POETICAL WORKS

OF

GEOFF. CHAUCER.

IN FOURTEEN VOLUMES.

THE MISCELLANEOUS PIECES

From Urry's Edition 1721,

THE CANTERBURY TALES

From Tyrwhitt's Edition 1775.

Grete well CHAUCER whan ye mete---

Of ditees and of fonges glade,

The which he---made,

The londe fullfilled is over all.

GOWER.

My maifter CHAUCER---chiefe poete of Bretayne----
Whom all this londe fchulde of ryght preferre,
Sith of our langage he was the lode-fierre----
That made first to dyftylle and rayne

The gold dewe dropys of fpeche and eloquence

Into our tunge thrugh his excellence.

The honour of English tong is dede-...

My mayfter CHAUCER, floure of eloquence,
Mirrour of fructuous entendement,

Univerfel fadir in fcience---

LYDGATE.

This londis verray trefour and richeffe-...

The firfte fynder of our fayre langage.

OCCLEVE.

Venerabill CHAUCER, principall poete but pere,

Hevinly trumpet, orlege and regulere,

In eloquence balme, condict and diall,
Mylky fountane, clere ftrand, and rois riall,
Of frefche endite throw Albioun iland braid.

O reverend CHAUCER! rofe of rethouris all,
As in oure toung flour imperial

That raife in Brittane evir, quha reidis right
Thou beiris of Makers the triumphs royall,
The frefche enamitt termes celeftiall:
This mater couth haifilluminit full bricht,
Was thou nocht, of our Inglis all the light,
Surmounting every toung terrestriall
Astar as Mayi's morrow dois midnight.

VOL. XIII.

EDINBURG:

DOUGLAS.

DUNBAR.

AT THE Apollo Prefs, BY THE MARTINS
Awno 1782.

POETICAL WORKS

4-29-32

OF

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

VOL. XIII.

CONTAINING HIS

MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, viz.

BOKE OF FAME. IN THREE TOGETHER WITH TESTIMO

BOKES,

BALADES,

WORDES TO A. SCRIVENERE,

NIES OF LEARNED MEN CON-
CERNING CHAUCER AND HIS
WORKS,

ས

5.3-32

Ө

I can right now no thrifty Tale fain,

But CHAUCER, (though he can but lewedly
On metres and on riming craftily)

Hath fayd hem in fwiche English as he can

Of olde time, as knoweth many a man ;

And if he have not fayd hem, leve brother,

In o book, he hath fayd hem in another

Who io that wol his large Volume feke. TALES, vér. 4465.
Dan CHAUCER, well of English undefil'd,

On Fame's eternal bead-roll worthy to be fil'd----
Old Dan Geffrey, in whofe gentle spright
The pure well-head of poetry did dwell---
He whilft he lived was the foveraigne head
Of thepherds all.......

Old CHAUCER, like the morning far,

To us difcovers day from far;

His light thofe mifts and clouds diffolv'd
Which our dark nation long involv'd;

But he defcending to the fhades

Darkness again the age invades.

SPENSER.

DENHAM.

CHAUCER, him who firft with harmony inform'd

The language of our fathers. His legends blithe

He fang of love or knighthood, or the wiles

Of homely life, thro' each eflate and age

The fashions and the follies of the world
With cunning hand portraying-----

Him who in times-----

Dark and untaught began with charming verfe

To tame the rudeness of his native land.

EDINBURG:

AKENSIDE,

AT THE Apollo Press, BY THE MARTINS.
Anno 1782.

MOUD

MISCELLANIES.

THE HOUSE OF FAME.

IN THREE BOKES.

In this book is feerved how the deeds of all men and women, be they good or bad, are carry'd by report to pofterity.

THE PROLOGUE.

GOD tourne us everie dreme to gode,
For it is wondir thyng by the' rode,
To my witte, what caufith swevines
On the morowe or on evines,

And why the' effecte foloweth of fome,
And of fome it fhall nevir come,

Why that is an avifion,

And this a revelacion,

Why this a dreme, why that a fweven,
And not to every man liche even,
Why this a fantome, why that oracles,
In'ot; but whofo of these miracles
The caufis knowith bet than I

Define he, for I certainly

Ne can 'hem not, ne nevir thinke

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To bufie my witte for to fwinke
To knowe of ther fignificacions,
The gendris, ne the diftinccions
Of the tymes of 'hem, ne the caufis,
Or why that this is more then that is,

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