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CHAUCER VOLUME XIV,

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London Printed for John Bell British Library May 29 1783

POETICAL WORKS

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GEOFF. CHAUCER.

IN FOURTEEN VOLUMES.

THE MISCELLANEOUS PIECES

From Urry's Edition 1721,

THE CANTERBURY TALES

From Tyrwhitt's Edition 1775.

Grete well CHAUCER whan ye mete---

Of ditees and of fonges glade,

The which be---made,

The londe fullfilled is over all.

GOWER.

My maifter CHAUCER---chiefe poete of Bretayne----
Whom all this londe fchulde of ryght preferre,
Sith of our langage he was the lode-terre----
That made firfl to dy ftylle and rayne

The gold dewe dropys of fpeche and eloquence
Into our tunge thrugh his excellence.

The honour of English tong is dede---

My mayfter CHAUCER, floure of eloquence,
Mirrour of fructuous entendement,
Univerfel fadir in fcience----

LYDGATE.

This londis verray trefour and richeffe--

The firfte fynder of our fayre langage.

OCCLEVE.

Venerabill CHAUCER, principall poete but pere,
Hevinly trumpet, orlege and regulere,

In eloquence balme, condict and diall,
Mylky fountane, clere ftrand, and rois riall,

Of frefche endite throw Albioun iland braid.

O reverend CHAUCER! rose of rethouris all,
As in oure toung flour imperial

That raife in Brittane evir, qu ha reidis right
Thou beiris of Makers the triumphs royall,
The frefche enamilt termes celestiall:
This mater couth haif illuminit full bricht,
Was thou nocht, of our Inglis all the light,
Surmounting every toung terreftriall
As far as Mayi's morrow dois midnight.

VOL. XIV.

EDINBURG:

DOUGLAS.

DUNBAR.

AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

MD

YORK

THE

ADVERTISEMENT.

HE following Gloffary is intended to facilitate the reading of Chaucer, by explaining in our prefent language fuch of his words and phrafes as are now become difficult to be understood either from a total difufe or from any smaller alterations of orthography or inflection. Many of these words and phrafes having been already explained in the Notes of this edition, it has been thought fufficient in that cafe to refer the reader to thofe Notes. For the reft, it is hoped that this Work may be of ufe in removing fome of the most material difficulties which occur not only in The Canterbury Tales, but also in the other genuine compofitions of Chaucer, as far as the prefent ftate of their text makes it fafe to attempt any explanation of them.

*

It would be injuftice to the learned author of the Gloffary to Mr. Urry's edition † not to acknowledge that I have built upon his foundations, and often with his materials: in particular, I have followed and have endeavoured to improve upon his example, by conftantly citing one or more places in which the word or phrate explained is to be found ‡. Where the places cited by him were appofite and fatisfactory I have generally fpared myself the trouble of hunting for others, with

*At the end of this Advertisement ! thall add a fhort account of what I conceive to be the genuine Works of Chaucer, and of thofe which have been either falfely afcribed to him or improperly intermixed with his in the editions: thofe under the two latter descriptions may be of use to illuftrate the Works of Chaucer, but thould not be confounded with them.

+ Mr. Timothy Thomas. See App. to the Preface, (A.) n. (n.) 'The expediency of this practice is obvious; it enables the reader to apprehend more clearly the interpretation of the glof. farift when right, and it affords him an opportunity of correcting those mistakes to which we are all fo exceedingly liable.

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