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of Lancaster having efpoufed the caufé of Wickliffe, whom the clergy confidered as a heretick, Chaucer inclined the fame way, and turned the edge of his fatire against lazy monks, ignorant priests, and the infolence of fuch as belonged to ecclefiaftical courts, with extraordinary fuccefs. Yet it does not at all appear that he was an enemy to religion, or even to that of the church of Rome, but rather the contrary, for he speaks very submissively of her doctrines, and beftows high characters upon fuch of the clergy as acted fuitably to their calling; fo that it was the ill men, who brought religion into contempt, and prostituted their own function in the vileft manner, that felt the feverity of Chaucer's Mufe, and not priests in general, or the Christian faith, for the former he highly revered, and the latter he firmly believed, as his writings plainly thew*. But how much foever Wickliffe's

did not follow Homer, Dares, Dictys, or any hiftorian of those times. However, fays he, Chaucer has taken the liberty of his own inventions; he hath made an admirable and inimitable epick poem, defcribing in Troilus a complete knight in arms and courtship, and a faithful and conftant lover, and in Crefeide a moft beautiful and coy lady, which being once overcome yields to the frailty of her sex. We thall have occafion hereafter to speak more largely of this worthy person's performance, and of the pains he took to illuftrate Chaucer, in which he equalled at least, if not exceeded, all who have spent their time in doing juftice to this great poet.

* As his writings plainly shew.] The true defign of our Author was not to expose or abuse the clergy from a diflike to their order, but, quite the contrary, to amend and to reform

Volume I.

C

doctrines might prevail, or Chaucer's writings pleafe, among the better fort of people and in the country, them; and it was with this view that he wrote many pieces and tranflated others, that they might plainly perceive how much religion fuffered by the monftrous irregularities in their behaviour. As for inftance,The Romant of the Rofe is a translation from the French. This poem was begun by William de Lorris, and continued by John Meung, commonly called Clop pinel, both famous French poets in their time. It seems to have been tranflated by Chaucer while he was at court, and about the time of the rife of Wickliffe's opinions, it confifting of violent invectives against the religious orders. It is left im perfect at the end, and there are fome lacunas in other places of it. It may not be amifs to obferve here that the original author of this work, William de Lorris, died in the year 1260, at the age of twenty-fix, and advanced no great way therein, but forty years afterwards it was finished and published by John de Meung when he was in his twenty-fourth year. He was a man of fenfe and learning, well versed in divinity, philofophy, chymistry, aftronomy, and other fcicnces, but was a violent enemy to bad priests and bad women: he is fuppofed to have died about the year 1 365. This work is ftill much efteemed in France, where it has run through many editions, but the best, which was published in Holland, is of a very fresh date. Be> fides this Chaucer is affirmed by Leland and other ancient writers to have been the author of The Plowman's Tale, which bears very hard upon the vices of the clergy both fecuJar and regular ; and the fatire under the title of Jack Upland is also attributed to him upon very good authority; notwithftanding which there want not many who, under colour of ve neration for Chaucer's memory, are defirous of imputing these pieces to others; and yet this would be of little ufe, for in many other works that are undoubtedly his we find fentiments of the fame nature. On the other hand the venerable John Fox thinks the labour of our Author in this respect worthy the highest commendation, and even attributes the prefervation of his Works to a particular providence. Let us hear him." I

they were far enough from making a general impreffion on the minds of people in London, where the meaner fort of citizens were so warmly attached to the church, that upon the Duke of Lancaster's attending Wickliffe when he was fummoned before the Bishop of London, and treating that prelate a little

"marvel to confider this," fays he, "how that the Bishops "condemning and abolithing all manner of English books and “treatises which might bring the people to any light of know

ledge, did yet authorise the Works of Chaucer to remain still "and to be occupied, who no doubt faw in religion as much "almost as ever we do now, and uttereth in his Works no less, "and feemeth to be a right Wicklivian, or else there was ne"ver any; and that all his Works almost, if they be thoroughly "advised, will teflify, (albeit it be done in mirth and covertly) "and especially the latter end of his third book of The Tefta"ment of Love, for there purely he toucheth the highest mat"ter, that is, the communion, wherein except a man be al"together blind he may espy him at the full; although in the "fame book (as in all other he useth to do) under thadows co"vertly, as under a vizor, he suborneth truth in such sort as "both privily the may profit the godly-minded, and yet not "be efpied of the crafty adversary and therefore the Bishops, "belike taking his words but for jefts and toys, in condemn"ing other books yet permitted his books to be read. So it "pleafed God then to blind the eyes of them for the more "commodity of his people, to the intent that through the "reading of his Treatifes fome fruit might redound thereof to "his church, as no doubt it did to many. As alfo, I am partly "informed of certain which knew the parties, which to them "reported that by reading Chaucer'sWorks they were brought "to the true knowledge of religion: and not unlike to be true, "for to omit the other parts of his Volume, whereof some are "more fabulous than other, what tale can be more plainly told "than The Tale of the Ploughman??? &'c.

roughly, they made a kind of infurrection, and marching down into the Strand in a body entered into and rified The Savoy, which was the Duke of Lancaster's palace, built by himself, and at that time esteemed one of the fineft houfes in Europe, destroyed his goods, abufed his fervants, and turned his arms upfide down, as if he had been a traitor; but by the care of the King, and the interpofition of fome of the principal nobility, this quarrel was compromifed, and the Duke and the citizens reconciled, at leaft in appearance.

In the last year of King Edward the French having infringed the truce which that monarch had concluded with them, commiffionaries were fent over to expoftulate that matter before the Pope's legates, and of thefe Chaucer was one. This negotiation of theirs was not very fuccefsful, only it produced fome mention of a marriage between Richard Prince of Wales and the Lady Mary, daughter to the French king and thereby made way for a new treaty, in which Sir Guifcard Dangle, Knight of the Garter, Sir Richard Sturrey, a great Wicklivift, and in high favour with, the King, together with Geoffrey Chaucer Efq. were Commissioners; and this feems to have been the laft publick employment that our Author bore, though from a gold chain about his neck, in that original picture of his ftill remaining as is before-mentioned, it has been not without fome fhew of reafon conjectured that he was honoured with fome other dignity than from any

records we have been able to trace, for it can hardly be supposed that he wore this ornament on account of his office in the Customs.

June 21st 1377 the young Prince of Wales fucceeded his grandfather by the title of Richard II. and his uncle the Duke of Lancaster considering the incapacity of the King, who was then but eleven years of age, was intrusted with the chief share of the administration, and therefore to ingratiate himself with the populace he refolved to folemnize the new monarch's coronation with greater pomp and magnificence than had been ever seen in this kingdom, previous to which a court of claims was established to fettle the demands of those who should pretend to have a right to affist upon this occafion, and among thefe we find Geoffrey Chaucer *.

* And among these we find Geoffrey Chaucer.] The claim made upon this occafion was in right of his ward, who was poffeffed of the manor of Bilfington in Kent, which was held of the crown by the service of presenting to the King three maple cups on the day of his coronation. This manor had been purchased by Sir Edmond Staplegate, the father of Richard FitzAllen Earl of Arundel, whose family had been in long poiledion of it; and it was fet forth in Chaucer's petition that the manor was held by Grand Serjeantry, by the owner's discharging the office of Chief Butler at the King's coronation. But Richard Earl of Arundel controverted this claim, and by his petition and plea fet forth, that the office of Chief Butler belonged to his family, and was never annexed to this manor, his ancestors having enjoyed it both before they held that manor and since they parted with it, and therefore he demanded it as his proper right. The iffue of this bulinefs was, that the Earl fo far

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