translation of Boethius, "De Consolatione Philosophiæ;" his miscellaneous and minor poems; and his last and greatest work, "The Canterbury Tales," which, as a picture of the manners of the period, and as true to nature in all time, will ever be regarded as one of the very finest poems in our language.

The age in which Chaucer wrote, despite its splendours and courtly magnificence, was exceedingly coarse in expression; and hence our poet, desiring to show how people spoke, rather than how they ought to speak, has given some vile stories as gross men would then utter them; his apology being, that tales of churls must be told in churlish manner, a defence more artistic than moral. There are many narratives, however, abounding in tenderness and delicacy of sentiment.

The introduction to the "Canterbury Tales " is admirable, not only for its graphic description, its life-like minuteness and poetic power, but as a record of the manners of the age. It is a contribution to our historical knowledge, as well as our poetic literature. The ordinary reader, whose opportunities for study are not frequent, will be deterred, by the obsolete spelling and phraseology, from making intimate acquaintance with Chaucer. In the present day there have been many modernised versions, and while none of them can render fully the quaint grace and

affluent descriptions of the original, many, by their simplicity and faithful adherence to the text, have made Chaucer familiar to the reading public.

We subjoin, slightly abridged, Mr. Cowden Clarke's beautiful prose version of the prologue to the "Canterbury Tales:" *—

"In that pleasant season of the year, when the April showers and the soft west wind make the grass and flowers to spring up in every mead and heath, and birds welcome the shining days, it is the custom with the people from all parts of the country to set forth on pilgrimages to foreign lands, and more especially to pay their vows at the shrine raised in Canterbury to the holy martyr St. Thomas à Becket.

"At this time of the year, I Geoffry Chaucer, the writer of these tales, was remaining at the sign of the Tabard in Southwark, ready to set forth on my pilgrimage to Canterbury. In the evening a company of about nine and twenty persons bound on the same errand had assembled in the inn; with all of whom I had made acquaintance before sunset, and had agreed to journey in their company the following day. Before I enter upon my tale, the reader may desire to know what were the character, condition, and exterior accomplishments of my fellow travellers. These as they appeared to me, I supply as follows.

"The first in order was a worthy KNIGHT, a worshipper from his youth of chivalrous and all gallant

"Tales from Chaucer, in Prose," by Charles Cowden Clarke.

deeds; a lover of truth and honour, frankness and courtesy. He had served with renown in his lord's wars against the heathen, the Russian, and the Turk ; had fought in fifteen battles, and in three tilting matches had slain his foe. With all these rough and unchamber-like accomplishments, he was in his demeanour and address as meek as a young maiden. No villanous or injurious speech was ever heard to pass his lips. In short, he was a perfect knight of gentle blood. As regards his furniture and equipment, he rode a good and serviceable horse which had become staid and somewhat the worse for hard campaigning. His dress was a short fustian cassock, or gaberdine, soiled and fretted with his armour, for he had newly arrived from foreign travel, and was proceeding straight to the shrine of our holy martyr at Canterbury.

"He was accompanied by his son, a youth about twenty years of age, who acted as his SQUIRE. The person of this young man was tall and well-proportioned, of great strength and activity. Being a bachelor and a lover, he was delicately attentive to his external appearance. His hair, which flowed in rich natural curls upon his shoulders, was carefully disposed. Hoping to win his lady's favour, he had behaved with bravery in three several expeditions, in Flanders, in Artois, and in Picardy. His gown, which was short, with long open sleeves, was as fresh and gay as a spring meadow embroidered with flowers. Singing and piping all day long, he was as cheerful as the month of May. In addition to all these graces, he was a fine horseman, a tasteful writer of songs,

excelled in the tournament and the dance, could write and draw with ease and elegance, and what was esteemed a principal accomplishment in a squire of high degree, he was worthy to carve at table before his father. Courteous, humble, and dutiful, was this fair young man; and withal so devoted to his ladylove that he would outwatch the doting nightingale.

"One other attendant, and no more, had our KNIGHT upon the present occasion; a YEOMAN dressed in a green coat and hood. He had a head like a nut *, and a face of the same colour. In his hand he carried a sturdy bow, and at his side under his belt a sheaf of bright sharp arrows winged with peacock feathers. His arm was defended by a bracer. On one side hung a sword and buckler, and on the other a well-appointed dagger, keen as a spear. At his breast hung a silver ornament, also a horn, the girdle or baldrick of which was green. He was a thorough forester, and skilful in all manner of woodcraft.

"There was also in our company a nun, a PRIORESS called Madame Eglantine, a demure and simply smiling lady, whose sharpest speech was, 'By Saint Eloy!' She could chant by heart the whole of the divine service, sweetly twanging it through her nose. She was mistress of the French language, as it is spoken at the school of Stratford-le-Bow; but the French of Paris was to her unknown. Her conduct at meals was precisely well-bred and delicate, all her

*There is some doubt whether this means "nut" or "knotte-head," the knob of a stick, or "neat-head," the head of a bullock.

anxiety being to display a courteous and stately deportment, and to be regarded in return with esteem and reverence. So charitable and piteous was her nature, that a dead or bleeding mouse in a trap would wring her heart. She kept several little dogs, which were pampered on roast meat, milk, and the finest bread. Bitterly would she take on if one were illused or dead; in short, she was all conscience and tender heart.

"To speak of her features, her nose was long but well-shaped, her eyes light and grey as glass, her mouth delicately small, soft, and red, and her forehead fair and broad. For dress she wore a neatly made cloak, and a carefully crimped neckkerchief; on her arm was a pair of beads of small coral, garnished with green, from which depended a handsome gold brooch, with a great A engraved upon it, and underneath the motto 'Amor vincit omnia' (Love overcomes all things).

"In her train was another nun, who acted as chaplain; also three priests.

"The next in succession was a MONK, one well calculated to rule his order. He was a bold rider and fond of hunting, a manly man, and worthy to have been an abbot. Many a capital horse had he in stall, and as he rode along, one could hear his bridle jingling in the whistling wind like the distant chapel bells.

"Our monk set but little store by the strict regulations of the good old saints, holding rather with modern opinions: for instance, he cared not the value of a straw for that one that denies that a monk can be a hunter and at the same time a holy man ; or that out