Unto his lord to hope him from mifchaunce, And fader Chaucer fayne would have me taught, To Aristotle in owre tonge but thow? Thou fuedefteke: men knowè well inowe a That combre-world that thou, my mayster, flowe' To renne on thee, and reve thee of thy life: In another part of the Prologue we have these pathetic lines, which feem to flow warm from the heart, to the memory of the immortal Chaucer, who I believe was rather Occleve's model than his master, or perhaps the patron and encourager of his ftudies. But weleawaye, fo is myne hertè wo That the honour of English tonge is dede, Alas that thou thine excellent prudence In thy bed mortel mighest not bequethe, с What eyled Deth? Alas why would he fle' the! In flaughtre of him, but all the lond it fmertith: d His name to fle. His hie vertue aftertith Unflayn from thee, which aye us lifely hertith That is to all this lond enlumyning ̊. Occleve feems to have written fome of these verses immediately on Chaucer's death, and to have introduced them long afterwards into this Prologue. It is in one of the royal manufcripts of this poem in the British Museum that Occleve has left a drawing of Chaucer': according to which, Chaucer's portraiture was made on his monument, in the chapel of Saint Blafe in Westminsterabbey, by the benefaction of Nicholas Brigham, in the year 1556. And from this drawing, in 1598, John Speed procured the print of Chaucer prefixed to Speght's edition of his works; which has been fince copied in a most finished engraving by Vertue". Yet it must be remembered, that the fame drawing occurs in an Harleian manufcript written about Occleve's age', and in another of the Cottonian department*. Occleve himself mentions this drawing in his CONSOLATIO SERVILIS. It exactly resembles the curious picture on board of our venerable bard, preferved in the Bodleian gallery at Oxford. I have a very old picture of Chaucer on board, much like Occleve's, formerly kept in Chaucer's house, a quadrangular ftone-manfion, at Woodstock in Oxfordshire; which commanded a profpect of the ancient magnificent royal palace, and of many beautiful fcenes in the adjacent park: and whose last remains, chiefly consisting of what was called Chaucer's bed-chamber, with an old carved oaken roof, evidently original, were demolished about fifteen years ago. Among the ruins, they found an ancient gold coin of the city of Florence'. Before the grand rebellion, there was in the windows of the church of Woodstock, an efcucheon in painted glass of the arms of fir Payne Rouet, a knight of Henault, whofe daughter Chaucer married. Occleve, in this poem, and in others, often celebrates Humphrey duke of Glocefter"; who at the dawn of science 8 He was of Caversham in Oxfordshire. Educated at Hart-Hall in Oxford, and ftudied the law. He died at Westminster, 1559. In Urry's edit. 1721. fol. i MSS. Harl. 4866. The drawing is at fol. 91. * MSS. Cotton. OTH. A. 18. I think a FLOREIN, antiently common in England. Chaucer, PARDON. TALE, V. 2290. p. 135. col. 2. "For that the "FLORAINS ben fo faire and bright." Edward the third, in 1344, altered it from a lower value to 6s. and 8 d. The particular piece I have mentioned feems about that value. As he does John of Gaunt. was was a fingular promoter of literature, and, however unqualified for political intrigues, the common patron of the scholars of the times. A sketch of his character in that view, is therefore too closely connected with our subject to be cenfured as an unneceffary digreffion. About the year 1449, he gave to the university of Oxford a library containing fix hundred volumes, only one hundred and twenty of which were valued at more than one thousand pounds. These books are called Novi Tractatus, or New Treatifes, in the universityregister", and faid to be admirandi apparatus. They were the most splendid and coftly copies that could be procured, finely written on vellum, and elegantly embellished with miniatures and illuminations. Among the reft was a tranflation into French of Ovid's Metamorphofes". Only a fingle fpecimen of these valuable volumes was fuffered to remain it is a beautiful manufcript in folio of Valerius Maximus, enriched with the most elegant decorations, and written in Duke Humphrey's age, evidently with a design of being placed in this fumptuous collection. All the rest of the books, which, like this, being highly ornamented, looked like miffals, and conveyed ideas of popish fuperftition, were deftroyed or removed by the pious vifitors of the univerfity in the reign of Edward the fixth, whofe zeal was equalled only by their ignorance, or perhaps by their avarice. A great number of claffics, in this grand work of reformation, were condemned as antichriftian. In the library of Oriel college at Oxford, we find a manufcript Commentary on Genefis, written by John Capgrave, a monk of faint Auftin's monaftery at Canterbury, a learned theologift of the fourteenth century. It is the author's autograph, and the work is dedicated to Humphrey duke of Glocefter. In the superb * Reg. F. fol. 52. 53. b. Epift. 142. • Ibid. fol. 57. b. 60. a. Epift. 148, Leland. coll. iii. p. 58. edit. 1770. 9 Some however had been before ftolen or mutilated. Leland, coll. iii. p. 58. edit. 1770. initial c initial letter of the dedicatory epiftle is a curious illumination of the author Capgrave, humbly prefenting his book to his patron the duke, who is feated, and covered with a fort of hat. At the end is this entry, in the hand-writing of duke Humphrey. "C'est livre eft a moy Humfrey duc de Glouceftre du don de frere Jehan Capgrave, quy le me fift prefenter a "mon manoyr de Penfberft le jour. de l'an. MCCCXXXVIII'." This is one of the books which Humphrey gave to his new library at Oxford, deftroyed or difperfed by the active reformers of the young Edward'. John Whethamstede, a learned abbot of faint Alban's, and a lover of scholars, but accused by his monks for neglecting their affairs, while he was too deeply engaged in studious employments and in procuring transcripts of useful books', notwithstanding his unwearied affiduity in beautifying and enriching their monastery, was in high favour with this munificent prince. The duke was fond of vifiting this monaftery, and employed Cod. MSS. 32. He gave alfo Capgrave SUPER EXODUM ET REGUM LIBROS. Registr. Univ. Oxon. F. fol. 67. b. Supr. vol. i. See DISSERTAT. i. Signat. F. 2. We are told in this abbot's GESTA, that foon after his installment he built a library for his abbey, a defign which had long employed his contemplation. He covered it with lead; and expended on the bare walls, befides defks, glafing, and embattelling, or, to use the expreffions of my chronologer, deducta vitriacione, creftacione, pofitione defcorum, upwards of one hundred and twenty pounds. Apud Hearne's OrTERBOURNE, vol. i. Præfat. Append. p. cxxiii. ed. Oxon. 1732. He founded alfo a library for all the ftudents of his monaftery at Oxford. Ibid. p. cxiii. And to each of these ftudents he allowed an annual penfion, at his own expence, of thirteen fhillings and four-pence. Ibid. p. cxviii. See alfo p. cxxix. A grand tranfcript of the Poftilla of Nicholas de Lyra on the bible was begun during his abbacy, and at his command, with the moft fplendid ornaments and hand-writing. The monk who records this important anecdote, lived foon after him, and speaks of this great undertaking, then unfinished, as if it was fome magnificent public edifice. "God grant, fays he, "that this work in our days may receive a "happy confummation!" Ibid. p. cxvi. "Among other things, he expended forty pounds in adorning the roof and walls of the virgin Mary's chapel with pictures. GEST. ut fupr. p. cx. He gave to the choir of the church an organ; than which, fays my chronicler, there was not one to be found in any monastery in England, more beautiful in appearance, more pleasing for its harmony, or more curious in its conftruction. It cost upwards of fifty pounds. Ibid. p. cxxviii. His new buildings were innumerable and the MASTER OF THE WORKS was of his inftitution, with an ample falary. Ibid. p. cxiii. X * Leland, Script. Brit. p. 437. abbot |