The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-01

manuscripts in their blue, red and gold,
or at the earliest Chaucer editions
printed from type, would, in any cir
cumStanceS. be an hour well spent: and
in our case the journey was made under
the escort of an official of the museum,
learned in all that relates to Chaucer.
AS everybody can not be so favored. the
obvious thing is TO pass the information
on.
I'VE have here,' said our guide, "prac-
tically all the printed editions of Chau-
Ger, but not by any means all the known
Chaucer manuscripts. Some of these are
in private hands, and some are at Oxford
and Cambridge. I don't recall any
Chaucer manuscript that has gone out of
the country. There may be one or two
in Paris, but they are nothing to speak
about
When one refers to a Chaucer man
uscrfpt, it does not, of course, mean a
manuscript in his handwriting?
"Oh, no; because there are none. So
far as I am aware there is not even
copy of his signature in existence.
Even allowing for the remoteness of his
time, that is rather curious. He was
controller of customs for hides and
woods at the port of London and clerk
of works at Windsor. While he had
these posts he must have written his
signature many times day, but it can
not be said as an absolute certainty that
as much as that of his handwriting sur
wives. Therefore a Chaucer manuscript
is simply a book of the time printed by
hand
what is the most valuable Chaucer
relic in England?'
1.-THE Ellesnere manuscript. which
Professor Skeat took as the fOunda ton
of his edition of the Canterbury Tales
1t gets it's name because it belongs to
the Earl of Ellesmere, and is at Bridge
water house. It not only has the text
which is considered the best, but 1t con-
tains a series of contemporary pictures
colored by hand. OF these we have a re-
production, as may point out to you, in
this collection"
But you have treasures far greater
than reproductions? %
ssTo be sure. Take the Harley manu-
script, so called after its pOsSessor last
century, Robert Harley, earl of Oxford.
Until the ElIeSmere manuscript this was
the best text known, and Thomas
Wright and DR.. Richard Morris used it
Tales 1t is a fairly clean text, but
has some blunders and some doubtful
readings"
do we know what sort of man
Chaucer was in appearance"
.fWell, there is manuscript work in
this case which gets it's Chaucer interest
from the fact that it contains por-
trait of him. Anyhow, the voiume-it
is by a-friend of CheIcer'S, one Thomas
Occleve-belongs to the early part OF
the fifteenth century. The poem con-
tainS a reference to Chaucer-a REFER
ence by one who knew him-and the
be said to be the foundation of all the
portraits which are known of Chaucer.
Next we come to the LanSdOWne manu-
script and it also has a picture OF
Chaucer worked into an initial letter.
We may pass over the subsidiary manu-
of Chaucer's minor works
and look at the early printed editions
of the Canterbury Tales
ITO what date do the editions be-
long?"
''Ghaucer died in 14O0, and these four
volumes were printed before 1900. Two
of them are Caxtons, and so are valua-
BILE in a double sense-perhaps they are |
worth $4,000 each The third book is |
printed by Tynson, the fourth by Wyn- |
kin de WOrde. We have also a. Caxton |
edition of Chaucer's minor writings, and, |
again, all the collected editions of his |
works. These collected editions SHOW |
how people kept inserting things into |
Chaucer that were not Chaucer's. This |
kind of editing of him reached its
climax with the edition of Urry in 112l, !
the worst edition of ALL
'sThere was, then, a clear call for the
Chaucer Society,"?
ssThere was indeed. It's mission was to
get rid of what was not Chaucer's. and
toward that end five of the best manu-
scripts were printed side by side. The
society has also edited the Canterbury
Tales' so providing an authoritative
text. I might talk to you of the Kelrn-
scott Chaucer or of a very different sub
ect-the efforts which various writer's
since Chaucer have made to render him
nto the English of their own day. Even
IN attempt was made to turn him into
.hyrned Latin, but it was no more sue
eessful than the others. AS 1 say, 1
night talk of these and such like points,
1ut perhaps what I have told you suffi-
,iently indicates the interest of this
Tba11peT collection