NOTES.

CHAUCER. Our great poet's greatest work, the Canterbury Tales, may be briefly described. He finds himself at the Tabard (of late time the Talbot Inn) in Southwark, on an evening when some twenty-nine persons, men and women, assemble there with intent to go on pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas a-Becket at Canterbury. The host offers to be their conductor, and suggests, as an amusement during their journey, that each pilgrim shall tell two tales; the best teller to be rewarded with a free supper on their return. Of these tales we have twenty-four, all that Chaucer wrote. They afford, says Mr. Marsh (in his Origin and History of the English Language)—“ probably the first instance of the exhibition of unquestionable dramatic genius in either the Gothic or the Romance languages," the first in which there is shown "such power of

conceiving and sustaining individual character as to prove that its author could have furnished the personnel of a respectable play. Chaucer therefore may fairly be said to be not only the earliest dramatic genius of modern Europe, but to have been a dramatist before that which is technically known as the existing drama had been invented."

Our text is word for word with Chaucer's, only the spelling modernized where that could be done without injury to rhyme or rhythm. For the sake of Chaucer's perfect music, such words as weren, tellen, holden, riden (for were, tell, hold, ride) need to be retained; and the reader should observe the old French accent on the final è, as in talè, oftè, croppès; and in such words as honoùr, conditiòn, servants, etc. Beyond this, Chaucer's language, with little more of glossary than is required for Burns, will be clear enough to the understanding and appreciation of the general reader.

GLOSSARY.-Achate, achatours-buying, buyers; affile-sharpen, pol

ish; ale-stake-ale-house sign; alther-all of us; anlace-knife or dagger; arrierage-arrears.

Beforne-before; beggestere-a female beggar; the bord bygone-overgone the border; boot-remedy; bracer-armour or protection for the arm; burdoun—burden, refrain; but-if-unless.

Carp-converse; chapelaine-chaplain (probably here should be chamberlain); in chevauchie—on raids; chevysaunce-profit; Christopher—an image of the Saint; cleped-called; comptour-auditor of accounts; courtepy-an overcoat; coverchiefs-kerchiefs; covine-deceit; culpons—coupons, parcels.

Dais-the high end of a room, as a quarter-deck; del-bit; despitousspiteful; digne-worthy; disport-sport; dooms-judgment. Eased-accommodated; eke-also; elles, ellis-else; envined—winestored; erst-before.

Falding- -a sort of coarse cloth; farsed-stuffed; farthing-least thing; featously-neatly; ferne-hallows couthe-ancient saints known; forpined—wasted; fortunen-make good; fother—a load; franklin—a well-to-do freeman.

Gaf-gave; galingale—a herb; gepoun a short cassock; gipser—a pouch or purse; gnarr-muscular; gobbet-morsel; golyardeys-a buffoon; grope-test or try; grys-a grey fur.

Habergeon-coat of mail; harborough-harbour, lodging; harlot—fellow; harre-hinge; hent-get, held; hight-called; hine-hind; holtwood or grove.

Ilke-certain; infect—tainted or questioned.
Japes-tricks; jangler-babbler.

Latoun-plates or plated; lazar-leper, beggar; leste-liking, desire, pleased; Lettow-Lithuania (Grenade-Grenada, Lieys—in Armenia, the Great Sea-the Mediterranean); lewed, lewd-low, common; lieferrather; limitour-a begging friar; lite-little; lodemenage-lead-menage, pilotage; love-days-days for arbitration of differences; luce-a trout; luste-like, liked.

Manciple-a steward; mary-marrow; mew-coop; mo-more; mortrews-a kind of thick soup or pottage; mort-mal-a cancer; motely— motley; muchel-much.

Nas-was not; ne-not; nightertale-night time; the nones—then once; nose-thurles-nostrils; n'ot-know not; nouthe-now.

Oxenford-Oxford.

Pace-pass; parishions — parishioners; parvys-the church porch, where lawyers met in consultation; pers-sky-blue; piled-thin; pillow

beer-a pillow-case; plein-full; plein by rote-fully repeat; pommelydappled, spotted like an apple; poraille-poor folk; powder merchant— some spice; practisour-practitioner; pricasour-pricker-sore, a hard rider; pricking-riding; pur filed-embroidered.

Ram-given as a prize for wrestling; raught-reached; recchelesswithout a cure; rede-adviser; reeve-bailiff; rouncy-a nag, a hack

ney.

Sauceflem-pimpled; scheeldes-crowns; seche-seek; sendal-a thin silk; seynt-a girdle; sikerly-surely; sithes-times; skalled-scald; smale-small; solemn-festive, important; solemnly-pompously; Sompnour-a summoner of offenders to the ecclesiastical courts; steepbright; stew-a fish-pond; swinke, swinker-labour, labourer; swoote

sweet.

Tabard-a smock-frock (like a herald's coat); taffeta-silk; tapiserupholsterer; tappestere-bar-maid; thilke-this; thries-thrice; thumb of gold-thumb quick at testing the meal (a proverb); tippet-or hood; tollen-take toll; tretys-well-proportioned; twynne-go.

Unces-in strips.

Vavasour—a small landholder; venery-hunting; Vernicle-a diminutive of Veronica (the true image), the portrait of Christ on a handkerchief; viage-voyage or journey; vitaille-victual.

Wastel-bread-cake; wend-go; whilome-formerly; wimple-neckkerchief; wist-guessed, knew; wonderly delivir-wonderfully agile; wone-habit; wonning-dwelling; wood-mad.

Y-chaped-adorned with plates; yeddings-songs; yerde-yard, wand, or cane; y-fall-fallen; y-run-run; y-shave-shaven; y-shrive-confessed; y-writ-written.

SKELTON. "A goodly Interlude and a merry," Skelton calls this play of Magnificence. An Interlude was a performance between whiles at entertainments-so the name may be here applied; but more properly it may be called a Morality, a term used to distinguish this class of allegories from the Mysteries, or Miracle Plays, founded upon Bible history, first brought out by the clergy for the edification of the people. The personages of the Moralities were mere abstractions; in the later Interludes something of individual character appeared.

Skelton's Morality, known to have been in existence in 1523, was probably written toward the end of the reign of Henry the Seventh, while he was tutor to the prince, afterward Henry the Eighth. He wrote also an Interlude of Virtue; a comedy—Achademios; and Nigromansir (the

Necromancer); all of which are lost. Under Henry the Eighth he was poet-laureate; and a vigorous satirist of the arrogance and wealth of the higher clergy.

Popping is prating. A popping fool, as a poppin-jay; but-if-unless; hele-health.

HEYWOOD. John Heywood's Interludes are strictly such; and form almost a class by themselves. His Mery Play between Johan Johan the Husbonde, Tyb his Wyfe, and Syr Jhon the Priest was printed in 1533. To about the same date may be assigned his other interludes: the Four P's, the Play of the Weather, and another merry play of the Pardoner and the Friar, the Curate and neighbour Pratte. A good Catholic, in high favour with Henry the Eighth and Queen Mary, he was none the less opposed to the impositions of the begging Friars and Pardoners, whom he ridicules in his plays in a manner not noticed as irreverent in those days.

UDALL. For Nicholas Udall, master first of Eton and then of Westminster School, is claimed the honour of having written the first English comedy an only copy found so late as 1818, now in the Library of Eton. It seems to have been printed in 1566; but is quoted in 1551, preceding by several years the supposed first comedy, Gammer Gurton's Needle, attributed to Bishop Still. Udall so early as 1532 also was concerned in a dramatic pageant to celebrate the entrance of Anne Boleyn into London, on occasion of her marriage.

A Roister Doister is a mad-brained fellow.

LYLY. The author of Euphues wrote also several plays, chiefly on classical subjects: the Woman in the Moon, before 1584; Campaspe and Sapho and Phao, about the same date; Endimion, 1591; Gallathea, 1592; and a pleasant conceited comedie " called Mother Bombie. His dramas were mostly written for Court entertainments.

KYD. There is nothing to record of Kyd, except his death, stated to be in 1594, and the date of this tragedy, perhaps, 1588. Lamb thinks he sees the work of Webster in the scene here given.

MARLOWE. Of "the mighty line." He first, in his Tamburlain the Great, 1587, introduced blank verse upon the stage. There is no variety of rhythm in Shakespeare," says Collier, "not found in the works of Marlowe," whose early death, in a tavern quarrel, took place before

the greatest dramatist "had written an original play." Marlowe's grandest works are the two tragedies of Doctor Faustus, 1588, and Edward the Second, 1590. He also wrote the Jew of Malta, the Massacre of Paris, and Dido.

GREENE.

"The honourable history of Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, showing forth their dealings with magic and with devils, with some account of Bacon's magic mirror and of the Brazen Head from which he would have learned how to wall England round with brass." Taken from a "famous historie of Fryer Bacon" (prose); a love-story interwoven with the friars' pranks, for the sake of farther interest. Performed in 1591. In a later scene than that in our text one of Bacon's devils carries away on his back the discarded Miles, who goes off quite contentedly, being promised that he shall be a tapster below, as "Hell is a hot place, and men are marvelously dry." They go out, Miles booted and spurred, and "the devil roaring." Probably, says Collier, the Devil's last appearance on the stage.

PORTER. No dates can be given of Porter's birth or death. He is said to have been "of considerable reputation; " but except this one play nothing of his production remains.

DEKKER. The Shoemakers' Holiday, or the Gentle Craft, has been mistakenly attributed to Dr. Barton Holyday, who was but a child at the time of its production, in 1599. Dekker wrote also Old Fortunatus; Patient Grissil, with Chettle and Haughton; the Virgin Martyr, with Massinger; and in other plays with Webster, Middleton, Ford, and Day.

SHAKESPEARE. Professor Delius gives the following as dates of our plays: Romeo and Juliet, 1592 (dated later by Collier); A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1595; Othello, 1604; King Lear, 1604-5; Macbeth, 1606; The Tempest, 1611.

JONSON. "Rare Ben," most learned of all the playwrights. His principal works are Every Man in his Humour, 1598-Volpone or The Fox, 1605-The Alchemist, 1610-Bartholomew Fair-all comedies; Sejanus and Cataline-tragedies; Poetaster-a comical satire; and the Sad Shepherd-a pastoral drama found after his death. Besides these named and other plays, he wrote numerous masques.