Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-03-02
Which Of the castle was the chief dun


There as this Emily had her plavin-
Bright was the sun and clear that NOR.
rowningtG)
And Palamon. this woful prisoner.
AS was his won,O by leave OF his
Was risen. and roamed in a chambre
on high,
In which he all the noble city sigh.(.
And exc the garden, full of branches
green,
There as this fresh Emilia the sheen
Was in her walk. and roamed up and
down."
The, sorrowful prisoner" addresses
nimself to his companion, Arctic:
And saide: Cousin mine, what alleth
thee
Thou art so pale and deadly for to
see?
Why criedst thou? who hath thee done
offence?
For Goodies love take all In patience
Our prison. for it may none other be:
tortune has given us this adversely:
some wicke(S) aspect or disposition
or Saturn, by some constellation,
liath given us this. although we had
it sworn;
So stood the heaven when that We were
born;
We must endure; this Is the short and
plain
This Palamon answered. and said
Cousin. forsooth OF this opinion
Thou hast vain imagination:-"
II IS evident that without the pronun-
cation OF the 'e." silent in modern
English. and the accentuatjon of tho
Latin or French derivatives such as
OPINION, imagination" Chaucer's
mes are unmanageable as verse mus
ic.
There is no doubt now-sincc 1873
that Godfrey Chaucer was the son OF
John Chaucer wine-seller, of London.
ana little doubt that his mother, Agnes.
was n relative and heircss OF Hamo dc
compton, citizen, Of London, by profess
SION a moneycr." In the last half of
this century the date of Chaucer's birth
has gradually been changed from 1928
TO 1910 and the second date is now gem
orally accepted. In 1886 Chaucer as u
witness in military court testified
mat he was OF "thc age OF 40 years and
more (del aGe de MI. ct plus. hav-
ing borne arms for twenty-seven years.
In 1873 Mr.. Bond. of the British mu-
scum. discovered some accounts of tho
household of Prince Lionel. of Antwerp.
IN whose train Chaucer was probably
page. These accounts covered the
period between 1856 and 1859. IF he
were born in 1870" Prof. Lounsbury
says having quoted from Mr. Bonds
article In the Fortnightly Review, Au-
gust, 1873, this would make him in his
l'th year when his connection with the
court-of Edward 1II.--"flrst becomes
one thousand three hundred and forty
now stands as the very probable date.
He died on Oct. -, 400. His wife was
l'hilippa, ono Of the maids of honor to
ne queen of England. On the death of
me queen In 1869 she entered the SER
wee OF the Spanish Lady Constance,
second wife of John of Gaunt. She
probably died in the year 1887 We
know that Chaucer had n son-Lewis.
whether he had other children has not
yet been discovered Chaucer dedicated
his treatise on the "Astrolabe" Q39l) to
this boy, who was about 10 years OF
age 1t is known that he was elected
TO parliament from the county of Kent
IN 1856; he was treated handsomely by
itlchard IT. and constantly befriended
Dy Henry, of Lancaster: he was APP
pointed to important positions which
imply respect for those qualities of
Judgment and keen analysis which his
literary works manifest; he was clerk
OF Inc Kings works al Westminster of
| various great manors and parks; he
was respected Diplomatic neCotl.
tor, and in 1894 he received a pension
OF go year for life. This. according
10 Il fair estimate, would have given
MIN about $1,000 Il year of our money
That he was high. even when young,
! in the estimation OF the court is shown
by the fact that when he was taken
prisoner in France In the kings army
Edward did not hesitate to contribute
$500 toward Chauccr's ransom, who was
then only about 90 years of age Be
fore 1888 he had received two pensions
of 20 marks for in that wear there 10
record of his transferring them TO a
| certain John Scalby. That he was
| valet to the kinG-a position OF dignity.
since no unworthy hand could wait i'm
| medlately on the sovereign-is shown
| by authentic records. He was pro-
| NOTED to the more important post OF
/ nj
1871 he reccivcd-not as poet laureate
| but aS the first of courtly poets-the
grant OF daily allowance of wine
| from the kings butler. In 1878 he was
given 20 marks year for life in place
| of the wine. In 1870 he had Como on
q diplomatic mission to the continent to
arrange some business with Genoa and
Florence. This Journey was most I'm
| portant; 1T helped to change Chaucer's
! thought and manner. In the beginning
he had been largely under the spell of
! the French trouvercs; he later became
| Italian. Dante, Boccacclo. Petrarch.
were now his masters Italy. as far be-
yond England in 1877 as Athens in its
great days was beyond the italy OF
l1'7 filed his soul with light and his
ears with melody. In Italy he may
nave met Pctrarch; there is no evil
dence OF this. The words of the clerk
| OF Oxford in the prelude to the story
OF the patient Griselds count as little
| as the so-called personal illusions in
shakespeare Sonncts, when the SON
neteer throws himself into n dramatic
| position Chaucer went to Flanders
and TO France and In 1878 to Lombardy.
| lie was in 1874 controller OF the cus-
toms. with other duties added in 13S9.
| These Offices were no doubt given to
! nm because he was n keen man of bus
mess and an accomplished diplomatist.
fhat in the estimation of his contem-