Earlier, lines 255-267 (A), the god of love accuses Chaucer :

Thow hast translatid the romauns of the rose
That is an eresye a-geyns myn lawe

And makyst wise folk fro me withdrawe

* * *

Hast thow nat mad in englys ek the bok
How that Crisseyde Troylis forsok,

* *

* **

etc.

The works here mentioned as by the author of the prologue are thus the translation of the Romaunt of the Rose, Troilus and Cressida, the House of Fame, the Death of Blanche the Duchesse, the Parlement of Foules, "Palamon and Arcite", ballads, roundels, virelays, the translation of Boece, and of the "Wretched Engendering of Mankind", the life of St. Cecily, and Origen upon the Magdalen. The two lines which contain the allusion to the "Wretched Engendering", from Pope Innocent, are not in other MSS of the Legend of Good Women; see under the Legend, Section IV here, and also under the heading of Lost Works. Neither this translation nor Origen upon the Magdalen is now known. The life of St. Cecily is the Second Nun's Tale; for Palamon and Arcite see under the Knight's Tale, Section III G.

2. From the headlink to the Man of Law's Tale. The Man of Law is speaking.

(MS Ellesmere)

I kan right now no thrifty tale seyn
That Chaucer thogh he kan but lewedly
On metres and on rymyng craftily

Hath seyd hem in swich englissh as he kan
Of olde tyme as knoweth many a man
And if he haue noght seyd hem leue brother
In o book he hath seyd hem in another
ffor he hath toold of loueris vp and doun
Mo than Ouide made of mencioun
In hise epistles that been ful olde
What sholde I telle hem syn they ben tolde
In youthe he made of Ceys and Alcione
And sitthe hath he spoken of euerichone
Thise noble wyues and thise loueris eke
Who so that wole his large volume seke
Cleped the seintes legende of Cupide
Ther may he seen the large woundes wyde
Of Lucresse and of Babilan Tesbe
The swerd of Dido for the false Enee

The tree of Phillis for hire Demophon

The pleinte of Diane and of Hermyon
Of Adriane and of Isiphilee

The bareyne yle stondynge in the see
The dreynte Leandre for his Erro
The teeris of Eleyne and the wo
Of Brixseyde and the Ladomya
The crueltee of the queene Medea

Thy litel children hangynge by the hals
ffor thy Iason that was in loue so fals

O Ypermystra Penolopee Alceste

Your wifhede he comendeth with the beste
But certeinly no word ne writeth he
Of thilke wikke ensample of Canacee
That loued hir owene brother synfully
Of swiche cursed stories I sey fy

etc.

The works here mentioned as by Chaucer are: "Ceys and Alcione", by which is usually understood the first part of the Book of the Duchess, or possibly some still earlier work which Chaucer rewrote for that position; and the Legend of Good Women, the separate stories of which the Man of Law proceeds to enumerate. It must be noted that he omits two, Cleopatra and Philomela, of which we have the text, and that he gives eight of whom there are no legends in the poem as it has come down to us. See Skeat V: 137-139, list on p. 138; see Lowes, Publ. Mod. Lang. Assn. 20:818-19 note.

3. In the so-called Retractation, at the close of the Parson's Tale, the author says:

(MS Ellesmere)

Wherfore I biseke yow mekely for the mercy of god that ye preye for me that crist haue mercy on me and foryeue me my giltes. and namely of my translacions and enditynges of worldly vanitees the whiche I reuoke in my retraccions As is the book of Troilus The book also of ffame The book of the xxv Ladies The book of the Duchesse The book of seint Valentynes day of the parlement of briddis The tales of Caunterbury thilke that sownen in to synne The book of the Leon And many another book if they were in my remembrance and many a song and many a leccherous lay that crist for his grete mercy foryeue me the synne But of the translacion of Boece de consolacione and othere bookes of Legendes of seintes and Omelies and moralitee and deuocion that thanke I oure lord Ihesu crist and his blisful mooder and alle the seintes of heuene bisekynge hem pat they from hennes forth vn-to my lyues ende sende me grace to biwayle my giltes and to studie to the saluacion of my soule and graunte me grace of verray penitence (etc.)

The works here mentioned are: Troilus, the House of Fame, the Legend of Good Women, the Book of the Duchess, the Parlement of Foules, part of the Canterbury Tales, the Book of the Lion, many a song, etc., the translation of Boece, and other books of legends of saints, homilies, moralities, etc.

The Book of the Lion is no longer known; see under Lost Works.

On the Retractation see after the Parson's Tale, end of Section III G here.

2) Lydgate's Testimony

(From the Prologue to the Falls of Princes, Tottel's print of 1554.)

And semblably, as I ha told toforne,
my maister Chaucer did his busines,

And in his dayes hath so well him borne

out of our tong tauoyden al rudenes,
And to reforme it with colors of swetenes.
Wherfore let vs yeue him laude and glory,
and put his name with Poetes in memory

Of whose labour to make mencion,
wherethrough of right he should comended be,
in youth he made a translacion

Of a booke which called is Trophe

in Lumbard tong, as men may reade & see,
And in our vulgare, long or that he deyed,
gaue it the name of Troylous & Cresseyde

Which for to rede, louers them delite,
they haue therin so great deuocion,

And this Poete him also to quite,

Of Boecius booke the consolacion

made in his tyme an whole translacion,

And to his sonne that called was Lowis
he made a treatise, ful noble & of great price

Upon that labour in full noble forme
set them in order with their diuisions
Mennes wittes tapplien and conforme
To vnderstand by full expert reasons
by domifieng of sondry mansions
the roote out sought at the ascendent
Toforne or he gaue any iudgement

He wrote also ful many day agone,

Daunt in English him self so doth expresse The piteous storye of Ceio and Alcion

and the death also of Blaunche the duches And notably dyd his businesse

by great aduise his wittes to dispose,

to translate the Romaynt of the Rose.

Thus in vertue, he set al his entent
ydlenes and vyces for to flee:

Of foules also he wrote the parliament,
Therin remembring of royall Egles three
howe in theyr choyse they felt aduersitee
tofore nature profered the batayle,
Eche for his partie if it would auayle.

He did also his diligence and payne,

in our vulgare to translate and endite
Origene vpon the Maudelayn,
and of the Lyon a booke he did wryte,
Of Anneleida & of false Arcite

he made a complaynt doleful and piteous,
And of the broche which that Uulcanus

At Thebes wrought full diuers of nature,
Ouide writeth, who therof had a sight
For high desyre he should not endure
but he it had neuer by glade nor light
And if he had it ones in his myght

like as my maister saith, & writeth in dede, It to conserue, he should aye liue in drede.

This poete wrote at the request of pe quene a legend of perfite holines,

Of good weomen to find out nenetene that did excell in bountie and fayrenes : But for his labour and busines

was importable his wittes to encombre,

In all this world to fynd so great a nombre.

He made the booke of Caunterbury tales, whan the pylgryms rode on pylgrimage throughout Kent, by hilles and by vales, And all the storyes tolde in theyr passage, endited them full well in our language, Some of knighthod, some of gentlenesse, And some of loue, and some of perfitnes.

And some also of great moralite
Some of disport including great sentence
In prose he wrote the tale of Mellebe
and of his wife that called was prudence:
And of Grisildes perfect pacience,

and how the monke of stories newe & olde,
Pitous tragedies by the way tolde.

This sayed Poete my maister, in his dayes
Made and compiled ful many a fresh ditee
Complaintes, ballades, roundles virelaies
Ful delectable to hearen and to see;

For which men should of right and equitee,
Sith he of english in making was the best,

Pray vnto God to yeue his soule good rest.

Lydgate's list includes: "Trophe", which seems to be synonymous with Troilus and Cressida; the translation of Boethius, the Astrolabe, "Daunt in English", Ceys and Alcione, the death of Blanche the duchess, the translation of the Romaunt of the Rose, the Parlement of Foules, Origen upon the Maudelayn, the Book of the Lion, Anelida and Arcite, the Brooch of Thebes, the Legend of Good Women, the Canterbury Tales, the tale of Melibeus, that of Griselda, and the Monk's Tale; also “many a fresh ditee,” etc.

Of these, Origenes upon the Maudelayn and the Book of the Lion are supposedly lost. "Ceys and Alcione" is generally interpreted to mean the first part of the Book of the Duchesse; and the "Brooch of Thebes" is understood as a portion of the Anelida, see Section IV here. Two of the remaining titles of the catalogue are still Chaucer-cruces,-"Trophe", and "Daunt in English." See under House of Fame, Section IV here, for the latter; for the former see under Lollius, II C 4 below.

For the testimony of John Shirley, the only fifteenth-century Chaucerian scribe known to us, see Section VII B here.