are of matured experience, from various places, and are drawn from different classes of mankind, and consequently are, in their rank, appearance, manners, and habits, as various as at that time could be found in the several departments of middle life; that is, in fact, as various as could, with any probability, be brought together, so as to form one company; the highest and lowest ranks of society being necessarily excluded. But what gives us the greatest admiration of the poet, is the astonishing skill with which he has supported his characters, and the exquisite address that he has shown in adapting his stories to the different humors, sentiments, and talents of the reciters. He has thus given us such an accurate picture of ancient manners as no contemporary writer has transmitted to posterity, and in the Canterbury Tales we view the pursuits and employments, the customs and diversions of the reign of Edward III., copied from the life, and represented with equal truth and spirit. It has been justly remarked, that it was no inferior combination of observation and sympathy which could bring together into one company the many-colored conditions and professions of society, delineated with pictorial force, and dramatized by poetic conception, reflecting themselves in the tale which seemed most congruous to their humors. The following are some select characters, as portrayed in the Prologue.2

THE PROLOGUE.

Whenné that April, with his showrés sote,3
The drouth of March hath piercéd to the rote,4
And bathéd every vein in such licoúr,
Of which virtue engendred is the flow'r;
When Zephirus eké, with his soté3 breath,
Inspiréd hath in every holt and heath
The tender croppés, and the youngé sun
Hath in the Ram6 his halfe course yrun,
And smallé fowlés maken melody,
That sleepen allé night with open eye,
So pricketh them natúre in their couráges,”
Then longen folk to go on pilgrimages,
And palmers for to seeken strangé strands,
To servé hallows8 couth9 in sundry lands;
And 'specially from every shiré's end

Of Engleland to Canterbury they wend,10

1 Read D'Israeli's Amenities of Literature, 3 vols. 8vo.

2 In a subsequent age, the great work of Chaucer exerted a powerful influence in helping on the great cause of the Reformation. So much was Cardinal Wolsey offended at the severity with which the papal clergy were treated in the Pilgrim's Tale, that he laid an interdict upon its ever being printed with the rest of the work, and it was with difficulty that the Ploughman's Tale was permitted to stand. John Fox, (1517-1587,) the historian of the martyrs, thus writes: "But much more I mervaile to consider this, how that the bishops condemning and abolishing all maner of English bookes and treatises, which might bring the people to any light of knowledge, did yet authorize the Workes of Chaucer to remaine. So it pleased God to blind then the eies of them, for the more commodoty of his people."

8 Sote-sweet.

4 Rote-root.

5 Holt-grove, forest.

6 To make this line consistent with the first, it should read Bull instead of Ram, for he says that the time of this pilgrimage was when the showers of April had pierced into the root the drought of March, so that April, which corresponds to the constellation of the Bull, must have been far advanced Read, Tyrwhitt's Introduction to Canterbury Tales.

7 Courages hearts, spirits. 10 Wend- go, make way.

8 Hallows-holiness.

9 Couth-known.

The holy blissful martyr for to seek
That them hath holpen when that they were sick.
Befell that in that season on a day,
In Southwark at the Tabard1 as I lay,
Ready to wenden2 on my pilgrimage
To Canterbury with devout couráge;
At night was come into that hostelry
Well nine-and-twenty in a company
Of sundry folk, by áventure yfall

In fellowship, and pilgrims were they all
That toward Canterbury woulden ride.
The chambers and the stables weren wide,
And well we weren eased1 atté best.

THE KNIGHT AND SQUIRE.

A Knight there was, and that a worthy man
That from the time that he first began

To riden out, he loved chivalry,

Truth and honour, freedom and courtesy.
Full worthy was he in his lordés war,
And thereto had he ridden, no man farre,5
As well in Christendom as in Heatheness,
And ever honour'd for his worthiness.

With him there was his son, a youngé Squire,
A lover and a lusty bachelor,

With lockés curl'd as they were laid in press;
Of twenty years of age he was I guess.
Of his stature he was of even length,
And wonderly deliver, and great of strength;
And he had been some time in chevachie,7
In Flaunders, in Artois, and in Picardie,
And borne him well, as of so little space,
In hope to standen in his lady's grace.

Embroider'd was he, as it were a mead
All full of freshé flowrés white and red:
Singing he was or floyting9 all the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May:

Short was his gown, with sleevés long and wide;

Well could he sit on horse, and fairé ride:

He couldé songés make, and well endite,

Joust and eke dance, and well pourtray and write:

So hot he loved, that by nightertale10

He slept no more than doth the nightingale:
Courteous he was, lowly and serviceable,
And carv'd before his father at the table.

1 That is, the inn called "The Tabard." The Tabard was a "jacket, or sleeveless coat, worn in times past by noblemen in the wars, but now only by heralds, and is called their coat of arms in service."-Speght. 2 Wenden-go, make way. 3 Wide-spacious. 4 Eased atté best-5 Farre-farther. 6 Wonderly deliver-wonderfully active: from the 7 Chevachie, (French, chevauchee,) a military expedition. 8 Conducted 9 Floyting-fluting, playing on thu

commodiously lodged. French libre, free.

himself well, considering the short time that he had served. flute, whistling. The squire would not, in all probability, have a flute always with him. 1 saoula therefore prefer the reading that he "whistled all the day :" as being a more natural touch er charaoter, as well as in keeping with the hilarity of youth. 10 Nightertale-night-time.

THE CLERK.1

A Clerk2 there was of Oxenford also,
That unto logic haddé long ygo.3

As leané was his horse as is a rake,
And he was not right fat I undertake,
But looked hollow, and thereto soberly.
Full threadbare was his overest courtepy;
For he had gotten him yet no benefice,
Nor was nought worldly to have an office
For him was lever5 have at his bed's head
Twenty bookés clothed in black or red
Of Aristotle and his philosophy,
Than robés rich, or fiddle or psaltry:
But all be that he was a philosopher
Yet haddé he but little gold in coffer,
But all that he might of his friendés hent,
On bookés and on learning he it spent,
And busily 'gan for the soulés pray

Of them that gave him wherewith to scholay.7
Of study took he mosté cure and heed;
Not a word spake he moré than was need,
And that was said in form and reverence,

And short and quick, and full of high sentence:8
Sounding in moral virtue was his speech,
And gladly would he learn and gladly teach.

THE WIFE.

A good Wife was there of besidé Bath,

But she was some deal deaf, and that was scathe,
Of cloth-making she haddé such a haunt 10
She passed them of Ypres and of Ghent.
In all the parish, wife ne was there none
That to the off'ring before her shouldé gone,
And if there did, certain so wroth was she,
That she was out of allé charity.
Her coverchiefs weren full fine of ground;
I dursté swear they weigheden a pound,
That on the Sunday were upon her head:
Her hosed weren of fine scarlet red,

Full strait ytied, and shoes full moist12 and new ·
Bold was her face, and fair and red of hew.

She was a worthy woman all her live;

Husbands at the church door had she had five.13

I In the interesting character of the "clerk" or scholar, whose poverty, delight in study, and inattention to worldly affairs are eminently conspicuous, Warton thinks that Chaucer glanced at the nattention paid to literature, and the unprofitableness of philosophy.

3 Ygo-part. past, gone. 4 Overest courtepy-uppermost short cloak.

2 That is, a scholar.

5 Lever-rather.

6 Hent-catch hold of.

9 Scathe-harm, damage.

period.

7 Scholay-study.

8 High sentence-i. e. lofty 10 Haunt-custom. 11 Head-dress. 12 Moist-fresh

13 This alludes to the old custom of the parties joining hands at the door of the church before they went up to the altar to consummate the union; and this jolly dame and good housewife is repre. sented as having gone through that interesting ceremony five times,

THE PARSON.1

A good man there was of religión,
That was a pooré Parson of a town,
But rich he was of holy thought and work,
He was also a learned man, a Clerk,
That Christés gospel truly wouldé preach;
His parishens2 devoutly would he teach;
Benign he was, and wonder diligent,
And in adversity full patiént,

And such he was yprovéd often sithés;3
Full loth were him to cursen for his tithés;
But rather would he given out of doubt
Unto his pooré parishens about

Of his off'ring, and eke of his substánce;
He could in little thing have suffisance:4
Wide was his parish, and houses far asunder,
But he ne left nought for no rain nor thunder,
In sickness and in mischief, to visít

The farthest in his parish much and lite5
Upon his feet, and in his hand a staff:
This noble 'nsample to his sheep he yaf,6
That first he wrought, and afterward he taught,
Out of the gospel he the wordés caught,
And this figure he added yet thereto,
That if gold rusté what should iron do?
For if a priest be foul on whom we trust,
No wonder is a lewéd" man to rust;
And shame it is, if that a priest take keep
To see a
"fouléd" shepherd and clean sheep:
Well ought a priest ensample for to give
By his cleanness how his sheep should live.
He setté not his benefice to hire,
And let his sheep accumbreds in the mire,
And ran unto Londón unto Saint Poule's
To seeken him a chantery9 for souls,
Or with a brotherhood to be withold; 10
But dwelt at home and kepté well his fold,
So that the wolf ne made it not miscarry;
He was a shepherd and no mercenary;
As though he holy were, and virtuous,
He was to sinful men not dispitous,11
Ne of his speeché dangerous12 ne digne;
But in his teaching díscreet and benign.

1 In describing the sanctity, simplicity, sincerity, patience, industry, courage, and conscient Dua Impartiality of this excellent parish-priest, Chaucer, as Warton observes, has shown his good selme and good heart. Is not Goldsmith indebted to it for some of the beautiful traits in the character of his Village Preacher, in the Deserted Village?

2 Parishens-parishioners.

lite-great and small.

6 Yaf-gave.

3 Sithes-times.
4 Suffisance-sufficiency.
7 Lewed-ignorant.

5 Much and

8 Accumbred-encumbered.

9 Chantery. An endowment for the payment of a priest to sing mass agreeably to the appoint. ment of the founder. There were thirty-five of these chantries established at St. Paul's, which were served by fifty-four priests.-Dugdale, Hist. pref. p. 41. 10 Withold-withholden, withheld

11 Dispitous--inexorable, angry to excess. 12 Dangerous-sparing.

13 Digne-proud, disdainful

To drawen folk to heaven with fairéness,
By good ensample, was his business;
But it were1 any person obstinate,

What so he were of high or low estate,

Him would he snibben2 sharply for the nonés:3
A better priest I trow that no where none is.
He waited after no pomp or reverence,
Ne makéd him no spicéd conscience;

But Christés lore,4 and his apostles twelve
He taught, but first he followed it himselve.

But the Canterbury Tales are by no means the only production of Chaucer's He has written many other poems containing passages equal to any thing found in his chief work. The following are the principal.

muse.

TROILUS AND CRESEIDE. This is in five books, "in which the vicissitudes of love are depicted in a strain of true poetry, with much pathos and simplicity of sentiment." The author calls it "a litill tragedie." On the whole, however, it is rather tedious, from its innumerable digressions. For instance, Troilus declaims, for about one hundred lines, on the doctrine of predestination.

Romaunt of thE ROSE. This is an allegory, depicting the difficulties and dangers encountered by a lover in pursuit of the object of his affections, who is set forth under the emblem of the rose. He traverses vast ditches, scales lofty walls, and forces the gates of adamantine and almost impregnable castles. These enchanted fortresses are all inhabited by various divinities, some of which assist, and some oppose the lover's progress. Thus this poem furnishes a great variety of rich and beautiful descriptions-paintings most true to

nature.

THE HOUSE OF FAME. This is represented under the form of a dream, and consists of three books. It abounds in lively and vigorous description, in disquisitions on natural philosophy, and in sketches of human nature of no com mon beauty. The poet, in a vision, sees a temple of glass, on the walls of which are displayed in portraitures the history of Æneas, abridged from Virgil. After looking around him, he sees aloft, "fast by the sun," a gigantic eagle, which souses down, and bears him off in his talons through the upper regions of air, leaving clouds, tempests, hail, and snow far beneath him, and at length arrives among the celestial signs of the Zodiac. Here his journey ends. The "House of Fame" is before him. It is built of materials bright as polished glass, and stands on a rock of ice of excessive height, and almost inaccessible. All the southern side of the rock is covered with the names of famous men, which were perpetually melting away by the heat of the sun; but those on the northern side remained unmelted and uneffaced. The poet then enters the building, and beholds the Goddess of Fame, seated upon a throne of sculptured carbuncle. Before her appear the various candidates for her favor; and here the poet has admirably improved the wide field before nim in describing the capricious judgment of the fickle deity in awarding her favors.

Pope, in his "Temple of Fame," has imitated Chaucer to a considerable extent, as may be seen by comparing various passages in each author.

1 But it were-should it happen that any one were, &c.

8 For the nones-for the occasion.

2 Snibben-rebuke.

4 Lore-learning, doctrine.