Indeed, if our poet had not been keenly sensible of the beauty of holiness, then the less Chaucer he! As it is, he stands the most Shakespearian figure in English literature, after Shakespeare himself. Age cannot wither him, nor custom stale his infinite variety. We venerate him for his years, and he daily startles us with the eternal freshness of his youth. All springtide is here, with its green leaves and singing-birds; aptly we read him stretched at length in the summer shade, yet almost more delightfully in winter, with our feet on the fender; for he smacks of all familiar comforts—old friends, old books, old wine, and even, by a proleptic miracle, old cigars. “Here,” said Dryden, “is God’s plenty;” and Lowell inscribed the first leaf of his Chaucer with that promise which the poet himself set upon the enchanted gate of his “Parliament of Fowls”—
INDEX
A
Abjuration of the Realm, [285]
Aldersgate, [117]
Aldgate, [30], [56], [76], [77], [93] ff., [116], [117];
tower, [78], [266]
All Hallows Stonechurch, [77]
Angle, Sir Guichard de, [51]
Anne of Bohemia, Queen, [56], [208]
Antwerp, [13], [14]
Archery, [232], [235], [236], [240]
Architecture, [119]
Arundel, Archbishop, [142]
"Earl, [311]
Attechapel, Bartholomew, [26]
B
Badlesmere, Lord, [297]
Banastre, Katherine, [184]
Becket, St. Thomas à, [142], [143], [169], [288]
Bedfellows, [87], [140]
Belknap, Chief Justice, [264]
Berkeley, the family of, [52], [179], [195] ff., [239], [240]
Bishopsgate, [15]
Black Death, [304]
Black Prince, [17], [176]
Blanch Apleton, [78]
Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, [37]
Blountesham, Richard de, [96]
Boccaccio, [47], [48]
Books, cost of, [99]
Boughton-under-Blee, [167]
Brembre, Sir Nicholas, [60], [94], [135], [193]
Brerelay, Richard, [63]
Bribery, [200]
Bristol, [239], [240]
Buckholt, Isabella, [65]
Bucklersbury, [16]
Bukton, [68]
Burley, Sir John, [51]
Burley, Sir Simon, [54], [60]
Burne-Jones, [29]
C
Cadzand, [133]
Caen, [77];
siege of, [248], [249]
Calais, [10], [174], [183]
Cambridge, [8], [77], [274], [302]
Canterbury, [76], [140], [143], [145], [167], [169], [170], [271], [297]
Chandos, Sir John, [175]
Charing Cross Mews, [61]
Charles V. of France, [33], [52], [122]
"VI. of France, [70]
"de Blois, [252]
Chaucer, Geoffrey, and Aldgate, [56], [93] ff., [101];
his aloofness, [69], [95];
his birth, [3], [15];
and Boccaccio, [47];
and books, [95] ff.;
his childhood, [17];
clerk of Love, [222];
his Clerkship of Works, [60];
his Comptrollership, [54];
at Court, [173];
at the Custom House, [76], [79];
and Dante, [43], [74];
his death and tomb, [73];
in debt, [54], [59], [64], [65];
his debt to Dante, [45];
his family, [12];
his favour from Henry IV., [66];
his freshness, [114];
at Greenwich, [62];
his house at Westminster, [72];
his last poems, [68];
his literary development, [137];
in London, [53];
loses Clerkship, [63];
loses Comptrollership, [58];
in love, [22];
his love of Nature, [112];
and Lynn, [15];
his marriage, [27];
optimistic, [10];
origin of name, [12];
his originality, [39], [45];
as page, [21];
in Parliament, [56];
his pathos, [246];
and Petrarch, [46], [48];
his philosophy, [70];
and Piers Plowman, [71];
his raptus, [54];
and religion, [44], [149], [309] ff.;
his retractation, [72];
robbed, [63];
as royal yeoman, [27], [31];
as squire, [32];
his times, [1];
his travels, [35], [40] ff., [51];
in war, [25];
his wide experiences, [74];
his wife’s death, [59];
and wine, [79];
and women, [119];
his writings, [36], [56], [64];
and Wycliffe, [308]
Chaucer, Elizabeth, [74]
"John, [14], [15], [17], [20], [21], [22], [26], [27], [193]
"Lowys, [55], [64], [73]
"Philippa, [27], [28], [29], [30], [59], [96], [101], [103], [104], [178]
"Richard, [13]
"Robert Malyn le, [12], [13]
"Simon, [283], [284]
"Thomas, [31], [73]
Chaumpaigne, Cecilia, [54], [55]
Chausier, Elizabeth, [74]
Cheapside, [16], [81], [88], [89], [90]
Child-marriages, [198], [204], [206], [207]
Children beaten, [215]
Chiltern Hills, [117]
Chimneys, [86]
Chivalry, decay of, [190];
golden age of, [189];
and marriage, [202];
theory of, [188]
Church, buildings decayed, [297];
corruption of, [296];
talking in, [140]
Churchman, John, [79]
Clarence, Lionel of, [13], [21], [22], [48], [49], [52]
Clergy, and hunting, [280], [281];
in Parliament, [7];
unpopular, [306], [308];
youth of, [299]
Clerical, criminals, [288] ff.;
education, [300] ff.;
immunity, [288] ff.;
influence, decay of, [8] ff.;
morality, [156], [157], [159], [197], [281], [291], [296], [297], [298], [303]
Clerkenwell, [264]
Comfort, ideal of, [191], [192], [257]
Compostella, [140], [141], [142]
Compurgation, [289]
Conscription, [234] ff.;
and liberty, [251], [253], [263];
and peace, [250]
Constance, Duchess of Lancaster, [30]
Contrasts, [176]
Cornhill, [81], [107], [112], [291]
Crécy, [232], [233], [238], [239], [240], [242]
Crime and punishment, [283]
Cripplegate, [77], [93], [94]
Crusades, decay of, [190]
D
Dancing, [108]
Dartford, [154]
Dartmouth, [133], [134]
David, King of Scots, [17]
Dennington, [13]
Despenser, Bishop, [237]
"Edward, [49]
Dilapidation, [297]
Divorce, [205]
Douglas, Sir James, [238]
Dovecotes, manorial, [196]
Du Guesclin, Bertrand, [241], [242], [244]
E
Eavesdroppers, [83]
Edward I., [6], [77], [122], [194], [213], [234], [235], [290]
"II., [179], [254], [297], [311]
"III., [4], [6], [9], [10], [13], [14], [16], [25], [26], [27], [32], [33], [35], [38], [42], [53], [59], [70], [88], [122], [123], [126], [133],
[172] ff., [191], [194], [197], [234], [235], [237], [238], [240] ff., [249], [263], [275], [292], [298];
bankrupt, [126];
his character, [173];
his court, [33];
his marriage, [178];
his Rhine journey, [13]
England, growing wealth of, [126];
unsettled state, [67]
English, commerce, [122] ff.;
democratic, [253];
fickleness of, [134];
language, [3] ff.;
language in Chaucer’s poems, [74];
in war, [244], [254]
Epping, [116]
Exeter, [99], [182], [301]
F
Fastolf, Sir John, [211], [212]
Florence, [40], [42], [43], [48]
Food of the poor, [268]
Foreigners in England, [123]
Forrester (Forster), Richard, [52], [94]
Frederick II., Emperor, [190]
Free-thought, [44], [125], [309] ff.
French and English nobles, [33];
language, decay of, [3] ff.
Friars, [294], [298];
and usury, [124]
G
Games, [109], [272] ff., [275]
Gascoigne, Chief Justice, [211], [212]
Gaston, Count of Foix, [175], [209], [211]
Gauger, William le, [15]
Gaunt, John of, [13], [17], [22], [30], [37], [54], [59], [60], [73], [74], [96], [227], [264], [308]
Genoa, [40], [42], [78], [122]
Giffard, Bishop, [278], [299]
Gisers, John, [16]
Glass windows, [83]
Gloucester, Thomas, Duke of, [60], [186], [187], [239]
Gower, John, [52], [73], [117], [145]
Gravesend, [80]
Greenwich, [62], [64]
H
Hampstead, [116]
Harbledown, [169]
Hatfield, William of, [184]
Hawkwood, Sir John, [52], [242]
Henry II., [235]
"III., [72], [193]
"IV., [4], [59], [66], [67], [68], [72], [73]
"V., [73], [243], [278], [297]
"VI., [311]
Heriot, [260]
Highgate, [116]
Hoccleve, [73], [175]
Holborn, [19], [115], [117]
Holidays, [273]
Holland, Sir Thomas, [248]
Home life, [84], [96], [104], [218]
Hornchurch, Prior of, [78]
Hospitals, and bad meat, [132]
I
Infidelity, [313]
Inns, [139]
Invasion of England threatened, [94]
Ipswich, [12], [13]
Irreverence, [140], [141], [157], [275], [276], [277] ff., [297], [298]
Isabella, Queen, [21], [51], [178]
Isle of Wight, [133]
J
Jean de Saintré, [23], [223]
John XXII., Pope, [206]
John, King of France, [17], [32], [33], [41], [194], [197], [223]
Justice, [282] ff.;
and money, [197], [200]
K
Kent, John, [80]
Knighthood, of boys, [212];
cheapening of, [193];
decay, [242];
imperfect, [252];
and trade, [194], [210], [211]
Knightsbridge, [115]
Knolles, Sir Robert, [265]
L
La Rochelle, battle of, [133]
Lancaster, Thomas of, [311]
Langham, Bishop, [279]
Laws and penalties, [129]
Lisle, Lord, [198]
Lollardy, popularity of, [306]
London, its byelaws, [126];
citizens’ furniture, [85];
city walls, [77];
its churches, [82];
and country, [114], [193];
its Custom House, [79];
gardens, [115];
gate dwellings, [93];
growth of, [121];
its houses, [82], [84];
and Lollardy, [307];
population of, [115];
power of, [135];
sanitation, [267];
sports, [275];
its streets, [81], [84], [88];
suburbs, [116];
view of, [145];
water, [128]
London Bridge, [51], [145]
Louis, St., [190], [191]
Love, and chivalry, [217] ff.;
earthly and heavenly, [222];
in M. A., [22], [28] ff.
Ludgate, [93], [116]
Lynn, [15], [17], [77], [80], [193], [238]
M
Manslaughter, [292];
and punishment, [283]
Marriage, ceremonies, [109];
of children, [198], [204], [206], [207];
and chivalry [202];
and the Church, [204];
and irreverence, [281];
laws lax, [206];
and love, [227];
and money, [195], [206], [209] ff., [227].
Massingham, John, [28]
Mauny, Walter de, [175]
May-day, [107]
Mazelyner, John le, [15]
Mercenary troops, [241]
Mercer, [134]
Merchants, tricks of, [125]
Merchet, [260]
Michael, St., Aldgate, [77]
Mile End, [264]
Militia, [240];
and liberty, [253]
Money, power of, [99], [132], [191], [200], [258]
Moorfields, [15], [18]
Moorgate, [15]
Morris, William, [29], [81]
Mortuary, [260]
Murder, [89]
N
Nations at universities, [6]
Nature in the Middle Ages, [104]
Neville’s Cross, [183], [238]
Newcastle coal, [114]
Newgate, [61], [93]
Norfolk pilgrimages, [140]
Northbrooke, Bishop, [184]
Norwich, [48], [82], [129], [131], [236], [238], [265], [284]
O
Oaths, [155], [163], [169]
Ospringe, [167]
Oxford, [6], [8], [84], [115], [274], [278], [300], [301]
P
Paris, [83], [233], [300]
Parliament, growth of, [7], [9], [132];
power of, [58]
Paston, the family of, [229]
Peasants’ Revolt, [261] ff.
Peckham, Archbishop, [290]
Percy, Sir Harry, [51]
"Henry, [17]
"Sir Thomas, [51]
Perjury, [201]
Perrers, Alice, [186]
Petrarch, Francis, [48], [50], [166]
Pevensey, [176]
Philippa of Hainault, Queen, [13], [14], [33], [178], [179], [180], [181], [183], [184], [185], [253];
description of, [181]
Philippe de Valois, King of France, [174], [191], [235], [242], [243], [245]
Philpot or Philipot, John, [134], [193]
Picard, Sir Henry, [16], [17], [193]
Piers, Bishop, [279]
Pilgrimage, decay of, [138] ff., [171]
Pillory, [131]
Pisa, [43]
Police, [251]
Poor and rich, [257] ff.
Poore, Bishop, [277]
Portsmouth, [133], [239]
Priests and people, [260]
Privacy, want of, [88]
Processions, [88];
and bloodshed, [278]
Punishment, corporal, [213] ff.;
public, [91]
Purgation, [289]
R
Ransoms, [198], [200], [233]
Reims, [25]
Rich and poor, [176], [254], [257] ff.
Richard II., [7], [17], [32], [34], [51], [52], [56], [58], [59], [60], [65], [66], [67], [73], [79], [88], [90], [135], [175], [187], [208], [209], [217], [255], [264], [266], [280], [308], [311]
Rochester, [159]
Roet, Katherine, [30]
Rottingdean, [133]
Rye, [133]
S
Saint Mary Aldermary, [283]
Sanctuary, [283] ff.
Scalby, John, [59]
Scarborough, [134]
Schools, [20]
Scogan, Henry, [64], [68]
Scrope, Archbishop, [311]
"Stephen, [211], [212]
Serfs, [259]
Sluys, [10]
Smithfield, [62], [88], [264]
Somere, William, [73]
Southampton, [249]
Southwark, [19], [115]
Stace, Thomas, [13]
Stapledon, Bishop, [89], [299]
Stepney, [116]
Stodey, John de, [193]
Stratford bread, [114]
Strikers, clerical, [305]
Strode, Ralph, [117], [118]
Stury, Sir Richard, [26], [51], [62], [308]
Sudbury, Archbishop, [90], [142]
Swaffham, John de, [130]
Swynford, Sir Thomas, [30]
T
Tavern company, [92]
Thoresby, Archbishop, [281]
Thorpe, [142]
Tottenham, [116]
Tournaments, [88], [197];
forbidden, [243]
Town and country, [115], [120]
Trades’ Unions, [270]
Travel, dangers of, [41]
Tyler, Wat, [19], [142], [145], [264], [265]
U
Ulster, Countess of, [21], [27]
University, [6], [8];
discipline, [300] ff.;
and sports, [274], [277], [280]
Upton, John de, [283]
"Robert de, [283]
Urban VI., Pope, [70]
Usury, [194]
V
Vintry Ward, [15], [16]
Violante Visconti, [48]
W
Wager of Battle, [213], [282]
Wages of workmen, [269]
Walbrook, [15], [16]
Walworth, [193]
War, conscription and liberty, [133], [242], [246], [251], [253], [255];
the Hundred Years’, [232];
losses in, [199];
private, [133];
ravage of, [246] ff.
Wardships, [195], [197], [211]
Warham, Archbishop, [143]
Wells, [87]
Wenceslas, Emperor, [70]
Westhale, Joan de, [13], [55]
Westminster, [16], [32], [33], [57], [60], [63], [64], [88], [89], [115], [116], [184], [189]
Winchelsea, [133], [239], [249]
Windsor, [21], [53], [61], [62], [64], [96], [175], [176], [185]
Women, beaten, [213];
emancipation of, [220];
life of, [107];
manners of, [109], [219] ff.
Woodstock. See Gloucester
Worcester, [289], [290]
Wycliffe, [8], [10], [22], [306], [307], [308], [310];
and serfage, [262]
Wykeham, William of, [274], [277]
Y
York, [179], [184]
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