here copy from a note on p. 70 of Furnivall's edition of F. Thynne's 'Animaduersions vpon the Annotacions and Corrections of some imperfections of impressiones of Chaucer's Workes'; published for the Chaucer Society in 1875.

Only one edition of Chaucer's Works had been published before the date of Thynne's, 1532, and that was Pynson's in 1526, without a general title, but containing three parts, with separate signatures, and seemingly intended to sell separately; 1. the boke of Caunterbury tales; 2. the boke of Fame... with dyuers other of his workes [i. e. Assemble of Foules1, La Belle Dame, Morall Prouerbes]; 3. the boke of Troylus and Cryseyde. But of separate works of Chaucer before 1532, the following had been published :

Canterbury Tales. 1. Caxton, about 1477-8, from a poor MS.; 2. Caxton, ab. 1483, from a better MS.; 3. Pynson, ab. 1493; 4. Wynkyn de Worde, 1498; 5. Pynson, 1526. Book of Fame. 1. Caxton, ab. 1483; 2. Pynson, 1526. Troylus. 1. Caxton, ab. 1483; 2. Wynkyn de Worde, 1517; 3. Pynson, 1526.

Parliament of Foules. 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8; 2. Pynson, 1526; 3. Wynkyn de Worde, 1530.

3

Gentilnesse (in Scogan's poem). 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8.

Truth3. (The good counceyl of chawcer).

1477-8.

1. Caxton, ab.

Fortune. (Balade of the vilage (sic) without peyntyng). 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8.

Envoy to Skogan3. 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8 (all lost, after the third stanza).

Anelida and Arcyte. 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8.

Purse. (The compleynt of chaucer vnto his empty purse). 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8.

Mars; Venus; Marriage (Lenvoy to Bukton). 1. Julian Notary, 1499-1502.

1 i. e. the Parliament of Foules.

'La Belle Dame sans Merci, a poem translated from the French originally written by 'Maister Aleyn,' chief secretary to the King of France. Certainly not by Chaucer; for Alain Chartier, the author of the original French poem, was only about four years old when Chaucer died.

All in Caxton's edition of the Minor Poems, described above, p. xv.
Both in the small quarto volume described above, p. xv.

After Thynne's first edition of the Works in 1532 (printed by Thomas Godfray), çame his second in 1542 (for John Reynes and Wyllyam Bonham), to which he added 'The Plowman's Tale' after the Parson's Tale.

Then came a reprint for the booksellers (Wm. Bonham, R. Kele, T. Petit, Robert Toye), about 1550, which put the Plowman's Tale before the Parson's. This was followed by an edition in 1561 for the booksellers (Ihon Kyngston, Henry Bradsha, citizen and grocer of London, &c.), to which, when more than half printed, Stowe contributed some fresh pieces, the spurious Court of Love, Lydgate's Sege of Thebes, and other poems. Next came Speght's edition of 1598-on which William Thynne comments in his Animadversions-which added the spurious' Dreme,' and 'Flower and Leaf.' This was followed by Speght's second edition, in 1602, in which Francis Thynne helped him, and to which were added Chaucer's 'A. B. C., and the spurious 'Jack Upland Jack Upland had been before printed, with Chaucer's name on the title-page, about 1536-40 (London, J. Gough, no date, 8vo.)

In an Appendix to the Preface to Tyrwhitt's edition of the Canterbury Tales, there is a similar account of the early editions of Chaucer, to which the reader may refer. He quotes the whole of Caxton's preface to his second edition of the Canterbury Tales, shewing how Caxton reprinted the book because he had meanwhile come upon a more correct MS. than that which he had first followed.

If we now briefly consider all the earlier editions, we find that they may be thus tabulated.

SEPARATE WORKS. list above, on p. xvi.

Various editions before 1532; see the

COLLECTED WORKS. Pynson's edition of 1526, containing only a portion, as above; La Belle Dame being spurious. Also the following:-

1. Ed. by Wm. Thynne; London, 1532. Folio. Pr. by Godfray.

2. Reprinted, with additional matter; London, 1542. Folio. The chief addition is the spurious Plowman's Tale.

3. Reprinted, with the matter rearranged; London, no date, about 1550. Folio.

1

Speght added three more pieces; see below, p. xxxiii.
b

Here the Plowman's Tale is put before the Parson's.

4. Reprinted, with large additions by John Stowe. London, 1561. Folio. (See further below.)

5. Reprinted, with additions and alterations by Thomas Speght; London, 1598. Folio.

Here, for the first time, appear ‘Chaucer's Dream' and 'The Flower and the Leaf'; both are spurious.

6. Reprinted, with further additions and alterations by Thomas Speght; London, 1602. Folio.

Here, for the first time, appear the spurious Jack Upland1, and the genuine A. B. C.

7. Reprinted, with slight additions; London, 1687. Folio. 8. Reprinted, with additions and great alterations in spelling, by John Urry; London, 1721. Folio.

This edition is the worst that has appeared. It is not necessary for our purpose to enumerate the numerous later editions. An entirely new edition of the Canterbury Tales was produced by Thomas Tyrwhitt in 1775-8, in 5 vols., 8vo.; to which all later editions have been much indebted 2.

The manner in which these editions were copied one from the other renders it no very difficult task to describe the whole contents of them accurately. The only important addition in the editions of 1542 and 1550 is the spurious Plowman's Tale, which in no way concerns us. Again, the only important additional poems after 1561 are the spurious Chaucer's Dream, The Flower and the Leaf, and the genuine A. B. C. The two representative editions are really those of 1532 and 1561. Now the edition of 1561 consists of two parts; the former consists of a reprint from former editions, and so differs but little from the

1 Jack Upland is in prose, and in the form of a succession of questions directed against the friars.

* I have often made use of a handy edition with the following titlepage: The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, with an Essay on his Language and Versification and an Introductory Discourse, together with Notes and a Glossary. By Thomas Tyrwhitt. London, Edward Moxon, Dover Street, 1855.' I cannot but think that this title-page may have misled others, as it for a long time misled myself. As a fact, Tyrwhitt never edited anything beyond the Canterbury Tales, though he has left us some useful notes upon the Minor Poems, and his Glossary covers the whole ground. The Minor Poems in this edition are merely reprinted from the black-letter editions.

edition of 1532; whilst the latter part consists of additional matter furnished by John Stowe. Hence a careful examination of the edition of 1561 is, practically, sufficient to give us all the information which we need. I shall therefore give a complete table of the contents of this edition.

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF STOWE'S EDITION (1561)1.

PART I. REPRINTED MATTER.

1. Caunterburie Tales. (The Prologue begins on a page with the signature A 2, the first quire of six leaves not being numbered; the Knightes Tale begins on a page with the signature B ii.. and marked Fol. i. The spurious Plowman's Tale precedes the Parson's Tale).

2. The Romaunt of the Rose2. Fol. cxvi.

3. Troilus and Creseide. Fol. cli., back.

4. The testament of Creseide. [By Robert Henryson.] Fol. cxciiii. Followed by its continuation, called The Complaint of Creseide; by the same.

5. The Legende of Good Women. Fol. cxcvij.

6. A goodlie balade of Chaucer; beginning-' Mother of norture, best beloued of all.' Fol. ccx.

7. Boecius de Consolatione Philosophie.

Fol. ccx., back.

8. The dreame of Chaucer. [The Book of the Duchesse.] Fol. ccxliiij.

9. Begins-'My master. &c. When of Christ our kyng. [Lenvoy to Buckton.] Fol. ccxliiii.

10. The assemble of Foules. [Parlement of Foules.] Fol. ccxliiii., back.

11. The Floure of Curtesie, made by Ihon lidgate. Fol. ccxlviij. Followed by a Balade, which forms part of it.

12. How pyte is deed, etc. ccxlix., back.

[Complaint vnto Pite.] Fol.

1 Probably copies slightly differ. The book described by me is a copy in my own possession, somewhat torn at the beginning, and imperfect at the end. But the three missing leaves only refer to Lydgate's Storie of Thebes.

2 I print in italics the names of the pieces which I reject as spurious.

13. La belle Dame sans Mercy. [By Sir R. Ros.] Fol. ccl. 14. Of Quene Annelida and false Arcite. Fol. cclv.

15. The assemble of ladies. Fol. ccxlvij.

16. The conclucions of the Astrolabie. Fol. cclxi.

17. The complaint of the blacke Knight. [By Lydgate; see p. xlv.] Fol. cclxx.

18. A praise of Women. Begins-'Al tho the lyste of women euill to speke.' Fol. cclxxiii.', back.

19. The House of Fame. Fol. cclxxiiij., back.

20. The Testament of Loue (in prose). Fol. cclxxxiiij., back. 21. The lamentacion of Marie Magdaleine. Fol. cccxviij. 22. The remedie of Loue. Fol. cccxxj., back.

23, 24. The complaint of Mars and Venus. Fol. cccxxiiij., back. (Printed as one poem; but there is a new title-The complaint of Venus—at the beginning of the latter).

25. The letter of Cupide. [By Hoccleve; dated 1402.] Fol. cccxxvj., back.

26. A Ballade in commendacion of our Ladie. Fol. cccxxix. 27. Ihon Gower vnto the noble King Henry the iiij. Fol. CCCXXX, back.

28. A saiyng of dan Ihon. [By Lydgate.] Fol. cccxxxii., back.

29. Yet of the same. [By Lydgate.] On the same page. 30. Balade de bon consail. Begins-If it be falle that God the list visite. (Only 7 lines.) On the same page.

31. Of the Cuckowe and the Nightingale. Fol. cccxxxiij. 32. Balade with Envoy (no title). Begins-'O leude booke with thy foule rudenesse.' Fol. cccxxxiiij., back.

33. Scogan, vnto the Lordes and Gentilmen of the Kinges house. (This poem, by H. Scogan, quotes Chaucer's 'Gentilesse' in full). Fol. cccxxxiiij., back.

34. Begins-Somtyme the worlde so stedfast was and stable.' [Lak of Stedfastnesse]. Fol. cccxxxv., back.

35. Good counsail of Chaucer.

[Truth.] Same page.

36. Balade of the village (sic) without paintyng. [Fortune.] Fol. cccxxxvj.

37. Begins Tobroken been the statutes hie in heauen'; headed Lenuoye. [Lenvoy to Scogan.] Fol. cccxxxvj., back.

1 Marked Fol. cclxxvj. by mistake.