INTRODUCTION. FOR an account of Chaucer's life, I must beg leave to refer the reader to the edition of Chaucer's Prologue, Knightes Tale, &c., by Dr. Morris, in the Clarendon Press Series; a volume to which I have frequently had occasion to refer in the Notes and Glossary. But it is worth while to remark that Mr. Furnivall, by diligent searching amongst old records, has lately succeeded in finding out some new facts concerning Chaucer, which have been published from time to time in The Athenæum, and since collected and published in his 'Originals and Analogues of some of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales,' published for the Chaucer Society, and dated (in advance) 1875. We hence learn that the poet was the son of John Chaucer, Vintner, of Thames Street, London, and Agnes, his wife. Also, that John Chaucer had a half-brother, named Thomas Heroun or Heyroun, both being born of the same mother, named Maria, who must have been married to one of the Heroun family first, and subsequently to John Chaucer's father. The will of Thomas Heyroun is dated April 7th, 1349, his executor being his half-brother John Chaucer, the poet's father. We also find that John Chaucer was the son of Richard Chaucer, Vintner, who in his will, dated Easter-day (April 12th) 1349, names Maria his wife, and Thomas Heyroun her son. Richard Chaucer and Thomas Heyroun must have died nearly at the same time, carried off probably by the memorable plague of 1349. Chaucer's mother, Agnes, had an uncle named Hamo de Copton, a moneyer. The most interesting entries relating to the above matters are (1) that in which occur the words 'me Galfridum Chaucer, filium Johannis Chaucer, Vinetarii, Londonie' (City Hustings Roll, 110, 5 Ric. II, dated June 19, 1380), whereby the poet releases, to Henry Herbury, all his right to his father's house in Thames Street; and (2) that in which occur the words 'ego Johannes Chaucer, Ciuis et Vinetarius Ciuitatis Londonie, & Agnes Vxor mea, consanguinea & Heres Hamonis de Copton quondam Ciuis & Monetarii Civitatis predicte' (Hustings Roll, 93, dated January 16, 1366), being a conveyance by John Chaucer and Agnes his wife, of a part of her land inherited from her uncle Hamo de Copton, moneyer 1. From the Clerk-of-the-Works' Accounts and the Foreign Accounts we learn that Chaucer was Clerk of the Works at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on July 12, 1390, and was succeeded in the appointment by John Gedney, on July 8, 1391. Whilst holding this appointment, viz. on September 3, 1390, Chaucer was robbed, near the 'foule Ok' (foul oak), of £20 of the King's money, his horse, and other moveables, by certain notorious thieves, as was fully confessed by the mouth of one of them when in gaol at Westminster. The King's writ, wherein he forgives Chaucer this sum of £20, is still extant. In connection with the author of The Knightes Tale, it is particularly interesting to find that there is a writ dated July 1, 1390, allowing him the costs of putting up scaffolds in Smithfield for the King and Queen to see the jousts which took place in May, 1390. See Kn. Tale, 1023. Chaucer tells us, in his Prologue, ll. 791-795, that it was his intention to make each of the pilgrims tell four tales, two on the way to Canterbury and two on the return-journey. But so far from fulfilling his proposed plan, he did not even complete so much as a quarter of it, since the number of tales do not even suffice to go once round, much less four times. No pilgrim tells two stories, though the poet represents himself as being inter 1 For the quotations, see The Athenæum, Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, 1873. |