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In this fituation he was when that great revolution happened which placed Henry of Lancaster, the son of his brother-in-law, upon the throne, in which as Chaucer had no hand, (though certainly it could not difplease him) fo we do not find that he was at all eager in paying his compliments to the new King, much less that he triumphed in the misfortunes of his late kind mafter and gracious benefactor, as others, and particularly Gower, who had been more obliged to that unfortunate prince, and who at that time was both old and blind, most shamefully did. He did not however flight the advantages offered him by this revolution, but having accidentally loft the two laft grants of an annuity, and of the pipe of wine by King Richard, he obtained a confirmation of them in the Ift

few years more be forgot I thall as plainly as I can defcribe it. It lies half a mile to the right of Spinhamland, (the ancient Spina of Antonius) a mile beyond Newbury, on the fame fide. As you go from London you pafs over the river Kennet to the village of Dunnington, from which there is a pretty fleep but pleafant afcent through a lane to a hill under the Caftle, where ftands a feat formerly belonging to the Countefs of Sandwich: from hence arites the Cattlehill very fleep, and not unlike that whereon the Obfervatory ftands at Greenwich, and from this hill there is a very fine prospect of feveral counties. On the back of the Cattle are level grounds,woodlands, and enclosures. The Caftle itself ftands in a pleasant park, in which there was a famous oak called Chaucer's Oak, under which, as tradition taught, he wrote feveral poems. Mr. Evelyn gives a particular account of this tree, and fays there were three of them planted by Chaucer, the King's oak, the Queen's oak, and Chaucer's oak.

year of Henry IV. by an exemplification of his former letters patents. Neither was this the only favour he received from the new king, who cut of regard to the ancient friendship and near alliance between the prince his father and our Author granted him, during the ift year of his reign, an annuity of forty marks per annum for the term of his life. It is true indeed that a very great writer, a fincere admirer of our Author, and most deservedly a poet-laureate himself, informs us that Ch. enjoyed this honour under three kings, Edward III. Richard II. and Henry IV.; but this is a mistake, for in truth there, was no fuch office in those days, or, if we may truft to the authority of the learn ed Selden, before the reign of Edward IV. If we take this in a more extenfive fenfe, for an eminent poet who celebrated thefe princes, it may be justly applied to Chaucer in regard to the two first, but we find nothing in his Works relating to the laft, nor indeed is his name fo much as mentioned in any of our Author's writings.

The fmall time he lived after the acceffion of this king was chiefly employed in regulating his private affairs, which had fuffered by the publick diforders, for all the publick acts of the depofed King Richard in the 21st year of his reign being declared void, Chaucer was forced to quit his retirement to come up to Town to folicit his caufes, and beginning now to bend under the weight of years, this unlucky acceffion

way

of business, which obliged him to alter his ufual of living, might very poffibly haften his end, the near approach of which he bore with Roman conftancy, or rather with Christian patience; for there is ftill extant a kind of ode that he is faid to have compofed in his laft agonies, which very plainly proves that his fenfes were perfe&ly found, and the faculties of his mind not in the leaft impaired *. He died October 25th 1400, in the full poffeffion of that high reputation which his writings had defervedly acquired, and was buried in Weftminster Abbey, in the great fouthcrofs ife. Some writers have affirmed that he was first buried in the cloifter, and lay there till fome years after; but this is a mistake, for Caxton in his edition of Chaucer, (which was long before the time of his re moval as they place it) fays that he was buried in the Abbey-church of Westminster before the chapel of St. Bennet. And it is very probable he lay beneath a large flone of grey marble in the pavement, where the monument of Mr. Dryden now ftands, which is in the front of that chapel, upon the erecting of which this stone was taken up and fawed in pieces to make good the pavement; at least this feems beft to aufwer the defcription of the place given by Caxton. As to the alterations that have happened fince, and the in

And the faculties of his mind not in the leaf impaired.] This funnet or ode confits of no more than three ftanzas: it is that entitled Gods Counfalls of Chaucer.

fcriptions now visible on his tomb, an account will be given in the notes*.

In the notes.] We are told by Speght and other authors that the following lines flood anciently upon Chaucer's tomb,

kone.

Galfridus Chaucer, vates et fama poefis

Maternæ hac facra fum tumulatis humo.

This anciently must refer only to the time of Caxton, who procured a long epitaph to be written in honour of our Author by Stephanus Surigonius,Poet Laureate of Milan,which was hung upon a pillar over-againit Chaucer's gravestone, towards the end of which epitaph thefe two lines occur. But about the year 1555, as a very exact author reports, or in 1556, as Wood will have it, Mr. Nicholas Brigham, a gentleman of Oxford who exercifed his Mute much in poetry, and took great delight in Chaucer'sWorks, and honoured his memory, at his own charge erected a handfome monument for him not far from the faid chapel, for in the fame place he could not then conveniently erect it, by reafon of the cancelli which the late Duke of Buckingham obtained leave to remove to make room for Mr. Dryden's tomb. Upon that monument Mr. Brigham caufed Chaucer's piclure to be painted from that which was in Occleve's book, together with the following infcription, which full remains;

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Of English bards who fang the fweetest trains

Old Geoffrey Chaucer now this tomb contains:

We may juftly affirm of this great man, that in whatever light he is confidered he feems always to merit our esteem as well as to claim our admiration. In his publick character, if we confider the time in which he lived, we must acknowledge that he fhewed as great fleadiness, and adhered as firmly to his

For his death's date if reader thou should't call,
Look but beneath and it will tell thee all.

-25th October 1400.

Of cruel cares the certain cure is death.

N. Erigham placed thefe, in the name of the Mufes, at
his own expense, 1555.

About the ledge of the tomb we are told the following verfes were written that are now worn out; but it is more probable that they were infcribed upon a ledge of brats that is taken a way, for there is not the leaft fign of any letters upon the ftone ittelf;

Si rogites quis eram, forfan te fama docebit;
Quod fi fama negat, mundi quia gloria tranfit,
liae monumenta lege,

If who I was you ak Fame fhall declare;

If Fame denies, fince frail all glories are,

Thefe funes fhall fpeak, infcrib'd with pious care.

It may not be amifs to obferve, that this date of his death f preferved by feveral writers, who alfo inform us that he was then feventy-two. Some indeed have queftioned it, becaufe of a piece entitled Cupid's Letter, printed with Chaucer's Works, and dated in 1402; but that was written by Thomas Occleve his scholar, and was intended to do honour to his Works and memory. The Rev. Mr. Collier fixes his death in 1440, which was the 19 of Henry VI. and if fo Chaucer was but ten years old at the death of King Edward III. which contradicts all the records, and is in every relpect a moft glaring abfurdity, whereas the other date agrees with them exactly, and therefore there can be no doubt of its truth.

Volume I.

E

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