New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-25
CHAUCER AND HIS WORKS.
A LECTURE,
BY REV. VIM. w. LORD.
[Rerorted for The Tribune

on the Age OF Romance and Romantic Poetry,
was delivered il Hope Chapel on Saturday owe
ming There was very fair audience in attend
ance, and much interest was manifested in the
Lecture.
The Rev gentleman said that Godfrey Chaucer
was well named the Morning Star Of English
Poesy The term not only expressed his relation
to the Poets in point OF anteccdence, and his
position as the founder of the literary preten-
sions OF the English language, but there is about
him freshness IS Of tie morning an ire sulaI.
misty shape of things. coored aud brightene, v
gistening and dewy light as of thu cara
under the ushering star of dawn. Chaucer,
like Shakspere ard Spenser, and every
other great original genius, was -
the least degree an inventor b a
member of the sublime brotherhood Gu IS
he inherited, by right all their labors and posses.
sions. His i" Romaunt of the Rose is transa-
ton from VIM De Louis, and Jean De Menin
"Trohus and Cresside is initiated from Boo
cace's "Philostrate;" the Legend OF the Good
Woman is a free translation from Ovids Epls
Ties the " House Of Fame " IS compilation;
Palamon and Arctic is known to be an mlta-
ton of the tTheselde OF Boccoce. Originality
does not necessarily suppose novelty, nor Goes
novelty, according to the common mlStsRa OF q
modern and peculiarly American scnoo OF scrltl-
cisn, always If ever, suppose orig 'h&lIty ohau'
Ger himself gave better accounf OF the matter,
md the passage is good one to answer the sar-
casrns vented by Votalre against Shakspere and
sIl other sueers OF inventive medocrity against
originating genius, rs to the apology which small
critics have from time to time felt themselves
called upon to make Tor the great father Of Eng
! lIsh poetry;
"For out ofhe old fields as men Saith,
Comelh all thisnew Corue from yeaTe TO yeare;
Ard cut otOd BOokes. IN good faith
Cometh ali this new Science that men here
The Lecturer spoke of the power Of the poet
as the power of nature, and deemed that Cha1cer
had better right to be distinguished as the
! Poet of Nature than any other who ever wrote;
be is the great Poet OF external, as Shakespeare is
of internal nature it is the re-creatve faculty
which gave both their power; that power is to
make the thoughts and feelings OF others peculiar
ly their own they do not add themselves to the
authors from whom they borrow, but they add
that which they borrow to the sum OF their o"a
being, ard quicken it with their own vitality; they
draw life from that which nitselfis dead, and make
form in that whichhas beenshapeless The Lecturer
here drew parallel between Chaucer and Shah-
spere as to the descriptive power oil each quo
ting freely from Trolius 81 the former and .Feoilaa
and CrebSida OF the iattor CHANGER gave the
most elaborate minute and faithful descriptions
OF his heroes Shakespeare gave Only single touch,
Just as little as he could possibly do with. Ohau-
Ger had an inward, subtle and exquisite sense OF
natural objects, feeling oil their very essence, OF
the worth mud richness OF their substance as well
as the beauty OF their forms. Tue most striking
contrasts IN this respect might be found IN com
parson of Chaucer the father of the first refine
meuts OF English poetry, with Shelley the crca.
ture OF its last In the latter we lind no beings,
nothing concrete, but only retnements and 40
stracti0ns 1t is as if he had abshacted ali the
substance from the forms OF Nature and lett notn,
ing but vap0r and moOnshlnG, echo ana image, anu
sparkling emptiness. Mr.. Lord eXpatiated stu
further upon the tenuous ideallty OF Shelley. But
Cbauncels feeling of Nature as distinguished
from Art is his only Art--the source OF all his
art He fairly revealed athe world OF facts ne lun-
gulshed ike lover for anearer object and more IN
innate alliance with Nature He pines throughthe
night to hear the song of the shy nightingale,
wakes before day with eager longing to catch the
first notes OF the lark, aud rises betImes IN tho
morning twilight to surprise nature IN her I'M
dressed loneliness, and gaze upon her as she APP
pears in the fresh dsheyel.ed Sraces OF just
awakening beauty, before the sun clothes Der with
gold and gives her to the worshiplng eyes OF the
multitude This susceptibility OF CHANGER makes
him in the hands Of nature what Nature IS III tho
hands OF Spencer, an impressive instrument In
Chaucers most pleasing descriptions OF nature
we have always the same richness OF ieeiihB, Inc
same intimacy with her subtlest charms the same
birds singing TIE same songs, the same springs,
rivers, BEDS me Sd 4ie sun, anu Ho'~Sb NV w"
drops. After a hrief consideration or comparison
OF Cbaucer and Sponsor Mr. Lord came 10 notice
of Chaucers productions specially the " Canter-
buryTaes.o a., briefly sletched some Of the char
scters lhere portrayed-the supposed telIers
of the Tales. He read the prologues to
the tales of the Prioress and the Parson-
The later he considered to be most likely
picture from life Of good Priest. 1t had some
lines been compared with Goldsmiths Parson, IN
the Deserted Village but the Lecturer thought
its severe dignity OF expression was more nearly
figured in Miltons Lycidas' The Knight, VINO
follows the Parson, is scarcely less dlSnlhed than
the Parson himself He is Ioyor Of chiysIry,
truth, honor, freedom and courtesy, and with great
propriety h. is made to relate the romantic tales
of = palemon and Arctic" and OF "Cumbercan
Bold" In the Knights Tale we have descrip-
ton of tournament from one living IN the gold
en- age d Chivalry. Mr.. Lord read the description
Of tn ournamenti a lite picture, clear, sharp,
aud ling like the clang OF the arms OF the com,
be- qltg. The Lecturer incidentally remarked
that the Knights Tale was the master specimen.
IN early English poetry, OF the ten-sylaoled e&-
heroic verse Thence Lthe Lecturer passed 70
review OF Chaucer's own Tale, which was the DO
" OF Sir Thopas, q numerous satire upon those fo
mantle legends IN which the poet shows such
wonderful power. He deemed SIR IhoPas %
be the faint prototype OF Don 0ul@o t' MI
is nothing singular in this. Men wbo thoroughly
accept any form OF life faith, in an age that does
So are not AFRAID to use a. little humorous freedom
n their mode of viewing that which they most Sc
riousy respect and devoutIy believe. 1t was in
an age that most thoroughly accepted monarchy
as a divine right and the Christian hierarchy as,
divine institution, that they had their Abbots Of
Unreason and their Kings of Misrnle. Bat then
there was no skepticism to misunderstood aaa
prevent little harmless buresque But as soon
as men begin to doubt all pleasantly sounds N Ike
soothing Mr. Lord glanced at the don QulXoIe
of Ceramics, which he thought grew out OF ma
MIA for chivary. Don Quixote is the pure reason
and moral instincts personifed and exposed to the
misapprehension and ridicule ofthe understanding
and senses He is an idea, running tilt against
facts, that it cannot admit or approve and tnas
cannot understand it. Don QuixOte In poem
would be second to no hero OF ancient or modern
epics In history be is made ridiculous as %
Captain Bobadi In the F airy Queen, he YOU'D
1--we seemed great and in the course Of thin5s