The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chaucer, by Adolphus William Ward

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Title: Chaucer

Author: Adolphus William Ward

Posting Date: April 23, 2009 [EBook #3624]
Release Date: January, 2003
First Posted: June 20, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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From: ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS

CHAUCER

BY

ADOLPHUS WILLIAM WARD

NOTE.

The peculiar conditions of this essay must be left to explain
themselves. It could not have been written at all without the aid of
the Publications of the Chaucer Society, and more especially of the
labours of the Society's Director, Mr. Furnivall. To other recent
writers on Chaucer--including Mr Fleay, from whom I never differ but
with hesitation--I have referred, in so far as it was in my power to do
so. Perhaps I may take this opportunity of expressing a wish that
Pauli's "History of England," a work beyond the compliment of an
acknowledgement, were accessible to every English reader.

A.W.W.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER 1. CHAUCER'S TIMES.

CHAPTER 2. CHAUCER'S LIFE AND WORKS.

CHAPTER 3. CHARACTERISTICS OF CHAUCER AND OF HIS POETRY.

CHAPTER 4. EPILOGUE.

GLOSSARY.

INDEX.

CHAUCER.

CHAPTER 1. CHAUCER'S TIMES.

The biography of Geoffrey Chaucer is no longer a mixture of unsifted
facts, and of more or less hazardous conjectures. Many and wide as are
the gaps in our knowledge concerning the course of his outer life, and
doubtful as many important passages of it remain--in vexatious contrast
with the certainty of other relatively insignificant data--we have at
least become aware of the foundations on which alone a trustworthy
account of it can be built. These foundations consist partly of a
meagre though gradually increasing array of external evidence, chiefly
to be found in public documents,--in the Royal Wardrobe Book, the Issue
Rolls of the Exchequer, the Customs Rolls, and suchlike records--partly
of the conclusions which may be drawn with confidence from the internal
evidence of the poet's own indisputably genuine works, togethe