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Afterward in the same place do follow fourescore and three verses in the commendation of Chaucer, and the bookes that he made particulerly named.

In a booke of Iohn Stowes called Little Iohn (but I knowe not who was the Authour) I find these verses:

O fathers and founders of enornat eloquence
That enlumined haue our great Britaine

To soone we haue lost your lauriat science

O lusty licoure of that fulsome fountaine,

O cursed death, why hast thou those poets slain,

I meane Gower, Chaucer, and Gaufride

Alas the time that euer they fro vs dide.

Iohn Lidgate againe in a booke which hee writeth of the birth of the Virgine Mary hath these verses:

And eke my maister Chaucer now is in graue,

The noble Rethore, poet of Britaine,

That worthy was the laurel to haue

Of poetry, and the palme attaine

That made first to distill and raine

The gold dew drops of speech and eloquence

Into our tongue through his excellence.

And found the floures first of Rethoricke

Our rude speech only to enlumine,

That in our tongue was neuer none him like:
For as the sunne doth in heauen shine,

In midday spere downe to vs by line,

In whose presence no sterre may appeare
Right so his ditties withouten any peare,

Euery making with his light distaine,
In soothfastnesse, who so taketh heed:
Wherefore no wonder though my hart plaine
Upon his death, and for sorrow bleed
For want of him now in my great need
That should (alas) conuay and eke direct,
And with his support amend and correct.

The wrong traces of my rude penne,
There as I erre, and goe not line right.
But that for he, ne may me not kenne,
I can no more but with all my might
With all my heart, and mine inward sight
Praieth for him that now lieth in chest
To God aboue, to giue his soule good rest.

About William Caxtons time Stephanus Surigonus Poet Laureat of Millaine, did write this Epitaph vpon Geffrey Chaucer, in Latin.

[Marginal note:] This William Caxton of London Mercer, brought printing out of Germany into England about the year 1471, in the 37 year of Henry the sixt, and practised the same in the Abbey of S. Peter at westminster. It was first found in Germanie at Magunce by one Iohn Cuthembergus a knight: and brought to Rome by Conradus an Almaigne.

Epitaphium Galfridi Chaucer, per poetam laureatum Stephanum Surigonum Mediolanensem in decretis licenciatum.

Pyerides musae, si possint numina flaetus
Fundere, diuinas atque rigare genas:

Galfridi vatis Chaucer crudelia fata

Plangite: sit lachrimis abstinuisse nephas.
Vos coluit viuens: at vos celebrate sepultum,
Reddatur merito gratia digna viro.

Grandè decus vobis est docti musa Maronis,
Qua didicit meliùs lingua latina loqui.

Grande, nouumque decus Chaucer, famamque, parauit:
Heu quantum fuerat prisca Britannae rudis.
Reddidit insignem maternis versibus, vt iam
Aurea splendescat, ferrea facta prius.

Hunc latuisse virum nil, si tot opuscula vertes,
Dixeris, egregiis quae decorata modis,
Socratis ingenium, vel fontes Philosophiae,
Quicquid & arcani dogmata sacra ferunt.
Et quascumque velis, tenuit dignissimus artes
Hic vates, paruo conditus hoc tumulo.
Ah laudis quantum, praeclara Britannia, perdis,
Dum rapuit tantum mors odiosa virum.
Crudeles Parcae, crudelia fila sororum:
Non tamen extincto corpore, fama perit.
Viuet in aeternum, viuent dum scripta poëtae:
Viuent aeterno tot monumenta die

Si qua bonos tangit pietas, si carmine dignus,
Carmina, qui cecinit, tot cumulata modis,
Haec sibi Marmoreo scribantur verba sepulchro,
Haec maneat laudis sarcina summa suae.
Galfridus Chaucer vates, & fama poësis
Maternae hac sacra sum timulatus humo.

Post obitum Caxton voluit te viuere cura
Guillelmi, Chaucer clare poëta, tui.

Nam tua non solum compressit opuscula formis,
Has quoque sed laudes iussit hic esse tuas.

And as for men of later time, not onely that learned gentleman M. William Thynne, in his Epistle Dedicatorie to the Kings Maiestie, but also two of the purest and best writers of our daies: the one for Prose, the other for Verse, M. Ascham and M. Spenser, haue deliuered most worthy testimonies of their approouing of him. Master Ascham in one place calleth him English Homer, and makes no doubt to say, that hee valueth his authoritie of as high estimation, as euer he did either Sophocles or Euripides in Greeke. And in another place, where he declareth his opinion of English versifying, he vseth these wordes: Chaucer and Petrarke, those two worthy wittes, deserue iust praise. And last of all, in his discourse of Germanie, hee putteth him nothing behind either Thucidides or Homer for his liuely descriptions of site of places, and nature of persons both in outward shape of bodie, and inward disposition of minde; adding this withall, That not the proudest, that hath written in any tongue whatsoeuer, in these pointes can carrie away the praise from him.

Master Spenser in his first Eglogue of his Shepheardes Kalender, calleth him Titirus, the god of Shepheards, comparing him to the worthinesse of the Romane Titirus Virgil. In his Faerie Queene in his discourse of friendship, as thinking himselfe most worthy to be Chaucers friend, for his like naturall disposition that Chaucer had, hee sheweth that none that liued with him, nor none that came after him, durst presume to reuiue Chaucers lost labours in that vnperfite tale of the Squire, but only himselfe: which he had not done, had he not felt (as he saith) the infusion of Chaucers owne sweete spirite, suruiuing within him. And a little before he termeth him, Most renowmed and Heroicall Poet: and his Writings, The workes of heauenly wit: concluding his commendation in this

manner:

Dan Chaucer, Well of English vndefiled,

On Fames eternal beadrole worthy to be filed.

I follow here the footing of thy feet,

That with thy meaning so I may the rather meet.

And once againe I must remember M. Camdens authority, who as it were reaching one hand to Maister Ascham, and the other to Maister Spenser, and so drawing them togither vttereth of him these words. De Homero nostro Anglico illud verè asseram, quod de Homero eruditus ille Italus dixit:

Hic ille est, cuius de gurgite sacro

Combibit arcanos vatum omnis turba furores.

And that wee may conclude his praises with the testimony of the most worthiest Gentleman that the Court hath afforded of many yeares: Sir Philip Sidney in his Apologie for Poetry saith thus of him. Chaucer vndoubtedly did excellently in his Troylus and Creseid; of whom truly I know not, whether to meruaile more,

either that he in that mistie time, could see so clearely, or that we in this cleare age walke so stumblingly after him. Seeing therefore that both old and new writers haue carried this reuerend conceit of our Poet, and openly delared the same by writing, let vs conclude with Horace in the eight Ode of his fourth booke:

Dignum laude virum musa vetat morì.

FINIS

In the 1602 revision of the Speght Chaucer, some minor changes are made in the life of the poet, viz.: The italicized paragraph under the diagrammatic shield of Chaucer's arms is altered, thus, "But this is but a simple coniecture. For honorable houses & of great antiquitie, haue borne as meane Armes as Chaucer: and yet his armes are not so meane, ether for Colour, Charge, or Partition as some would make them." Note that this change from the “geometrical" interpretation of the 1598 ed. was suggested by Thynne, see the Animadversions, ed. Furnivall, p. 15. John and Elias Chaucer are mentioned; it is said that the name Chaucer is "one of Office or Occupation", and that "the Role of Battle Abbey affirmeth Chaucer to haue come in with the Conqueror."

Various slight alterations are made in the section on Chaucer's Children; that on Rewards is expanded; and under Friends, after the mention of the Lady Margaret, it is said that Chaucer "did specially honour her, as it may appeare in divers Treatises by him written: As in the Prologue of the Legend of good women vnder the name of the Daysie, and likewise in a Ballad, beginning, In the season of Feuerier."

Under Bookes, after the six Latin titles, "Others I haue seene without any Authours name, in the hands of M. Stow that painefull Antiquarie, which for the inuention" etc. And “M William Thynn in his first printed booke of Chaucers works with one Columbe on a side, had a Tale called the Pilgrims tale, which was more odious to the Clergie, than the speach of the Plowman. The tale began thus: In Lincolneshire fast by a fenne: Standeth a religious house who doth it kenne. The argument of which tale, as also the occasion thereof, and the cause why it was left out of Chaucers works, shall hereafter be shewed, if God permit, in M. Fran. Thyns coment vpon Chaucer: & the Tale it selfe published if possibly it can be found." In the section on Chaucer's death, after Brigham's epitaph is quoted, there is added: "About the ledge of whiche tombe were these verses, now cleane worne out.

Si rogites quis eram, forsan te fama docebit.

Quod si fama negat, mundi quia gloria transit,

Haec monumenta lege."

When the seven-line stanza is cited, between the two extracts from Lydgate, the "called Little Iohn" is cut out. A citation from Gawain Douglas is added to the commendatory extracts, before Surigon's epitaph. In the mention of the men of later time who have praised Chaucer, the allusion to Thynne is expanded, "whose iudgement we are the rather to approue, for that he had further insight into him than many others."

Winstanley. Englands Worthies. The Liues of the Most Eminent Persons from Constantine the Great to Oliuer Cromwell Late Protector, (etc.) London 1660. By William Winstanley, Gent. -47 Lives in all, almost entirely those of kings or of men of political import. Chaucer's is the 12th Life, pp. 91-98. Merely a condensed reproduction of Speght.

Phillips. Theatrum Poetarum, or a Compleat Collection of the Poets, especially the most Eminent, of all Ages, etc. By Edward Phillips. London 1674.

With a preface on poetry. The Ancient Poets fill pp. 1-192; the Modern Poets 1-196. A supplement extends from 197 to 234, Ancient Poetesses from 235 to 252, Modern Poetesses 253-261. Chaucer is found pp. 50-51. Phillips says: “Sir Geoffry Chaucer, the Prince and Coryphaeus, generally so reputed, till this Age, of our English Poets, and as much as we triumph over his old fashion'd phrase, and obsolete words, one of the first refiners of the English Language, of how great Esteem he was in the Age wherein he flourish'd, namely the Reigns of Henry the 4th, Henry the 5th, and part of Henry the 6th, appears, besides his being Knight and Poet Laureat, by the Honour he had to be allyed by Marriage to the great Earl of Lancaster John of Gaunt: How great a part we have lost of his Works above what we have Extant of him is manifest from an Author of good Credit, who reckons up many considerable Poems, which are not in his publisht Works; besides the Squires Tale, which is said to be compleat in Arundelhouse Library."

Winstanley. The Lives of the most Famous English Poets, or the Honour of Parnassus . . . . from the Time of K. William the Conqueror to the Reign of his Present Majesty King James II. (etc. etc.) By William Winstanley. London 1687.

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