porary writers, English or foreign. Chaucer's vein of humour," Mr. Warton remarks," although conspicuous in the Canterbury Tales, is chiefly displayed in the characters (described in the pro

logue) with which they are introduced. In these his knowledge of the world availed him in a peculiar degree, and enabled him to give such an accurate picture of ancient manners as no contemporary nation has transmitted to posterity. It is here that we view the pursuits and employments, the customs and diversions, of our ancestors, copied from the life, and represented with equal truth and spirit by a judge of mankind whose penetration qualified him to discern their foibles and discriminating peculiarities, and by an artist who understood that proper selection of circumstances and those predominant characteristics which form a finished portrait. We are surprised to find, in so gross and ignorant an age, such talents for satire and for observation on life,-qualities which usually exert themselves at more civilised periods, when the improved state of society, by subtilising our speculations, and establishing uniform modes of behaviour, disposes mankind to study themselves, and renders deviations of conduct and singularities of character more immediately and necessarily the objects of censure and ridicule. These curious and valuable remains are specimens of Chaucer's native genius, unassisted and unalloyed. The figures are all British, and bear no suspicious signatures of classical, Italian, or French imitation. The characters of Theophrastus are not so lively, peculiar, and appropriated."

The best edition of the Canterbury Tales is that of Mr. Wright.

F

The happy and successful manner with which Chaucer, as well in his Prologue as in other parts of his work, attacked the abuses of the various fraternities of the Church, has obtained for him the rank of a religious reformer, and enrolled him among our ecclesiastical and theological writers. The historian of the martyrs, Fox, expatiates elaborately on the religious utility of Chaucer's works.

LAURENCE MINOT.
(Circa 1330.)

The name of Laurence Minot, a contemporary metrical commemorator of the wars of King Edward III., remained totally unknown until late in the past century, and was then discovered only by accident, the circumstances of which were curious enough. The compiler of the catalogue of the Cottonian manuscripts, printed at Oxford in 1696, had contented himself with describing the inestimable volume marked Galba E. IX., which contains some of the most precious relics of old English poetry, in these words: "Chaucer, exemplar emendate scriptum." Mr. Tyrwhitt, preparing his edition of Chaucer, naturally consulted this "exemplar emendate scriptum :" he found that it had nothing whatever to do with Chaucer; but his feeling was the reverse of disappointment, when, upon examining the manuscript (formerly the property of one Richard Chawfer, whose name, set forth at the beginning, had misled the catalogue-compiler), he found himself introduced to the acquaintance of a new poet, anterior perhaps to Chaucer in point of time, and not much his inferior in point of language. In consequence of this happy discovery, the name of Laurence Minot was first ushered into the literary world, by a note to Tyrwhitt's learned essay on the Language and Versification of Chaucer. It is tolerably clear from our author's dialect and orthography, that he was a native of one of the northern counties, where, probably in some monastery, the poems may be conjectured to have been written. The date of the latest event they celebrate (the capture of Guisnes Castle) is January 22, 1352, and there is internal evidence that the commemorative poem was written close upon the event. It is the opinion of Ritson-by no means, however, a reliable authority, for his prejudices and prepossessions were even more than a match for his judgment—that "in point of ease, harmony, and variety of versification, as well as general perspicuity of style, Laurence Minot is perhaps equal, if not superior, to any English poet before the sixteenth, or even, with very few exceptions, before the seventeenth century."

JOHN CAPGRAVE.

(Circa 1338.)

66

John Capgrave, born at Lynn in Norfolk, and monk of St. Augustine's monastery at Canterbury, is known as the translator into English verse of a Life of St. Catherine, written originally in Greek by Athanasius, and rendered thence into Latin by a priest named Arreck. Sir Henry Spelman, in whose possession the work (now one of the Rawlinson Mss., No. 118) once was, gives this description of the nature of the poem, and of its author: A preiste, which this author, John Capgrave, nameth Arreck, having heard much of St. Katherin, bestowed eighteen years to search out her life, and for that purpose spent twelve of them in Greece. At last, by direction of a vision in the days of Peter king of Cyprus and Pope Urban V., he digged up in Cyprus an old booke of that very matter, written by Athanasius, byshop of Alexandria (but whether he that made the creede or not the author doubteth), and hidden there 100 yeares before by Anylon Fitz Amarack. Then did this Arreck compile her story into Latin; and then also did he make it into English verse, but leaving it unperfected, and in obscure rude English. Capgrave not only enlarged it, but refyned it to the phrase of his tyme, as himselfe testifyethe. This priest, as Capgrave also sheweth, died at Lynn, many yeares before his tyme." Capgrave was also the author of a Commentary on Genesis, dedicated by him to Humphrey Duke of Gloucester. The library of Oriel College, Oxford, possesses the author's original manuscript of this work. In the superb initial letter of the dedicatory epistle is a curious illumination of the author humbly presenting his book to his patron, the duke, who is seated and covered with a sort of hat. At the end is this entry in the handwriting of the Duke Humphrey : 'Cest livre est a moy, IIumfrey due de Gloucestre, du don de frere Jehan Capgrave, quy le me fist presenter a mon manoyr de Pensherst le jour . . . de lan мCCCXXXVIII." This is one of the books which Humphrey gave to his new library at Oxford, destroyed or dispersed by the active reformers under young Edward.

RHYS GOCH AP RHICCERT.
(Circa 1350.)

The distinctive character of Welsh poetry, during the last seventy years of the 14th century, writes Mr. Stephens, is love. Other subjects also occupied the attention of the bards; and the era is remark

able for the variety of the topics embraced, as well as for the sweetness of the poems and the elegance of the versification; for the country being at peace, they were no longer compelled to dedicate their talents to the service of war, and were consequently allowed greater latitude in the selection of their subjects. But the fair sex quite monopolised the favour of the poets; and there is scarcely one of them who has not written amatory verses. We have two love-poems by Jorwerth Vychan; by Casnoden, one; by Gruffyd ap Meredydd, six; by Gronwy ap Davydd, three; by Gronwy Gyrriog, one; by Jorwerth Gyrriog, one; by Sevnyn, one; by Gronwy Ddu, one; by Mab y Clochyddyn, one; by Davydd ap Gwilym, the Cambrian Petrarch, seven score and seven; and last, though not least, by Rhys Goch ap Rhiccert, who has left us twenty poems, chiefly on the same subject. The latter poet lived at Tir Tarll, in Glamorganshire; and in common with his contemporary, Davydd ap Gwilym, "the nightingale of Dyved," displayed an exuberance of fancy, an elegance of taste, and a fertility of invention, almost unknown to their poetical predecessors in the principality.

ALEXANDER OF ESSEBIE.

(Circa 1350.)

Alexander, prior of the monastery of Essebie, in the reign of King Edward III., was reckoned among the chief of English poets and orators of that age.

PETER FENTON.
(Circa 1369.)

Peter Fenton, a monk of Melrose Abbey, is said to have written "in old ryme, like to Chaucer," a narrative of the adventures of Robert Bruce. The work is mentioned by Gordon, in the preface to his poem on the same subject; but there is no trace of it, and it is not improbable that Fenton merely transcribed Barbour's poem.

THOMAS HOCCLEVE.

(1370-1454.)

Particulars of Hoccleve's life have been very sparingly transmitted to us: some of those too which we have are totally inconsistent

with many of his sentiments, as delivered by him in his poetry. The very time of his birth, and the duration of his existence, are left exceedingly at large by all who mention him. Yet both of these may be pretty nearly ascertained from his writings. It is most probable

that Hoccleve was born about the year 1370. From what our poet says of himself, he has been styled Chaucer's disciple. The age he was of when first honoured by the notice of this great master does not appear; but according to the computation of his birth, he must have been thirty years old when Chaucer died.

Pitts says that Hoccleve studied the law at Chester's Inn, and was a writer to the Privy Seal for twenty years. His residence at "Chestres Inn* by the Strande" is testified by himself in the introduction to his poem De Regimine Principum. That he belonged to the Privy Seal for a considerable length of time, in the younger and middle part of his life, is almost manifest in his first poems. When he quitted this office, or what means of subsistence he afterwards had, cannot be so clearly determined. Pitts seems to insinuate that he was provided for by Humphrey duke of Gloucester, saying, "that he wonderfully celebrated this patron in his verses." Both these things may possibly be true; but no specific vouchers are adduced for either by Pitts. Mr. Warton, indeed, strengthens the

*This, one of the buildings pulled down for the first erection of Somerset House, was once the town residence of the Bishops of Lichfield, who were formerly called Bishops of Chester.