Anelida (according to a heading in MS. Addit. 16165); the Lines to Adam, called in MS. T. 'Chauciers Wordes a. Geffrey vn-to Adam his owen scryveyne' (see p. 117); Fortune (see P. 374); Truth (see p. 380); Gentilesse (see p. 383); Lak of Stedfastnesse (see p. 386); the Compleint of Venus (see p. 392); and the Compleint to his Empty Purse (see p. 396). The MSS. due to Shirley are the Sion College MS., Trin. Coll. Cam. R. 3. 20, Addit. 16165, Ashmole 59, Harl. 78, Harl. 2251, and Harl. 7333. TESTIMONY OF SCRIBES OF THE MSS. The Fairfax MS. 16, a very fair MS. of the fifteenth century, contains several of the Minor Poems; and in this the name of Chaucer is written at the end of the poem on Truth (see p. 194) and of the Compleint to his Purse (see p. 211); it also appears in the title of Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan (see p. 201); in that of Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton (see p. 204); in that of the Compleint of Chaucer to his empty Purse (p. 210), and in that of 'Proverbe of Chaucer' (p. 398). Again, the Pepys MS. no. 2006 attributes to Chaucer the A. B. C., the title there given being' Pryer a nostre Dame, per Chaucer'; as well as the Compleint to his Purse, the title being 'La Compleint de Chaucer a sa Bourse Voide' (see p. 210). It also has the title 'Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan.' The 'Former Age' is entitled 'Chawcer vp-on this fyfte metur of the second book' in the Cambridge MS. Ii. 3. 21; and at the end of the same poem is written 'Finit etas prima. Chaucers' in the Cambridge MS. Hh. 4. 12 (see p. 188). The poem on Fortune is also marked 'Causer' in the former of these MSS.; and in fact these two poems practically belong to Chaucer's translation of Boethius, though probably written at a somewhat later period. The Cambridge MS. Gg. 4. 27, which contains an excellent copy of the Canterbury Tales, attributes to Chaucer the Parliament of Foules (see p. 99); and gives us the title 'Litera directa de Scogon per G. C.' (see p. 201). Of course 'G. C.' is Geoffrey Chaucer. From Furnivall's Trial Forewords, p. 13, we learn that there is a verse translation of De Deguileville's Pélerinage de la Vie Humaine, attributed to Lydgate, in MS. Cotton, Vitellius C. XIII. (leaf 256), in which the 'A. B. C.' is distinctly attributed to Chaucer1. TESTIMONY OF CAXTON. At p. 116 of the same Trial Forewords is a description by Mr. Bradshaw of a very rare edition by Caxton of some of Chaucer's Minor Poems. It contains: (1) Parliament of Foules; (2) a treatise by Scogan, in which Chaucer's 'Gentilesse' is introduced; (3) a single stanza of 7 lines, beginning-' Wyth empty honde men may no hawkes lure'; (4) Chaucer's 'Truth,' entitled 'The good counceyl of Chawcer'; (5) the poem on 'Fortune'; and (6) part of Lenvoy to Scogan, viz. the first three stanzas. The volume is imperfect at the end. As to the article No. 3, it was probably included because the first line of it is quoted from 1. 415 of the Wyf of Bathes Prologue (Cant. Ta. 5997). 2 At p. 118 of the same is another description, also by Mr. Bradshaw, of a small quarto volume printed by Caxton, consisting of only ten leaves. It contains: (1) Anelida and Arcite, Il. 1-210; (2) The Compleint of Anelida, being the continuation of the former, 11. 211-350, where the poem ends; (3) The Compleint of Chaucer vnto his empty purse, with an Envoy headed 'Thenuoye of Chaucer vnto the kynge'; (4) Three couplets, beginning 'Whan feyth failleth in prestes sawes,' and ending 'Be brought to grete confusioun'; (5) Two couplets, beginning -'Hit falleth for euery gentilman,' and ending-'And the soth in his presence'; (6) Two couplets, beginning-'Hit cometh by kynde of gentil blode,' and ending 'The werk of wisedom berith witnes'; followed by-'Et sic est finis.' The last three articles only make fourteen lines in all, and are of little importance3. EARLY EDITIONS OF CHAUCER'S WORKS. The first collected edition of Chaucer's Works is that edited by W. Thynne in 1532, but there were earlier editions of his separate poems. The best account of these is that which I 1 Hoccleve's poem entitled 'Moder of God' is erroneously attributed to Chaucer in two Scottish copies (Arch. Seld. B 24, and Edinb. 18. 2. 8). * Printed 'Six couplets'; clearly a slip of the pen. 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 Foules 1, 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. Gentilnesse (in Scogan's poem). 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8. Truth. (The good counceyl of chawcer). 1. Caxton, ab. 1477-8. Fortune3. (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. 1i.e. the Parliament of Foules. 2 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. After Thynne's first edition of the Works in 1532 (printed by Thomas Godfray), came 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. Various editions before 1532; see the list above, on p. xvi. 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. Godfray. Pr. by 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 Upland', 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. 2 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. 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. As a |