It was (Ryghte honorable and my verye good lorde) one annciente and gretlye estemed custome emongste the Romans in the heigh[t]e of their glorye, that eche one, accordinge to their abylytye or the desarte of his frende, did in the begynnynge of the monthe of Januarye (consecrated to the dooble faced godd Janus one the fyrste daye whereof they made electione of their cheife officers and magystrates) presente somme gyfte unto his frende as the noote and pledge of the contynued and encresed amytye betwene them, a pollicye gretlye to be regarded, for the manye good effectes whiche issue from so woorthye cause. This custome not restinge in the lymyttes of Italye, but spredinge with the Romans (as did their language and many other their usages and lawes) into euerye perticuler Countrye where theyr powre and gouermente stretched. passed also ouer the Oceane into the litle worlde of Brytannye, being neuer exiled from thence, nor frome those, whome eyther honor, amytye, or dutye doth combyne. ffor whiche cause lest I myghte offende in the breche of that moste excellente and yet embraced Custome, I thynke yt my parte to presente unto your Lordship suche poore neweyeres gyfte as my weake estate and the barrennesse of my feble skyll will permytte: Wherefore, and because Cicero affirmethe, that he whiche hathe once ouer passed the frontiers of modestye must for euer after be impudente, (a grounde whiche I fynde fully veryfyed in my selfe, havinge once before outgonne the boundes of shamefastnesse in presentinge to your Lordshippe my confused collections and disordered discourse of the Chauncelors)[3] I ame nowe become utterlye impudente in not blusshinge to salute you agayne (in the begynnynge of this newe yere) with my petye animadversions, uppon the annotacions and corrections delivered by Master Thomas Speghte uppon the last editione of Chaucer’s workes in the yere of oure redemptione 1598; thinges (I confesse) not so answerable to your Lordshippes iudgmente, and my desyre, as boothe your desarte and my dutye doo challenge. But althoughe they doo not in all respectes satisfye youre Lordshippes expectacione and my goode will, (accordinge as I wyshe they sholde), yet I dobt not but your lordshippe (not degeneratinge from youre former curtesye wontinge to accompanye all youre actions) will accepte these trifles from your lovinge well-willer, in suche sorte, as I shall acknowledge myselfe beholdinge and endebted to your Lordshippe for the same. whiche I hoope your Lordshippe will the rather doo (with pardonynge my presumptione) because you haue, by the former good acceptance of my laste booke, emboldened me to make tryall of the lyke acceptance of this pamfelette. Wherefore yf your Lordshippe shall receve yt curteouslye (and so not to dischorage mee in my sweete and studiouse idlenesse) I will hereafter consecrate to your lykinge some better labor of moore momente and higher subiecte, answerable to the excellencye of your iudgemente, and mete to declare the fulnesse of the dutyfull mynde and service I beare and owe unto your Lordshippe, to whome in all reuerence I commytte this simple treatyce. Thus (withe hartye prayer comendinge youre estate to the Almightye (who send to your
Lordshippe manye happye
and helthfull yeres
and to me the
enlarged
contynuance of
youre honorable fauor)
I humblye take my leave.
Clerkenwell grene
the xx of
December
1599.
Your Lordshippes wholye to
dyspose,
Francis Thynne.
[3.] “The names and Armes of the Chancellors collected into one Catologue by ffrancis Thynn declaring the yeres of the reignes of the kinges and the yere of our Lorde in whiche they possessed that office.” —Folio MS. Bridgewater Library.
TO MASTER THOMAS SPEIGHTE ffrancis Thynn sendeth greeting.
The author is vexed that Master Speight did not consult him on his new edition of Chaucer. THE INDUSTRYE AND LOVE (MASTER SPEIGHT) whiche you haue used, and beare, uppon and to oure famous poete Geffrye Chaucer, deseruethe bothe comendatione and furtherance: the one to recompense your trauayle, the other to accomplyshe the duetye, whiche we all beare (or at the least yf we reuerence lernynge or regarde the honor of oure Countrye, sholde beare) to suche a singuler ornamente of oure tonge, as the woorkes of Chaucer are: Yet since there is nothinge so fullye perfected, by anye one, whereine some imperfectione maye not bee founde, (for as the prouerbe is Bernardus, or as others have Alanus, non videt omnia,) you must be contented to gyve me leave in discharge of the duetye and love whiche I beare to Chaucer, (whome I suppose I have as great intereste to adorne withe my smale skyll as anye other hath, in regarde that the laborious care of my father made hym most acceptable to the worlde in correctinge and augmentinge his woorkes,) to enter into the examinatione of this newe editione, and that the rather, because you with Horace his verse “si quid novisti rectius istis, candidus imperti,” have willed all others to further the same, and to accepte your labors in good parte, whiche as I most willingly doo, so meaninge but well to the worke, I ame to lett you understande my conceyte thereof, whiche before this, yf you wolde have vouchesafed my howse, or have thoughte me worthy to have byn acqueynted with these matters, (whiche you might well have donne without anye whatsoeuer dispargement to yourselfe,) you sholde haue understoode before the impressione, althoughe this whiche I here write ys not nowe uppon selfe will or fonnd conceyte to wrangle for one asses shadowe, or to seke a knott in a rushe, but in frendlye sorte to bringe truthe to lighte, a thinge whiche I wolde desire others to use towardes mee in whatsoeuer shall fall oute of my penne. Wherefore I will here shewe such thinges as, in mye opynione, may seme to be touched, not medlinge withe the seconde editione to one inferior personne then my fathers editione was.
Also vexed at a side blow at his father’s edition, and justifies him as editor. Ffyrste in your forespeche to the reader, you saye “secondly the texte by written copies corrected” by whiche worde corrected, I maye seme to gather, that you imagine greate imperfectione in my fathers editione, whiche peraduenture maye move others to saye (as some unadvisedlye have sayed) that my father had wronged Chaucer: wherefore to stoppe that gappe, I will answere, that Chaucers woorkes haue byn sithens printed twyce, yf not thrice, and therfore by oure carelesse (and for the most parte unlerned) printers of Englande, not so well performed as yt ought to bee: so that of necessytye bothe in matter, myter and meaninge, yt must needes gather corruptione, passinge throughe so manye handes, as the water dothe the further yt runnethe from the pure founteyne. To enduce me and all others to iudge his editione (whiche I thinke you neuer sawe wholye together, beinge fyrst printed but in one coolume in a page, whereof I will speake hereafter) was the perfectest: ys the ernest desire and love my father hadde to have Chaucers woorkes rightlye to be publyshed. for the performance whereof, my father not onlye used the helpe of that lerned and eloquent knghte and antiquarye Sir Briane Tuke, but had also made greate serche for copies to perfecte his woorkes, as apperethe in the ende of the squiers tale, in his editione printed in the yere 1542; His father’s collection of MS. Chaucers and their curiosity. but further had comissione to serche all the liberaries of Englande for Chaucers works, so that oute of all the Abbies of this Realme (whiche reserved anye monumentes thereof) he was fully furnished with multitude of Bookes. emongst whiche one coppye of some parte of his woorkes came to his handes subscribed in diuers places withe “examinatur Chaucer.” By this Booke, and conferringe manye of the other written copies together, he deliuered his editione, fullye corrected, as the amendementes under his hande, in the fyrst printed booke that euer was of his woorkes (beinge stamped by the fyrste impressione that was in Englande) will well declare, at what tyme he added manye thinges whiche were not before printed, as you nowe haue donne soome, of whiche I ame perswaded (and that not withoute reasone) the originall came from mee. The Pilgrime’s Tale telling forth the evil lives of churchmen. In whiche his editione, beinge printed but with one coolume in a syde, there was the pilgrymes tale, a thinge moore odious to the Clergye, then the speche of the plowmanne; that pilgrimes tale begynnynge in this sorte;
“In Lincolneshyre fast by a fenne,
Standes a relligious howse who doth yt kenne,” &c.
In this tale did Chaucer most bitterlye enveye against the pride, state, couetoussness, and extorcione of the Bysshoppes, their officialls, archdeacons, vicars generalls, comissaryes, and other officers of the spirituall courte. The inventione and order whereof (as I have herde yt related by some nowe of good worshippe bothe in courte and countrye but then my fathers clerkes,) was, that one comynge into this relligious howse, walked upp and down the churche, beholdinge goodlye pictures of Bysshoppes in the windowes, at lengthe the manne contynuynge in that contemplatione, not knowinge what Byshoppes they were, a grave olde manne withe a longe white hedde and berde, in a large blacke garment girded unto hym, came forthe and asked hym, what he iudged of those pictures in the windowes, who sayed he knewe not what to make of them, but that they looked lyke unto our mitred Byshoppes; to whome the olde father replied, yt is true, they are like, but not the same, for oure byshoppes are farr degenerate from them, and withe that, made a large discourse of the Byshoppes and of their courtes.
William Thynne in favour with Henry VIII., who promiseth to countenance him. This tale when kinge henrye the eighte had redde, he called my father unto hym saying Williame Thynne I dobte this will not be allowed, for I suspecte the Byshoppes will call the in questione for yt, to whome my father, beinge in great fauore with his prince, (as manye yet lyvinge canne testyfye,) sayed yf your grace be not offended, I hoope to be protected by you, whereuppon the kinge bydd hym goo his waye and feare not. All whiche not withstandinge, The promise broken through the power of Wolsey. my father was called in questione by the Bysshoppes and heaved at by cardinall Wolseye his olde enymye, for manye causes, but mostly for that my father had furthered Skelton to publishe his Collen Cloute againste the Cardinall, The most part of Colin Clout written at William Thynne’s house at Erith. the moste parte of whiche Booke was compiled in my fathers howse at Erithe in Kente. But for all my fathers frendes, the Cardinalls perswadinge auctorytye was so greate withe the kinge, that thoughe by the kinges favor my father escaped bodelye daunger, yet the Cardinall caused the kinge so muche to myslyke of that tale, that chaucer must be newe printed and that discourse of the pilgrymes tale lefte oute, and so beinge printed agayne, some thynges were forsed to be omitted, and the plowmans tale (supposed, but untrulye, to be made by olde Sir Thomas Wyat, father to hym which was executed in the firste yere of Quene Marye, and not by Chaucer,) with muche ado permitted to passe with the reste, Chaucer’s works like to be destroyed by parliament. in suche sorte that in one open parliamente (as I have herde Sir Johne Thynne reporte, beinge then a member of the howse,) when talke was had of Bookes to be forbidden, chaucer had there for euer byn condempned, had yt not byn that his woorkes had byn counted but fables. Reasons why the Pilgrime’s Tale should be Chaucer’s. Whereunto yf you will replye, that their colde not be any suche pilgrymes tale, because Chaucer in his prologues makethe not mentione of anye suche persoune, whiche he wolde haue doune yf yt had byn so: for after that he had recyted the knighte, the squyer, the squiers yeomane, the prioresse, her noone, and her thre prests, the monke, the fryer, the marchant, the clerke of Oxenforde, seriante at the lawe, franckleyne, haberdassher, goldsmythe, webbe, dyer and tapyster, cooke, shypmane, Doctor of physecke, wyfe of Bathe, parsoune and plowmane, he sayeth at the end of the plowmans prologue,