"travels in France, and perhaps before." I muft obferve that thefe travels in France reft entirely upon the authority of Leland, whofe account is full of inconfiftencies.

1 he firft authentick memorial which we have of Chaucer is the patent in Rymer, 41 E. III. by which that king grants to him an annuity of 2c marks by the title of Valettus nefter (d). He was then in the 39th year of his age. How long he had ferved the King in that or any other flation, and what particular

(d) Our yeoman. Mr. Speght, who omits this grant, mentions one of the fame purport in the 45 Edward III. in which Chaucer is ftyled Valettus Hofpitii, which he tranfiates-Grome of the palace. Ey this he finks our Author as much too low as another writer has raised him too high, by tranflating the fame words-Gentleman of the King's Privy Chamber. [Life of Ch. Urr.] Valet, or yeoman, was the intermediate rank between fquier and grome. See the note on ver. 101. See alfo the Will of Edward Duke of York, ap. Rymer, an. 1415, where his legacies to his menial fervants are thus arrangedcuier Ls. a [un] vadlet XX s. a un garc [on. . .] & a un page VIS. VIIId-Valettus is probably a corruption of vasa, lettus, the diminutive of vafallus; hence this title was alfo given (not as a name of fervice) to young men of the higheft quality before they were knighted;

11 ot un fiz de fa mulier,

Ki neit pas uncore chivaler,

Velle cheit et beaus et gent.----

a un ef

Roman d'Ipomedon,

So that if Edward III. as Mr. Speght fays, "did entitle Lau"rence Hattings Lord of Aburganey

Valecum noftrum,"

I fhould guets that the faid lord was not "the king's grome,

page, or fervant," (as he fuppofes) or his yeoman, (as Chau cer was) but his ward.

merits were rewarded by this royal bounty (e), are points equally unknown,

(2) I thould have been glad to have met with any ground for fuppofing that this mark of royal favour was a reward of our Author's poetical merits. That Chaucer had before this time diftinguished himself by his poetical performances is almost certain. I have mentioned a fufpicion [n, on ver. 1920,] that The Affemb. of Foules alludes to the courtship of Blanche of Lancaster by John of Gaunt, who married her in 1359, the 33 year of E. III.; and perhaps The Complaint of the Black Kaight might be written for John of Gaunt during the fame courtship. It is ftill more probable that his tranflation of The Roman de la Rofe, and h's Troilus, were both compofed before 1367, the era of which we are speaking: but I think if the King had really patronited Chaucer as a poet we must have found fome clear evidence of fuch a connexion. If the one had been fond of verfes the other would certainly have given him fame, efpecially as he might have exerted his genius in the praise of fo illuftrious a patron without any neceility of fattering. If we confider further that a few years after the King appointed him to be Comptroller of the Cultoin of Wool, &c. in the port of London, with the following injunction in his patent"fo that the faid Geffrey write with his own hand his rolls' "touching the faid office, and continually refide there, and "do and execute ali things pertaining to the faid office in his "own proper perion, and not by his fubiitute,"--we thall probably be of opinion that his Majelty was either totally infenfible of our Author's poetical talents, or at least had no mind to encourage him in the cultivation or exercife of them. It thould feem that Edward, though adorned with many royal and heroick virtues, had not the gift of difcerning and patros nifing a great poet, a gift which, like that of genuine poetry, (if we inay believe one who perhaps fpoke feelingly upon the fubject, is only beltowed on the chofen few by the peculiar fayour of Heaven;

neque enim, nifi carus ab ortu Diis fuperis, poterit megao faville pocte.

Mill. Manfury

From this time we find frequent mention of him in various publick inftruments. In the 46 E. III. [apuď Rymer] the King appoints him Envoy (with two others) to Genoa, by the title of Scutifer nofter (ƒ). In the 48 E. III. he has a grant for life of a pitcher of wine daily [ap. Rymer] and in the fame year a grant, during pleasure, of the office of Comptroller of the Cuftom of Wools, &c. in the port of London [ibid.] In the 49 E. III. the King grants to him the Wardship of Sir Edmond Staplegate's heir [mff. Rymer, E. III. vol. xi. n. 12.] for which he received 1047. [ibid. R. II. vol. i. n. 16.] and in the next year fome forfeited wool to the value of 711. 4 s. 6d. [Life of Ch. Urr.] In the last year of Edw. III. he was fent

I obferve,however,that notwithstanding the petrifying quality with which thefe cuftomhoufe accounts might be expected to operate upon Chaucer's genius he probably wrote his House of Fame while he was in that office: I gather this from b. ii. ver. 144, where the Eagle fays to him

For when thy labour al done is,
And haft made all thy rekenynges,
In ftede of reft and of newe thynges

Thou goeft home to thyne houfe anone, &c.

(f) Our fquier; fo that in the courfe of thefe five years our Author had been promoted from the rank of yeoman to that of fquier, attendant upon the King. Scutifer and armiger, Lat. are fynonymous terms for the French Efcuier. The biogra phers thinking, I fuprofe, the title of Squier too vulgar, have changed it into Shieldbearer, as if Chaucer had the ipecial of fice of carrying the King's thield.---Some obfervations have been made upon this, appointment of Chaucer as Envoy to Genoa in The Difcourfe, &c. n. 20.

to France with Sir Guichard D'Angle and Richard Stan, [or Sturry] to treat of a marriage between the Prince of Wales, Richard, and a daughter of the French king [Froiffart, vol. i. chap. 325.]

In the next year, 1 R. II. his annuity of 20 marks was confirmed to him, and another annuity of 20 marks was granted to him in lieu of the pitcher of wine daily. [See the license to furrender thefe grants in the Life of Ch. Urr.] It is probable too that he was confirmed in his office of Comptroller, though the inftrument has not been produced (g). In the 11 of R. II. he had the King's licenfe to furrcnder his two grants of 20 marks each in favour of John Scalby (b).

(g) This is probable I think, becaufe Chaucer in his Teftament of Love frequently alludes to his lofs of office as one of the greatest misfortunes brought upon him by his meddling in thofe difturbances which happened in the city of London in the 7 of R. II When he fled to avoid being examined in relation to these difturbances (as he fays, Teft. of L. fol. 329, b.) he was probably fuperfeded in his office.

(b) This license reciting the two grants is printed in the Life of Ch. Urr. and the author of that life has obferved that this furrender was probably occafioned by our Author's difirefied circumftances. Either he defpaired of procuring pay ment of his penfions, or perhaps wanted to raife a um of ready money. The fame writer has extracted from The Test. of Love aloft a!! that is now to be known of the history of this difrefs, which he afcribes very truly to Chaucer's unfortunate engagements with that party in the city of don of which John of Northampton was at the head. the real defigns of that party were, and how a triflin, riot, as it fecms to have been, came to be treated as a 1

In the 13 of R. II. he appears to have been Clerk of the Works at Weftmindler, &e and in the following year at Windfor (7). In the 17 R. II. the King grant

lion, are points of great obfcurity. There is good ground to believe that Northampton was connected with the Duke of Lancafler. At his trial, in Auguft 1384, he contended that he ought not to be tried in the abfence of his lord the Duke: "Quo verbo," fays Walfingham, p. 310. **fufcitavit fufpicio

nem finiftram tam vulgi quam procerum contra Ducem.” He was condemned however to perpetual imprisonment, in which he remained till July 1390. when (according to the Monk of Evelham, p. 122,) ad inftantiam Ducis Lancaftriæ, Johannes Northampton-et focii fui nuper de Londonija banniti, reftituti funt ad priflioas libertates," the judgment againft him was reversed in parliament the next year, Rot. Parl. 14 R. II. n. 36, and he was reitored to his lands, &c, the year following, Rot. Parl. 15 R. II. n. 33. This connexion of Northampton with the Duke of Lancafter will account for the part which Chaucer appears to have taken in this unhappy affair. He was very early attached to that duke, and was at this time married to a fifter of Catharine Swynford the Duke's mifirefs; and it is obfervable that the first mark of royal favour which he received after his diftreffes was beftowed upon him at the fame time that Northampton received his pardon, and probably through the fame mediation.

(i) See Tanner's Bib. Brit. v. Chaucer, n. e. It may juftly be doubted whether thefe two offices together indemnified our Author for the lofs of his former office in the Customs; that was probably a very lucrative one. He complains of “being "berafte out of dignitie of office, in which he made gatheringe "of worldly godes ;" and in another place he speaks of himself as" once glorious in worldly welefulneffe, and having fuche "godes in welthe as maken men riche." [Tett. of Love, fol. 326, a. b.] But that he thould ever have been poffefled of lands and revenues to the yearly value almost of a thousand pounds (according to the tradition repeated by Mr. Speght) is quite incredible.