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whofe patronage he then approached the fplendor of the court. The reign of Edward III. was glorious and fuccefsful, he was a difcerning as well as a fortunate Monarch; he had a tafte as well for erudition as for arms; he was an encourager of men of wit and parts, and permitted them to approach him, without referve. At Edward's court nothing but gallantry and a round of pleasure prevailed, and how well qualified our poet was to fhine in the foft circles, whoever has read his works, will be at no loss to determine; but befides the advantages of his wit and learning, he poffeffed thofe of perfon in a very confiderable degree. He was then about the age of thirty, of a fair beautiful complexion, his lips red and full, his fize of a juft medium, and his air polished and graceful, fo that he united whatever could claim the approbation of the Great, and charm the eyes of the Fair. He had abilities to record the valour of the one, and celebrate the beauty of the other, and being qualified by his genteel behaviour to entertain both, he became a finished courtier. The firft dignity to which we find him preferred, was that of page to the king, a place of fo much honour and efteem at that time, that Richard II. leaves particular legacies to his pages, when few others of his fervants are taken notice of. In the forty-first year of Edward III. he received as a reward of his fervices, an annuity of twenty marks per ann. payable out of the Exchequer, which in those days was no inconfiderable p.nfion; in a year after he was advanced to be of his Majesty's privy chamber, and a very few months to be his fhield bearer, a title, at that time, (tho' now extinct) of very great honour, being always next the king's perfon, and generally upon fignal victories rewarded with military honours. Our poet being thus eminent by his places, contracted friendfhips, and procured the efteem of perfons of the first quality. Queen Philippa, the Duke of Lancaster, and his Duchefs Blanch, fhewed particular honour

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to him, and lady Margaret the king's daughter, and the countefs of Pembroke gave him their warmest patronage as a poet. In his poems called the Romaunt, and the Rofe, and Troilus and Crefeide, he gave offence to fome court ladies by the looseness of his defcription, which the lady Margaret refented, and obliged him to atone for it, by his Legend of good Women, a piece as chafte as the others were luxuriously amorous, and, under the name of the Daify, he veils lady Margaret, whom of all his patrons he most esteemed.

Thus loved and honoured, his younger years were dedicated to pleafure and the court. By the recommendation of the Dutchefs Blanch, he married one Philippa Rouet, fifter to the guardianefs of her grace's children, who was a native of Hainault: He was then about thirty years of age, and being fixed by marriage, the king began to employ him in more public and advantageous pofts. In the forty-fixth year of his majefty's reign, Chaucer was fent to Venice in commiffion with others, to treat with the Doge and Senate of Genoa, about affairs of great importance to our state. The duke of Lancaster, whofe favourite paffion was ambition, which demanded the affiftance of learned men, engaged warmly in our poet's intereft; befides, the duke was remarkably fond of Lady Catherine Swynford, his wife's fifter, who was then guardianefs to his children, and whom he afterwards made his wife; thus was he doubly attached to Chaucer, and with the varying fortune of the duke of Lancaster we fird him rile or fall. Much about this time, for his fuccefsful negociations at Genoa, the king granted to him by letters patent, by the title of Armiger Nofter, one pitcher of wine daily in the port of London, and foon after made him comptroller of the customs, with this particular provifo, that he fhould perfonally execute the office, and write the accounts relating to it with his own hand.

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But as he was advanced to higher places of trust, fo he became more entangled in the affairs of ftate, the confequence of which proved very prejudicial to him. The duke of Lancaster having been the chief inftrument of raifing him to dignity, expected the fruits of thofe favours in a ready compliance with him in all his defigns. That prince was certainly one of the proudeft and moft ambitious men of his time, nor could he patiently bear the name of a fubject even to his father; nothing but abfolute power, and the title of king could fatisfy him; upon the death of his elder brother, Edward the black prince, he fixed an eye upon the English crown, and feemed to ftretch out an impatient hand to reach it. In this view he fought, by all means poffible, to fecure his intereft against the deceafe of the old king and being afraid of the oppofition of the clergy, who are always ftrenuous against an irregular fucceffion, he embraced the opinions and efpoufed the interefts of Wickliff, who now appeared at Oxford, and being a man of very great abilities, and much efteemed at court, drew over to his party great numbers, as well fashi! enable as low people. In this confufion, the duke › of Lancaster endeavoured all he could to thake the power of the clergy, and to procure votaries a mongst the leading popular men. Chaucer had no fmall hand in promoting these proceedings, both by his public intereft and writings. Towards the clofe of Edward's reign, he was very active in the intrigues of the court party, and fo recommended himself to the Prince fucceffor, that upon his afcending the throne, he confirmed to him by the title of Dilectus Armiger Nofter, the grant made by the late king of twenty marks per annum, and at the fame time confirmed the other grant of the late King for a pitcher of wine to be delivered him' daily in the port of London. In lefs than two years after this, we find our poet fo reduced in his circum ftances, (but by what means is unknown) that the

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King in order to fcreen him from his creditors, took him under his protection, and allowed him still to enjoy his former grants. The duke of Lancaster, whose reflefs ambition ever excited him to disturb the ftate, engaged now with all the intereft of which he was mafter to promote himself to the crown; the opinions of Wickliff gained ground, and fo great a commotion now prevailed amongst the clergy, that the king perceiving the ftate in danger, and being willing to fupport the clerical interest, fuffered the archbishop of Canterbury to fummon Wickliff to appear before him, whofe intereft after this arraignment very much decayed.* The king who was devoted to his pleafurcs, refigned himself, to fome young courtiers who hated the duke of Lancafter, and caufed a fryar to accufe him of an attempt to kill the king; but before he had an opportunity of making out the chargé against him,the, fryar was murdered in a cruel and barbarous manner by lord John Holland, to whofe care he had been committed. This lord John Holland, called lord Huntington, and duke of Exeter, was half brother to the king, and had married Elizabeth, daughter, of the duke of Lancafter. He was a great patron of Chaucer, and much refpected by him. With the duke of Lancaster's, intereft Chaucer's alfo funk, His patron being unable to fupport him, he could no longer ruggle against oppofite parties, or maintain his polts of honour The duke paffing over fea, his friends felt all the malice of an enraged court; which induced them to call in a number of the populace to affift them, of which our poet was a zealous promoter. One John of Northampton, a late lord mayor of London was at the head of thefe difturbances; which did not long continue; for up

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Some biographers of Chaucer fay, that pope Gregory IX. gave orders to the archbishop of Canterbury to fummon him, and that when a fynod was convened at St. Paul's, a quarrel happened between the bishop of London and the duke of Lancafter, concerning Wickliff's fitting down in their prefence.

on beheading one of the rioters, and Northampton's being taken into cuftody, the commotion fubfided. Strict fearch was made after Chaucer, who escaped into Hainault; afterwards he went to France, and finding the king refolute to get him into his hand, he fled from thence to Zealand. Several accomplices in this affair were with him, whom he fupported in their exile, while the chief ringleaders, (except Northampton who was condemned at Reading upon the evidence of his clerk) had reftored" themselves to court favour by acknowledging their crime, and now forgot the integrity and refolution of Chaucer, who fuffered exile to fecure their fecrets; and fo monftroufly ungrateful were they, that they wifhed his death, and by keeping fupplies of money from him, endeavoured to effect it ;-While he expended his fortune in removing from place to place, and in fupporting his fellow exiles, fo far from receiving any affiftance from England, his apartments were let, and the money received for rent was never acccounted for to him; nor could he recover any from thofe who owed it him, they being of opinion it was impoffible for him ever to return to his own country. The government ftill pursuing their refentment against him and his friends, they were obliged to leave, Zealand, and Chaucer being unable to bear longer the calamities of poverty and exile, and finding no fecurity wherever he filed, chofe rather to throw himfelf upon the laws of his country, than perish abroad by hunger and oppreffion. He had not long returned till he was arrefted by order of the king, and confined in the tower of London. The Court fometimes flattered him with the return of the royal favour if he would impeach his accomplices, and fometimes threatened him with iminediate deftruction; their threats and promises he along while difregarded, but recollecting the ingratitude of his old friends, and the miferies

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