership of the Pe

n Parl

f Fame"

s and C

bly of

the "Consolatio

of Goo

Comptrol

rk of King Ri

diffic

of his

e Astr

s

by high

of twenty pounds

ent to Kin

to Sc

f Chaucer to

nsion

at

ry Tales" lef

character

onal app

mode

ontain

ined

itude t

of the tru

n about dr

read

influ

n infl

gua

ve of

rary dev

ediae

ngland, its

lack

nd

nal s

ad

f the feu

n of the

lang

val

gance i

"Chu

cl

rni

e of th

s litera

etry, its po

of his

love

oyous

hu

rpreter of

matic q

ceptiv

er's

towards the

ude to th

erpreter

hn (Chaucer

ewis (Chau

ilippa (Cha

r, Ric

as (Chaucer's

et

val

, Lionel

opa

k's T

"Cle

a, Gui

f Chaucer to

aint o

of the Deat

t of the

int of

o Amantis

gre

of Philosophy

Duchess o

ce," the

k's

"C

t of

ess

nd the Ni

nt

ida" (S

tmo

one" (Bo

mps, E

ck

i

ne Co

r of P

ini

Quix

rig

as,

he fourtee

on, M

yd

nb

nci

ye

.K

adise" (Will

ard

ds, R

ethan

ish

to Bu

to Sc

s" (Dr

ueen" (S

ato (Bo

nde

tch

ren

and th

and E

s of A

cisc

lin's

Frank

terary in

r's T

"Fri

iss

no

n cri

rs

rs,

r, Humphr

r, Thomas

et

dsm

unsel of

we

t Sc

ee

Fri

is, The

ll

am, S

we

od, Si

ry

ry

nr

rys

tam

Leander"

rr

om, T

ood,

me

e, M

(Master Ha

e of

incoln, l

ion of

r Te

isit

udes" (

iterary i

King of

so

ing of

ing of

nt, Duke of

of Tr

on,

Duchess o

coun

s Quai

ht's

"Kni

n, Sir

, Ch

mec

ter, H

r, Henry

gla

d of A

of Goo

the Saint

la

nant Ba

Saint C

mit

lar

nd

gfe

Guilla

Palamon a

dg

y, Sir

hau

ntine. See

f Law'

Man o

ple's

Manci

rl

, Cle

dalene,

de

cant

ant's

Merch

ives of

f thirteenth and fo

, Jea

dle

er Night

la

er's

"Mil

lt

ori

, Law

cle

tic O

k's

"M

d'Ar

a

s, Sir

h, Bis

Priest'

cl

l Virginity"

e Astr

allfridi

v

fo

du

Honour" (Ga

n and A

by R.

nda

ner's

Pardo

ri

ersi

lia

on's

"Par

f Pleasure

nt Gr

Grissel

Insurr

ro,

tame

n Reve

in fourtee

rar

ntas

ppa,

ill

pot,

ughm

Willia

o

e of W

of Ch

(Madame E

o the Cante

ham, G

da and the f

e's T

"Ree

matio

asc

of Sir

har

har

Sir Pa

de la

translation by Chaucer

Chur

ns

a An

-Maur,

Je

ry, Cou

ipi

an,

heirs o

d Nun'

ne

Wise Ma

ksp

rd's Ca

rid

of F

ipm

, Sir

as Norray

el

hern

eg

en

re's

"Squ

of Pro

of Th

de,

y, Arc

hael de la P

mmo

rr

rd, Si

ard

of Mel

rqu

of Fame"

f Glass"

e" (Boc

of Cressid"

isb

e, Wi

k, L

tyr

ne, Cha

's Misc

s and C

ook" (L

lli

oble K

whi

o, Sto

izabeth Co

ersi

rg

ti, Be

cerning Pie

of the

mantis"

eb

mins

f Bath'

ife of

m of W

o his own

dsw

at

cl

was Chaucer

ely,