Of poetrye, and the palme attayne,
That made firft to dystylle and rayne

The gold dewe dropys of speche and eloquence
Into our tunge thrugh his excellence,

And fonde the flouris firft of rethoryke
Our rude fpeche only to enlumyne,'

That in our tunge was never none hym lyke,
For as the fonne doth in heven fhyne,
In mydday fpere down to us by lyne,
In whos prefence no fterre may appere,
Right fo his ditees withouten ony pere,
Every makyng with his light diftayne,
In fothfaftnes whofo takyth hede,
Wherfore no wonder though myn hefte playne
Upon his deth, and for forow biede,

For want of hym now in my grete nede
That fhold, allas! conveye and directe,
And with his fupporte amende and correcte
The wronge traces of my rude penne,
There as I erre and goo not lyne right;
But for that he ne may me not kcnne
I can no more but with al my myght,
With al myn herte and myn inward fight,
Prayeth for hym that now lyeth in cheste,
To God above to yeve his fowle good refte.
And as I can forthe I wyl procede,
Sithen of his helpe ther may no focour be, &c.

14

21

28

30

Anonymous verfes taken by Mr. Speght out of a book of Mr.

Storv's.

Fathers and founders of enornat eloquence,
That enlumined have our grete Britaine!
To fone we have loft our lauriat science;
O luftie licour of that fulfome fountaine!

O curfed Death! why haft thou those poets flaine?
I mene Gower, Chaucer, and Gaufride (c) ;
Alas the time that ever they fro us dide!.

7

Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, in the preface tobistran flation of Virgil's Æneis, printed at Edin. 1710, p· 9• THоCH venerabill Chaucere, principall poete but pere, Hevinly trumpet, orlege and regulere,

HO

In eloquence balme, condict and diall,
Mylky fountane, clere ftrand, and rois riall,
Of frefche endite throw Albioun iland braid,
In his Legend of Notabillis Ladyis faid

That he couth follow word by word Virgill, &c. T

Leland, in his Encomia illuftrium Virorum, Coll. vol. v p.

141.

In laudem Gallofridi Chaucer, Ifiaci,

DUM juga montis aper, frondes dum læta volucris,
Squamiger & liquidas pifcis amabit aquas,
Mæonides Græcæ linguæ clariffimus auctor
(c) Geoffrey Vinefalve.

Aonio primus carmine femper erit;

Altifonufque lyræ, Phœbo applaudente, Latinæ
Gloria Virgilius maxima femper erit:

Nec minus & nofter Galfridus fumma Britannæ
Chaucerus Mufæ gratia femper erit.
Illos quis nefcit felicia fecla tuliffe?
Hunc ætas tantum protulit illa rudis.
Tempora vidiffet quod fi florentia Mufis,
Aquaffet celebres, vel fuperaffet avos.

Idem, ibid. p. 141,

PREDICAT Aligerum merito Florentia Dantem,
Italia & numeros tota (Petrarcha) tuos;;.
Anglia Chaucerum veneratur noftra poetam,
Cui veneres debet patria lingua fuas,

6

12

4

Idem, ibid p. 152. This was written by Leland at the requeft of Thomas Bertbelet, a diligent and learned printer, who firft printed Chaucer's Works, put out by Mr. Thynne (d).

QUUM (e) vivum teres Atticus leporem
Inveniffet, & undecunque Græcam
Linguam perpoliiffet, infolenter
(f) Audebat reliquos, rudes vocare;
Cujus (g) judicium impiger Quirinus

(d) Leland in Chaucer's life. al. novum brevis.

(e) Lel. in vita Chauceri. (f) Al. Barbaros reliquos vocare cœpit.

(g) Al. veftigia.

(b) Intenso studio fequens Latinum
Sermonem (i) quoque reddidit venustum,

Et cum Græco alios rudes vocavit.
At quanto mihi rectius videtur
Feciffe officium fuum difertus
Chaucerus, brevitate primus apta
Linguam qui patriam redegit illam
In formam, ut venere & lepore multo,
Ut multo fale, gratiaque multa
Luceret, velut Hesperus minora
Inter fidera; nec tamen (4) superbus
Linguæ barbariem exprobravit ulli
(1) Genti: tam facilis fuit benignufque.
(m) Ergo, vos juvenes, manu Britanni
Læta fpargite nunc rofas (») füave
Spirames, violafque molliores;
Et veftro date candido poetæ

Formofam ex hedera citi coronam.

The publisher of John Lydgate's Hiftory and Chronicle of the Trojan War, printed 1555, in the pifle to the reader. As the verye perfect disciple [speaking of Lydgate] and imitator of the great Chaucer, the onely glorye and beauty of the fame. Nevertheles, lykewyfe as it hapned the same Chaucer to lease the prayfe of (5) Al. Ter certo pede perfequens. (i) Al. bene. (k) Superbé. (Deeft hic verfus. (m) Quare." (n) Al. Suave-Spirantes.

that tyme wherin he wrote, beyng then when indede al good letters were almost aflepe, fo farre was the grofeneffe and barbaroufneffe of that age from the understandinge of fo devyne a wryter, that if it had not bene in this our time, wherin all kindes of learnyng, (thancked be God) have as much floryshed as ever they did by anye former dayes within this realme, and namely by the dylygence of one Willyam Thynne, a gentilman who, laudably fludyoufe to the polyfhing of fo great a jewell, with right good judgment, travail, and great paynes, caufing the fame to be persected, and stamped as it is now read, the fayde Chaucer's Works had utterly peryfhed, or at the left bin fo depraved by corrupcion of copies that at the lafte there fhoulde no parte of hys meaning have ben founde in any of them.

Roger Afcham in his Schole-Mafter, printed 1571, f. 6c, b.

Some that make Chaucer in English and Petrarch in Italian their gods in verfes, and yet be not able to make trew difference what is a fault and what is a just prayfe in thofe two worthie wittes, will much mislike this my writyng, [against riming] but fuch men be even like followers of Chaucer and Petrarke, as one here in England did folow Syr Tho. More, who being moft unlike unto him in wit and learnyng, nevertheles in wearing his gowne awrye upon the one fhoulder, as Syr Tho. More was wont to do, would needs be counted like unto him.