letters of protection to attend Richard II. upon his expedition to Ireland in 1399, is Henricus Scogan, Armiger. This jocose expostulation was probably addressed to him by our author some years before, when Scogan's interest at court may be supposed to have been better than his own. 6. Chaucer to his emptie purse. Beginn. To you, my purse, &c. This balade is extant in MS. Fairf. 16. and in Cotton. Otho. A. XVIII. The Envoy appears to be addressed to Henry the 4th. 7. Balade beginning-The firste stock, &c. These three stanzas have been preserved in a "Moral Balade by Henry Scogan;" of which some notice will be taken below. 8. Proverbes by Chaucer. Beginn. What shal these clothes, &c. So this little piece is entitled in MS. Harl. 7578. It evidently contains two distinct Proverbs or Moral Admonitions. 9. Chaucer's wordes to his Scrivenere. Beginn. Adam Scrivenere, &c. A proof of his attention to the correctness of his writings. See also T. V. 1794, 5. The works of Chaucer in prose are, I. A TRANSLATION OF BOETHIUS de consolatione Philosophia, which he has mentioned himself in L.W. ver. 425. II. A TREATISE ON THE ASTROLABE, addressed to his son Louis, in 1391. It is plain from what is said at the beginning of this treatise, that the printed copies do not contain more than two of the five parts, of which it was intended to consist. III. THE TESTAMENT OF LOVE is evidently an imitation of Boethius de consolatione Philosophia. It seems to have been begun by our author after his troubles, in the middle part of the reign of Richard II, and to have been finished about the time that Gower published his Confessio Amantis, in the 16th year of that reign. At least it must then have been far advanced, as Gower mentions it by its title. Conf. Am. 190. b. The foregoing I consider as the genuine works of Chaucer. Of those, which have been improperly intermixed with his in the Editions, the following are known to be the works of other authors. 1. The Testament and Complaint of Creseide appears from ver. 41. not to have been written by Chaucer; and Mr. Urry was informed "by Sir James Ereskin, late Earl of Kelly, and diverse aged scholars of the Scottish nation," that the true author was "Mr. ROBERT Henderson, chief School-master of Dumferlin, a little time before Chaucer was first printed, and dedicated to King Henry VIII. by Mr. Thynne." I suppose, the same person is meant that is called ROBERT HENRYSONE in "Ancient Scottish Poems," where several of his compositions may be seen, from p. 98 to p. 138. 2. The Floure of Courtesie is said, in the title, to have been made by JOHN LYDGATE. 3. La Belle Dame sans mercie, a translation from Alain Chartier, is attributed in MS. Harl. 372. to Sir RICHARD Ros. See App. to the Pref. C. note". Upon looking further into Alain's works I find a Balade upon the taking of Fougieres by the English in 1448 (Oeuvres d'Al. Chartier, p. 717.); so that he was certainly living near fifty years after Chaucer's death; which makes it quite incredible that the latter should have translated any thing of his. 4. The Letter of Cupide is dated in 1402, two years after Chaucer's death. It was written by THOMAS OCCLEVE, who mentions it himself, as one of his own compositions, in a Dialogue, which follows his Complaint. MS. Bodl. 1504. "Yes, Thomas, yes, in the epistle of Cupide Thou hast of hem so largelich seid." 5. JOHN GOWER unto the noble King Henry the 4th, with some Latin verses of the same author. 6. Sayings of DAN JOHN (LYDGATE). 7. SCOGAN unto the lordes and gentlemen of the Kynges house. So the title of this poem is expressed in the old Editt. but, according to Mr. Speght, in the written copies it is thus ; "Here followeth a moral balade to the Prince, the Duke of Clarence, the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Glocester, the King's sonnes; by Henry Scogan, at a supper among the Marchants in the Vintry at London in the house of Lewis John." This cannot be quite accurate; as neither of the two younger sons of Henry IV. had the title of Duke while their eldest brother was Prince; but I find that there was, about that time, a Lewis John, a Welshman, who was naturalized by act of Parliament, 2 H. V. and who was concerned with Thomas Chaucer in the execution of the office of Chief Butler. Rot. Parl. 2 H. V. n. 18. The same person, probably, was appointed Remitter of all monies that should be sent to Rome for three years. Ap. Rymer. an. eodem. The article concerning Skogan in Tanner's Bibl. Brit. is a heap of confusion. He is there called John; is said to have been a Master of Arts of Oxford and jester to K. Edward VI. (perhaps a misprint for IV); to have been contemporary with Chaucer, and famous in the year 1480. In a collection of foolish stories, which is supposed to have been first published by Dr. Andrew Borde, in the time of Henry VIII, under the title of Scogan's jests, he is called Thomas; and there too he is represented as a Graduate, I think, of Oxford, and as jester to some King, but without any circumstances sufficient to determine what King is meant. I am inclined to believe that the Scogan, who wrote this poem, is rightly named Henry in Mr. Speght's MS. As to the two circumstances of his having been a Master of Arts of Oxford and jester to a King, I can find no older authority for either than Dr. Borde's book. That he was contemporary with Chaucer, but so as to survive him for several years, perhaps till the reign of Henry V, is sufficiently clear from this poem. Shakespeare seems to have followed the jest-book, in considering Scogan as a mere buffoon, when he mentions, as one of Falstaff's boyish exploits, that he "broke Scogan's head at the Court-gate;" (2d Part of Henry IV. A. 3.) but Jonson has given a more dignified, and, probably, a juster account of his situation and character. Masque of the Fortunate Isles, Vol. vi. p. 192. Mere-fool. Skogan? what was he? Johphiel. O, a fine gentleman and master of arts Of Henry the fourth's time, that made disguises Mere-fool. But wrote he like a gentleman ? Johphiel. In rhime, fine tinkling rhime and flowand verse, Are now a-days. This description of Skogan corresponds very well with the ideas which would naturally be suggested by the perusal of the poem before us, and of that addressed to him by Chaucer. See above, p. 447. And indeed I question whether Jonson had any other good foundation for what he has said of him. 8. A balade of goode counseil, translated out of Latin verses into English, by DAN JOHN Lydgate. 9. A balade made in the preise, or rather dispreise, of women for their doubleness; by LYDGATE, according to MS. Ashmol. 6943. 10. A balade warning men to beware of deceitful women; by LYDGATE, according to MS. Harl. 2251. To these, which are known to be the works of other authors, we should perhaps add an 11th, viz. Balade in commendation of our Ladie; as a poem with the same beginning is ascribed to LYDGATE, under the title of "Invocation to our Lady." Tanner, in v. LYDGATE. G G The anonymous compositions, which have been from time to time added to Chaucer's in the several Editt. seem to have been received, for the most part, without any external evidence whatever, and in direct contradiction to the strongest internal evidence. Of this sort are "The Plowman's tale," first printed in 1542: See the Discourse, &c. §. XL. n. 32. “The Story of Gamelyn," and "The Continuation of the Canterbury Tales," first printed in Mr. Urry's Edition: "Jack Upland," first produced by Mr. Speght in 1602. I have declared my suspicion, in the Gloss. v. ORIGENES, that the " Lamentation of Marie Magdalene" was not written by Chaucer; and I am still clearer that the “ Assemblee of Ladies,” “A Praise of Women,” and the “Remedie of Love," ought not to be imputed to him. It would be a waste of time to sift accurately the heap of rubbish, which was added, by John Stowe, to the Edit. of 1561. Though we might perhaps be able to pick out two or three genuine fragments of Chaucer, we should probably find them so soiled and mangled *, that he would not thank us for asserting his claim to them. 66 * As a specimen of the care and discernment, with which Mr. Stowe's collections were made, I would refer the curious reader to what is called a Balade, fol. 324. b. Ed. Sp. Beginn. O merciful and o merciable. The four first stanzas are found in different parts of an imperfect poem upon the Fall of Man. MS. Harl. 2251. n. 138. The 11th stanza makes part of an Envoy, which in the same MS. n. 37. is annexed to the poem entitled" The Craft of Lovers," among the Additions to Chaucer's works, by J. Stowe; which poem, by the way, though printed with a date of 1347, and ascribed to Chaucer, has in the MS. a much more probable date of 1459, near sixty years after Chaucer's death. There is one little piece, perhaps by Chaucer, fol. 224. Ed. Sp. Beginn. Alone walking, In thought plaining, &c. which comes nearer to the description of a Virelay, than anything else of his that has been preserved. See the book quoted in the Gloss. v. Virelaye. EXPLANATION OF THE ABBREVIATIONS BY WHICH THE WORKS OF CHAUCER AND SOME OTHER BOOKS ARE GENERALLY CITED IN THE FOLLOWING GLOSSARY. The Arabian numerals, without any letter prefixed, refer to the verses of the Canterbury Tales in this Edition. Lydg. Trag. -Lydgate's Translation of Boccace De casibus virorum illustrium, Edit. 125 Prompt Parv.-Promptorium Parvulorum sive Clericorum. MS. Harl. 221. A dictionary, in which many hundreds of English words are translated into Latin, compiled in 302 Prov. R. R. G. Sk. Sp. ingly his orthography will be found to differ very much from Chaucer's. His -The Romaunt of the Rose, -Robert of Glocester's Chronicle. Ed. Hearne. -Skinner's Etymologicon Ling. Angl. T. T. L. Ur. -Speght, the Editor of Chaucer. -Troilus and Creseide, 5 Books, -Testament of Love, 3 Books, -Urry, the Editor of Chaucer. 321 b. 100 143 21 b. |