OF

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

EDITED, FROM NUMEROUS MANUSCRIPTS

BY THE

REV. WALTER W. SKEAT, LITT.D., LL.D., M.A.

ELRINGTON AND BOSWORTH PROFESSOR OF ANGLO-SAXON

AND FELLOW OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

BOETHIUS AND TROILUS

'Adam scriveyn, if ever it thee befalle

Boece or Troilus to wryten newe,

Under thy lokkes thou most have the scalle,
But after my making thou wryte trewe.'

Chaucers Wordes unto Adam.

Oxford

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

M.DCCC.XCIV

[All rights reserved]

Oxford

PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS

BY HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION TO BOETHIUS.-§ 1. Date of the Work. § 2. Boethius.

§ 3. The Consolation of Philosophy; and fate of its author. § 4.

Jean de Meun. § 5. References by Boethius to current events.

§ 6. Cassiodorus. § 7. Form of the Treatise. § 8. Brief sketch

of its general contents. § 9. Early translations. § 10. Translation

by Ælfred. § 11. MS. copy, with A.S. glosses. § 12. Chaucer's

translation mentioned. § 13. Walton's verse translation. § 14.

Specimen of the same. § 15. His translation of Book ii. met. 5.

§ 16. M. E. prose translation; and others. §17. Chaucer's

translation and le Roman de la Rose. § 18. Chaucer's scholarship.

§ 19. Chaucer's prose. § 20. Some of his mistakes. § 21. Other

variations considered. § 22. Imitations of Boethius in Chaucer's

works. § 23. Comparison with 'Boece' of other works by

Chaucer. § 24. Chronology of Chaucer's works, as illustrated by

'Boece.' § 25. The Manuscripts. § 26. The Printed Editions.

§ 27. The Present Edition .

Colonne.

INTRODUCTION TO TROILUS.-§ 1. Date of the Work. § 2. Sources of

the Work; Boccaccio's Filostrato. §§ 3, 4. Other sources.

§ 5. Chaucer's share in it. § 6. Vagueness of reference to sources.

§ 7. Medieval note-books. § 8. Lollius. § 9. Guido delle

"
§ 10. Trophee.' §§ 11, 12. The same continued.

§§ 13-17. Passages from Guido. §§ 18, 19. Dares, Dictys, and

Benôit de Ste-More. § 20. The names; Troilus, &c. § 21.

Roman de la Rose. § 22. Gest Historiale. § 23. Lydgate's

Siege of Troye. § 24. Henrysoun's Testament of Criseyde. § 25.

The MSS. § 26. The Editions. § 27. The Present Edition.

28. Deficient lines. § 29. Proverbs.
§ 30. Kinaston's Latin

translation. § 31. Sidnam's translation

BOETHIUS DE CONSOLATIONE PHILOSOPHIE

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