Iohn Gower. This Gower in his booke which is intituled Confessio Amantis, termeth Chaucer a worthie Poet, and maketh him as it were, the Iudge of his workes,

It seemeth that both these learned men were of the inner Temple: for not many yeeres since, Master Buckley did see a Record in the same house, where Geoffrey Chaucer was fined two shillings for beating a Franciscane fryer in Fleetstreete.

Thus spending much time in the Vniuersities, Fraunce, Flaunders, and Innes of Court, he prooued a singular man in all kind of knowledge.

[The marginal notes are:] (1) Canterbury Colledge in Oxford founded by Simon Islippe Archbishop of Canterbury, was suppressed in the reigne of K. Henry the 8. & ioyned vnto Christs Church.

(2) Nicolaus de Lynna studiorum praecipuas partes in Mathesi collocauit, quae quatuor disciplinarum orbem complectitur: videlicet, Arithmeticam, Geometricam, Musicam, & Astrologiam. Bale.

(3) Iohn Gower, a Yorkshire man borne & a knight, as Bale writeth, studied not onely the common lawes of the land, but all other kind of good literature. Hee lyeth buried in Saint Mary Oueries in Southwarke, with his image lying ouer him in a habite of purple damaske downe to his feete: a collar of esses gold about his necke, and on his head a garland of yvie and roses, the one being the ornament of a knight, and the other of a Poet. Vnder his head he hath the likenesse of three bookes, which hee compiled: the first, Speculum meditantis in French: the second, Vox clamantis in Latine: the third, Confessio amantis in English.

His Marriage.

He matched in marriage with a Knights daughter of Henault, called Paon de Ruet, king of Armes, as by this draught appeareth, taken out of the office of the Heraldes. This gentlewoman, whome hee married (whose name we can not finde) as it may be gathered by Chaucers owne wordes in his dreame, was attendant on Blanch the Duchesse in the Duke of Lancasters house, as also her sister Katherine was: or els waited on the Duchesse Maude sister of Blanch, who was married to William Duke of Bauare, Earle of Henault, Zeland, and Holland. But howsoeuer it was, by this marriage he became brother in law to Iohn of Gaunt* Duke of Lancaster, as hereafter appeareth.

[Marginal Note:] (4) Iohn Plantagenet, surnamed Gaunt, of Gaunt in Flaunders where hee was borne, was the fourth sonne of King Edward the third. Hee was Duke of Lancaster, Earle of Lincolne, Salisbury, Darby, and Leicester, King of Castile & Lyrne, and steward of England. He was also Earle of Richmond, Constable of Fraunce, and Duke of Aquitayne. He had three wines, Blanch, Constance, and Katherine. He lyeth buried in the Quier of Poules.

His Children, with their aduancement.

It should seeme, that Geffrey Chaucer had another sonne besides Thomas1: for in the Preface to the Astrolabe2 he writeth to one, whome hee calleth his little sonne Lewys. Yet some hold opinion (but I know not vpon what grounds) that Thomas Chaucer was not the sonne of Geffrey Chaucer, but rather some kinsman of his, whome hee brought vp. But this pedigree by the hands of Master Glouer alias Somerset, that learned Antiquarie, as also the report of Chronicles shew it to be otherwise.

Some say that in recompence of Geffrey Chaucers seruice in France, being sent thither Embassadour, Edward the third gaue him this Maude daughter and heire of Sir Iohn Burghershe3 Knight, whome he married to Thomas Chaucer his sonne to the great increase of his liuing, and amendment in blood.

This Thomas Chaucer besides his owne inheritance of Ewhelme* and Dunnington Castle (which M. Camden Englands most excellent Antiquiographer termeth, Quondam Chauceri, & postea Delapolorum Castellum exiguum) was diuers waies preferred, as out of records in the Tower of London here we may partly see.

Vicesimo secundo Richardi secundi viginti Marcae datae Thomae Chaucer per annum durante vita.

Anno primo Henrici quarti idem donum viginti Marcarum confirmatum.

Thomas Chaucer primo anno Henrici sexti capitalis Pincerna regis Angliae.

Thomas Chaucer Sheriffe of Oxfordshire and Barkeshire, and Constable of Wallingford Castle and Knaresborow Castle, and the forrest of Knaresborow during life.

Queene lane wife to Henry the fourth, the twelfth yeere of his raigne, gaue to Thomas Chaucer for his good seruice, Manerium de Woodstocke, Hannebrough, Wotton, & Stuntesfield, cum omnibus membris & Hamlet. suis durante vita.

Thomas Chaucer, the last heire male of the Chaucers, and owner of Ewhelme and Donnington Castle, the inheritance of the Chaucers, lieth buried in a blacke marble tombe in a faire Chappell in the parish Church of Ewhelme, in the south side of the Quier, with this Epitaph: Hic iacet Thomas Chaucer Armiger, quondam dominus istius villae, & patronus istius Ecclesiae, qui obijt 18. die mensis Nouemb. anno Dom. 1434: & Matildis vxor eius, quae obiit 28. die mensis Aprilis anno Dom. 1436.

Thomas Chaucer had one only daughter named Alice, married thrice: first to Sir Iohn Phillip knight; then to Thomas Mountacute Earle of Salisbury; and the third time to William de la Pole earle, and after Duke of Suffolke, who for loue of his wife and commodity of her landes, fell much to dwell in Oxfordshire and Barkeshire, where his wiues lands lay.

This William and his wife translated and encreased the Manor place of Ewehelme, and builded there a parish Church, and an hospitall called Godshouse, for two priestes and thirteene poore men to be sustained for euer. One of the priests to be master of the Almes house and Almespeople, them to instruct: the other Priest a Schoolemaster, freely to teach the children of the Tenants of the said Lordship their Grammar; and either of them to haue x pounds by the yeere. Also one of the poore men to be called Minister to present the faults of the other to the Master, and to ring their common Bell to seruice, and to haue sixteene pence the weeke, and the rest fourteene pence. To the which house they gaue the Manours of Ramridge in Hampshire, Conocke in Wiltshire, & Mersh in Buckinghamshire. They also founded an hospital at Donnington Castle.

This Alice wife of Duke William suruiuing her husband, was after buried in the parish Church of Ewhelme, on the South side of the high altar, in a rich tombe of Alablaster, with an image in the habite of a Vowesse, & Duchesse crowned, lying on the same tombe: And another image vnder the tombe, so neare as may be, like vnto her at the time of her death, with this Epitaph: Orate pro anima serenissimae principissae Aliciae Suffolchiae, huius Ecclesiae patronae, & primae fundatricis huius Eleemosynariae, quae obiit 20. die mensis Maii, anno Dom. 1475. Litera dominicali, A.

This Alice had a daughter by her second husband Thomas Montacute Earle of Salisbury, named after her mother Alice, married to Richard Neuell sonne to Raph Earle of Westmerland, by whome she had Richard, Iohn, and George: Richard espoused Anne, sister and sole heire to the Lord Beaucampe and after Duke of Warwicke: in whose right he was created Earle of Warwicke.

Among many things that greatly renowned Geffrey Chaucer, this was one saith Bale, That he had a kinswoman, Quae Gulielmo Sudovolgiorum Duci nupsit, ac magno in splendore Aquelmi vitam egit: that is, which being maried to William Duke of Suffolke, liued in great honour at Ewhelme.

[Notes to the foregoing:] (1) Written Anno domini 1391. Richar. secundi 14.

3.

(2) Thomas Chaucer was borne about the 38. or 39. yeere of Edward

(3) Bartholomaeus Burghershe, vnde hi fluxerunt, ab Edvardo 3. in ordinem Equestris Periscelidis cum alijs cooptatus erat in prima ipsius ordinis institutione. G. C.

(4) Ewelme olim Chauceri & Delapolorum, nunc Regiae aedes. Dum enim Iohannes Lincolniae Comes Gulielmo Delapolo è filio Iohanne nepos res nouas contra Henricum septimum moliretur proscriptus omnibus honoribus, & his possessionibus excidit: quae in patrimonium Regium transcriptae fuerunt. G. C.

(5) Donnington Castle standeth in a Parke in Barkshire not far from Newbery, where to this day standeth an olde oke called Chaucers Oke.

(6) Wallingforde in Barkeshire: Castrum admirandae amplitudinis

& magnificentiae duplici murorum ambitu, duplici item vallo circundatum, in medio, moli in magnam altitudinem aeditae arx imponitur, in cuius accliui per gradus ascensu fons est immensae profunditatis. Incolae constructum à Danis credunt, alii à Romanis. G. Camden.

(7) Knaresborow in Yorkeshire. Castrum rupi asperrimae impositum, quod Serlonem de Burgo fratrem Eustacij Vescij condidisse ferunt: nunc patrimonii Lancastrensis censetur. G. Camden.

(8) This Iane of Nauarr widow to Iohn of Mounford Duke of Britain, was maried to Henry the fourth, in the fourth yeere of his raigne.

(9) The Pooles were thus aduanced. William de la Pole merchaunt of Hull, for that he did frankely and freely lend to K. Edward the third, a great summe of money at Mortaigne in Fraunce, when he was greatly distressed, had not onely the same paid againe, but was also honoured with the girdle Militarie and made Baneret, and endued with 1000. Markes by the yeere: and his successours after were aduanced to be Dukes of Suffolke, as in Chronicles appeareth. William de la Pole was first secretely maried to the Countesse of Henault, by whome hee had a daughter, and after being divorced from her, publikely to T. Chaucers daughter Countesse of Salisburie, who proued this daughter being maried to one Barentine a bastard. The which Barentine afterward for a ryot made against the Countesse, was condemned, and lost an hundred pounds by the yeere. In the 28. of King Hen. 6. 1450. this William de la Pole was banished the Realme for 5. yeers, to pacifie the harde opinion which the commons had conceived against him. In his iourney to his banishment hee was taken and beheaded, and his body cast vp at Douer sands, and buried in the Charterhouse at Hull.

(10) This Tho. Montacute, called the good Earle of Salisbury, was slaine at the siege of Orleance with shot as he loked out at a window.

His Reuenues.

Bvt now to returne to Geffrey Chaucer, although he had lands and reuenues in diuers places, and that to the yearely value, as some say, almost of a thousand pounds, yet the place of his most abode was at Woodstocke in a faire house of stone next to the Kings place, called to this day Chaucers house, and by that name passed by the Queene to the tenant, which there now dwelleth. Chaucer tooke great pleasure to lie there in regarde of the Parke, in sundry of his writings much by him commended: as also to be neare the Court, where his best friends were, and they who were able to doe him most pleasure: By whose meanes hee had sundry rewards bestowed vpon him, and that worthily for his good seruice, which often he performed, and whereof in Chronicles we may partly read thus:

His Seruice.

In the last yeare of King Edward the third, he with Sir Richard Dangle1, and Sir Richard Stan, was sent to Montreuill to mooue a marriage to bee had betweene Richard Prince of Wales, and the Lady Mary daughter to the French King. Some write that he with Petrarke was present at the marriage of Lionell Duke of Clarence with Violant daughter of Galeasius Duke of Millaine: Yet Paulus Iouius nameth not Chaucer, but Petrarke he saith, was there.