THE 

Workes of our Anti­

ent and lerned English Poet,

GEFFREY CHAVCER,

newly Printed.




In this Impression you shall find

these Additions:



1 His Portraiture and Progenie shewed.



2 His Life collected.



3 Arguments to euery Booke gathered.



4 Old and obscure Words explaned.



5 Authors by him cited, declared.



6 Difficulties opened.



7 Two Bookes of his neuer before printed.




LONDINI.



Impensis Geor. Bishop:

Anno. 1598.









TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE 
SIR ROBERT CECIL KNIGHT, PRINCIPLE SECRE­
TARIE TO THE QVEENS MOST EXCELLENT 
MAIESTIE, CHAVNCELLOR OF THE DVCHIE OF LANCASTER. 
AND ONE OF HIR HIGHNES MOST HONOV­
RABLE PRIVIE COVNSEL.


This book when it was first published 
in print (right Honorable) was de­
dicated to the Kings most excellent 
Maiestie Henry the eight, who fa­
uourably entertained the same, as a 
work deseruing a worthy patrone. 
These collections and corrections
vpon Chaucer as they earnestly de­
sire, so might they better haue de­
serued acceptance at your honors hands, had they ben as fully 
perfected, as they haue beene painefully gathered. But what is 
now wanting through lacke of time, may happily hereafter be 
supplied. I trust your Honor, for the Poets sake, so much alwais 
liked of the learned, and commended by the best, will receiue 
withall this already done in the Poets behalfe, till longer time 
and further search giue me better instructions. My dutifull re­
membrance of that honourable good Lady your mother, who 
gaue mee yearely exhibition all the time of my continuance in 
Cambridge, enforceth me to offer this slender present vnto 
your Honour, as a testimonie of the dutie, wherein I acknow­
ledge my selfe bound both to her and hers during my life. And 
so crauing your honorable acceptance of the same, and patro­
nage of my good meaning towards the Poet, I humbly take 
my leaue, beseeching God long to continue your Ho­
nour in health and happinesse.

Your Honors in all duty at 
commandement, 

Tho. Speght.






To the Readers.


Some few yeers past, I was requested by certaine 
Gentlemen my neere friends, who loued Chau­
cer, as he well deserueth; to take a little pains in 
reuiuing the memorie of so rare a man, as also in 
doing some reparations on his works, which they 
iudged to be much decaied by iniurie of time, ig­
norance of writers, and negligence of Printers. For whose sakes 
thus much was then by me vndertaken, although neuer as yet fully 
finished: First, His life collected. Secondly, The text by old written 
Copies corrected. Thirdly, Arguments to euery booke prefixed. 
Fourthly, Old words explaned. Fiftly, Difficulties opened. Sixtly, 
Authors by him cited, declared. Seuenthly, Sentences noted. Eightly, 
Some things of his added which neuer had bene printed. As that 
little which then was done, was done for those priuat friends, so 
was it neuer my mind that it should be published. But so it fell out 
of late, that Chaucers Works being in the Presse, and three parts 
thereof alreadie printed, not only these friends did by their Letters 
sollicit me, but certaine also of the best in the Companie of Stationers 
hearing of these Collections, came vnto me, and for better or worse 
would haue something done in this Impression Whose importunitie 
hath caused me to commit three faults: first in publishing that which 
was neuer purposed nor perfected for open view: then, in putting di­
urse things in the end of the booke, which els taken in time might 
haue bene bestowed in more fit place: lastly, in failing in some of 
those eight points, which might more fully haue bene performed, if 
warning and conuenient leisure had bene giuen. But seeing it is as 
it is, I earnestly entreat all friendly Readers, that if they find anie 
thing amisse they would lend me their skilfull helpe against some



other time, & I wil thankefully receiue their labors, assuring them 
that if God permit, I wil accomplish whatsoeuer may be thought vn­
perfect. And if herein I be preuented, those honest and learned Gen­
tlemen that first set me on worke, haue promised to succeed mee in 
these my purposes. But howsoeuer it happen either in mine or their 
determination, I earnestly entreat al to accept these my endeuours in 
best part, as wel in regard of mine owne well meaning, as for the de­
sert of our English Poet himselfe: who in most vnlearned times 
and greatest ignorance, being much esteemed, cannot in these our 
daies, wherein Learning and riper iudgement so much flourisheth,
but be had in great reuerence, vnlesse it bee of such as for want of 
wit and learning, were neuer yet able to iudge what wit or Learning 
meaneth. And so making no doubt of the friendly acceptance of 
such as haue taken pains in writing themselues, and hoping wel also 
of all others, that meane to employ any labour in reading, I 
commit our Poet to your fauourable affection, and 
your selues to the protection of the 
Almightie. 






F.B. to his very louing friend, T.S.


I Am sorrie that neither the worthinesse of Chaucers owne 
praise, nor the importunate praiers of diuerse your louing 
friendes can yet mooue you to put into print those good 
obseruations and collections you haue written of him. For 
as for the obiections, that in our priuate talke you are wont 
to say are commonly alledged against him, as first that ma­
ny of his wordes (as it were with ouerlong lying) are growne too hard and vn­
pleasant, and next that hee is somewhat too broad in some of his speeches, and 
that the worke therefore should be the lesse gratious: these are no causes, or no 
sufficient causes to withhold from Chaucer such desert of glorie, as at your 
pleasure you may bestow vpon him. For first to defend him against the first 
reproofe. 

It is well knowne to wise and learned men, that all languages be either such 
as are contained in learning, or such as be vsed amongst men in daily practise: 
and for the learned tongues, they hauing Iure testamentario, their legacies set 
downe by them that be dead, wordes must bee kept and continued in them in 
sort as they were left without alteration of the Testators wils in any thing. But 
for vsuall languages of common practise, which in choise of wordes are, and 
euer will bee subiect vnto chaunge, neuer standing at one stay, but sometimes 
casting away old wordes, sometimes renewing of them, and alwaies framing of 
new, no man can so write in them, as that lal his wordes may remaine currant 
many yeares. Which thing Horace rightly noteth, where hee saieth, that words 
in common tongues, like vnto fruites, must of necessitie haue their buddings, 
their blossomings, their ripenings, and their fallings: so that it was impossible 
that either Chaucer or any man liuing could keep them from falling after so long 
a time: And this hath happened amongst the LAtin writers themselues, when 
the Latine tongue was a spoken tongue, as ours now is: for diuers of Statius, 
Ennius, and Plautus haue beene long since by later Latinists reiected. 
But yet so pure were Chaucers wordes in his owne daies, as Lidgate that lear­
ned man calleth him The Loadstarre of the English language: and so good they 
are in our daies, as Maister Spencer, following the counsaile of Tullie in de Orato­
re, for reuiuing of antient wordes, hath adorned his own stile with that beauty 
and grauitie, which Tully speakes of: and his much frequenting of Chaucers 
antient speeches causeth many to allow farre better of him, then otherwise they 
would. And furthermore by your interpretation of the most vnusuall words, 
that hardnesse and difficultie is made most cleare and easie: and in the paines 
and diligence you haue vsed in collecting his life, mee thinkes you haue be­



stowed vpon him more fauorable graces then Medea did vpon Pelias: for you 
I haue restored vs Chaucer both aliue again and yong again, and deliuered many 
of the doubtfull coniectures they conceiued of him. And therefore though 
you haue not made euery thing perfect to your owne mind (for nothing at 
one time is both begun and perfected) yet since you haue opened the way 
to others, and attempted that which neuer was begun before you, your ende­
uours herein cannot bee but very well accepted, vnlesse of such as are more 
readie to find fault, then willing to amend.

Touching the inciuilitie Chaucer is charged withall; What Romane Po­
et hath lesse offended this way then hee? Virgil in his Priapus is worse by 
a thousand degrees, and Ouid in de Arte amandi, and Horace in manie pla­
ces as deepe as the rest: but Catullus and Tibullus in vncleane wantonnesse 
beyond measure passe them all. Neither is Plautus nor Terence free in this 
behalfe: But these two last are excused aboue the rest, by their due obserua­
tion of Decorum, in giuing to their comicall persons such manner of spee­
ches as did best fit their dispositions. And may not the same bee saied for 
Chaucer? How much had hee swarued from Decorum, if hee had made his Mil­
ler, his Cooke, and his Carpenter, to haue told such honest and good tales, as 
hee made his Knight, his Squire, his Lawyer, and his Scholler tell? But shew­
ing the disposition of these meaner sort of men, hee declareth in their pro­
logues and tales, that their chiefe delight was in vndecent speeches of their 
owne, and in their false defamations of others, as in these verses appea­
reth:


Let be thy leud dronken harlotry, 
It is a sinne and eke a great folly 
To apairen any man, or him defame, 
And eke to bring wiues in such blame.


And a little after in excuse of himselfe for vttering those broad speeches of 
theirs, he vseth these words:


Demeth not for Gods loue, that I say 
Of euill entent, but that I mote reherce 
Her tales all, ben they better of werce, 
Or els falsen some of my matere.


So that no man can imagine in that large compasse of his, purposing 
to describe all men liuing in those daies, how it had beene possible for 
him to haue left vntouched these filthie delights of the baser sort of peo­
ple.
And now to compare him with othe rPoets: His Caunterbury tales con­



taine in them almost the same kind of Argument, that is handled in Come­
dies: his Stile for the most part is lowe and like vnto theirs; but herein they 
differ: Terence followeth Plautus, Plautus Statius, Statius Menander, and 
Menander other Græcians before him. The ring they beate is this, and far­
ther they goe not: to shewe the wantonnesse of some young women: the 
loosenesse of many young men: craftie schoole poynts of olde bawdes: 
the fawning flatterie of clawing Parasites: the miserie of diuers fonde fa­
thers, who for sauing their money keepe their sonnes so long vnmarried, 
till in the ende they prouide some vnfortunate marches for themselues: and 
their notable follie in committing these children of theirs, to the attendance 
of their leudest and worst disposed seruing men. Chaucers deuise of his Can­
terburie Pilgrimage is meerely his owne, without following the example of 
any that euer writ before him. His drift is to touch all sortes of men, and to 
discouer all vices of that age, and that he doth in such sort, as he neuer failes to 
hit euery marke he leuels at.

In his fiue Bookes of Troylus and Creside, and the BOoke of the praise 
of good women, and of the mercilesse Ladie, and that of Blaunch, and of 
his Dreame (which is in your handes and was neuer yet imprinted) hee soa­
reth much higher then he did in the other before: and in his Troylus is so sen­
tentious, as there bee fewe staues in that Booke, which are not concluded
with some principall sentence: most excellently imitating Homer and Virgil,
and borrowing often of them, and of Horace also, and other the rarest both
Oratours and Poets that haue written. Of whome, for the sweeetnesse of his
Poetrie may be saide, that which is reported of Stesichorus: and as Cethegus
was tearmed Suade medulla, so may Chaucer bee rightly called, The pith and 
sinewes of eloquence, and the verie life it selfe of all mirth and pleasant wri­
ting: besides, one gifte hee hath aboue other Auctours, and that is, by the 
excellencie of his descriptions to possesse his Readers with a stronger
imagination of seeing that done before their eyes, which they reade, than
any other that euer writ in any tongue. And here I cannot forget to re­
member vnto you those auncient learned men of our time in Cambridge,
whose diligence in reading of his workes them selues, and commending
them to others of the younger sorte, did first bring you and mee in loue
with him: and one of them at that time was and now is (as you knowe)
one of the rarest Schollers of the worlde. The same may bee saide of that
worthy man for learning, your good friend in Oxford, who with many o­
ther of like excellent iudgement haue euer had Chaucer in most high repu­
tation.

Now (M. Speght) tell mee, seeing not onely all Greeke and Latine Poets
haur had their interpretours, and the most of them translated into our
tongue,. but the French also and Italian, as Guillaume de Saluste seigneur du
Basrtas, that most diuine French poet, Petrarke, and Ariosto, of whome
this last instructed b7y M. Harrington doeth now speake as good English as
he did Italian before, and is withall encreased with many good notes, shall one­
ly Chaucer our Poet, no lesse worthy than the best of them amongst all the Poets
of the world lie alwaies neglected and neuer be so well vnderstood of his owne



countriemen as strangers are? Well set your heart at rest, for seeing I was one
of them which first set you in hand with this worke, and since you haue giuen
me of your Copies to vse priuatly for mine owne pleasure, if you will not put
them forward your selfe, they shall abroad whether you will or no. Yet leest
many inconueniences might happen by this attempt of mine, and diuers
things are set foorth contraie vnto your owne liking, let mee once againe en­
treat you (as I haue done often heretofore) to yeeld to my iust and reasonable
suit. Wherein you shall not onely satisfie that conceit which I haue many
yeares carried of your vnfained loue towards me: but pleasure many who day­
expect your paines herein, and perfourme vnto Chaucer great part of 
that honour that he most worthely deserueth. So with my
thrise-heartie commendations I bed you farewel.
From Leicester the last of Iune,
Anno. 1597.

Your assured and euer louing friend,

Francis Beaumont.





The old and obscure words of Chaucer, explaned



ABawed, abashed, daunted.



abraid, arose, recouered.



abrayd, breake off.



abandon, libertie.



abyme, from below.



abyt, dwelleth.



abydst, suffered.



abent, a steepe place, a promi­
nent or hanging hill.



abet, setting on.



abedge, abide.



abying, state.



abode, receiued.



acale, cooled.



ackele, coole.



accesse, ague.



accoy, asswage.



acoyed, pampred.



acroke, awrie.



adashed, abashed.



adawed, awaked.



aduentaile, coate armour.



afare, a noise.



affray, assault.



affray, feare, stirte.



affray, sturdines.



affy, haue trust.



afine, fined.



agasteth, scarreth.



agilted, offended.



agilt, committed.



agipe, a coat full of pleights.



agiles, a marker of men.



agramed, greeued.



agryse, astonished.



agryse, calure, as Salomon or
other fish.

calked, cast.

camised, flat nosed.

canceline, chamlet.

caroll, a song or daunce.

carecks, markes.

capell, an horse.

catapuce, spurge.

canell, Synamon tree.

cankdorte, wofull case.

celerer, (promptuarius) a butler.

cell, a studie.

ceruse, white ledde.

cerriall, (vide annot.) [annotation below]

comaunce, communitie.

chaffare, buying and selling.

chaunters, singers.

chiche, niggardly.

chauntepleure, that singeth & 
weepeth togither.

chalons, blankets, couerings.

chasteleyne, a gentlewoman of 
a great house.

champartie, maintaining a
quarrell.

chapelet, garland.

charters, writings.

chest, (subiectum) subiect.

chert, loue.

cheuisance, merchandise.

chelandri, a goldfinch.

cheort, loue, iealousie.

cheuesayle, gorget.

cheuice, redeeme.

chertes, merry folke.

cherisaunce, comforts.

cheue, thriue.

chese, chuse.

chekelaton, a stuffe like motly.

chincheri, niggardlines.

chiuauchie, cheualry, riding.

chimbe, the vttermost part of
the barrell.

chirking, chattering, noise.

chirking, (stridens) crashing.

chite, chideth.

churle, slaue.

cierges, waxe candles, lamps.

citrination,  

citriale, (samba) a giterne.

clarions, trumpets.

clary, wine and hony mingled.

clepen, call.

clergion, a clarke.

clenched, fastened.

clicket, a key.

clippeth, embraceth.

clipping, halsing, clipping, em­
bracing.

clymbe, sound.

clomben, ascended.

clotlefe, (personata) a great bur.

clum, a note of silence.

coilons, stones.

coint, straunge.

couth, knowne, knowe.

couth, perfitly.

couercle, couer or lidde.

courtpie, a short gaberdine,
or vpper garment.

coupegorge, cutthrote.

controue, inuent.

couth, was able.

courfine, fine heart.

couine, deceit.

couenable, conuenient.

coulpe, fault.

coure, kneele, stoupe.

contecke, strife.

conisaunce, knowledge.

controue, deuise.

conterpleted, controlled.

conuaile, recouer.

colfixe, blacke foxe.

compinabel, fit for companie.

commoning, partaking.

commensall, a table companion.

compere, gossip.

connen, can.

con, knowe.

cop, top.

cope, a cloke.

con, be able.

corrumpeth, stinketh.

coruen, taken.

cardiacle, wringing at the 
heart.

cordewane, dry leather.

crobets, stones whereon Ima­
ges stand.

coriged, corrected.

corare, ouercome.

costrell, a wine pot.

costay, to walke.

costage, cost.

coyse, iolines.

coy, to flatter.

coy, quiet.

crallit, engrauen.

crampeth, gnaweth.

crull, smooth.

cresse, a rush.

creance, faith or trust.

cruke, a pot, a steane.

crispe, curled.

croupe, buttocke.

crouched, blessed.

crockets, lockes of haire.

crosselet, a melting pot.

croudest, hurtlest thrustest.

crone, an old woman.

culleth, pulleth, enforceth.

culpons, heapes.

culpons, parts or streakes. (par­
ticulæ)

curfew, (vide annot.) [annotation below]

cure bulli, tanned leather.

curreidew, currie fauour.

cytrin, yellow.


D
Dagon, (fractura) a pece.

dagged, digged.

dan Burnell, (vide annot.) [annotation below]

darreigne, attempt.

dare, stare.

dasse, dastard.

dates, account.

dawes, dayes, times.

daw, spring or dawne.

deblis, 

defended, forbad.

defended, forbidden.

deiden, dyed.

deignous, disdainfull.

deis, feate.



dey, dead.

dey, a deyriwoman.

deaurat, shining.

defayted, decaied.

deficate, deified.

definished, proued.

defowled, shamed.

demene, dwell.

demin, iudge.

demeane, complaine.

denwere, doubt.

deme, to iudge.

demeane, behaue.

debonair, gentle, humble.

de pardeux, by god.

depe loupe, (transparens).

dere, greeue.

debonairly, meekely.

decoped, peaked.

deuoire, dutie, labour.

demaine, toll, custome.

dent,