to John of Gaunt, it was no wonder if he followed the fortunes of that family, and was well with Henry the Fourth, when he had deposed his predecessor. Neither is it to be admired, that Henry, who was a wise as well as a valiant Prince, who claimed by succession, and was sensible that his title was not sound, but was rightfully in Mortimer, who had married the heir of York; it was not to be admired, I say, if that great politician should be pleased to have the greatest wit of those times in his interests, and to

sition of his accents, which the practice of our greatest poets in the last and present century has taught us to consider as essential to harmonious versification. None of his masters, either French or Italian, had set him a pattern of exactness in this respect; and it is rather surprizing, that, without rule or example to guide him, he has so seldom failed to place his accents in such a manner, as to produce the cadence best suited to the nature of his verse." Essay on the Language and Versfication of Chaucer. C. T. iv. 85-106.

I cannot conclude this long extract from the work of my late most learned friend, without recommending to the poetical student the whole of the Essay from which it is taken, as one of the most masterly pieces of criticism in the English language. The grammatical and metrical Analysis of the first eighteen lines of THE CANTERBURY TALES deserves to be particularly studied, previous to the perusal of any of the poems of the venerable bard.

6 After the decease of Richard the Second, the true title to the crown was in the issue of Philippa, the only daughter of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of King Edward III. Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, married Philippa; and Edward, Earl of March, their grandson,

be the trumpet of his praises. Augustus had given him the example, by the advice of Mæcenas, who recommended Virgil and Horace to him; whose praises helped to make him popular while he was alive, and after his death have made him precious to posterity.

As for the religion of our poet, he seems to have some little bias towards the opinions of Wickliffe, after John of Gaunt, his patron; some

dying without issue in 1424, the title to the crown devolved to his sister, Anne Mortimer, who marrying Richard, Earl of Cambridge, (son of Edward, Duke of York, fifth son of Edward the Third,) was mother to Richard, Duke of York, father of King Edward the Fourth.Henry the Fourth was son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, fourth son of Edward the Third.

7 Whatever might have been Chaucer's opinion concerning the doctrines of Wickliffe, no inference relative to that subject can be drawn from THE PLOWMAN'S TALE; for that piece, which first appeared in the edition of his works published in 1542, was not written by Chaucer.

"The only account, (says Mr. Tyrwhitt, ubi supr. p. 184. n. 32,) which we have of any Ms. of this tale, is from Mr. Speght, who says (Note prefixed to PLOWMAN'S TALE), that he had seene it in written hand in John Stowe's Librarie, in a booke of such antiquitie as seemed to have been written neare to Chaucer's time.' He does not say that it was among the CANTERBURY TALES, or that it had Chaucer's name to it. We can therefore only judge of it by the internal evidence, and upon that I have no scruple to declare my own opinion, that it has not the least resemblance to Chaucer's manner, either of writing or thinking, in his other works. Though

what of which appears in the TALE OF PIERCE

he and Boccace have laughed at some of the abuses of religion, and the disorders of ecclesiastical persons, it is quite incredible that either of them, or even Wickliff himself, would have railed at the whole government of the church, in the style of this PLOWMAN'S TALE. If they had been disposed to such an attempt, their times would not have borne it; but it is probable, that Chaucer (though he has been pressed into the service of Protestantism by some zealous writers) was as good a Catholick as men of his understanding and rank in life have generally been. The necessity of auricular confession, one of the great scandals of Popery, cannot be more strongly inculcated than it is in the following TALE OF THE PERSON.

"I will just observe that Spencer seems to speak of the Author of THE PLOWMAN'S TALE as a distinct person from Chaucer, though (in compliance, I suppose, with the taste of his age) he puts them both on the same footing. In the Epilogue to THE SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR, he says to his book,—

Dare not to match thy pipe with Tityrus his style,

Nor with the Pilgrim that the Ploughman plaid awhile. "I know that Mr. Warton, in his excellent OBSERVA•TIONS ON SPENCER, v. i. p. 125, supposes this passage to refer to THE VISIONS OF PIERCE PLOUGHMAN; but my reason for differing from him is, that the Author of the Visions never, as I remember, speaks of himself in the character of a Ploughman."

Our author, I may add, in speaking of " the Tale of Pierce Plowman," seems to have confounded the work falsely ascribed to Chaucer (THE PLOWMAN'S TALE) with THE VISIONS OF (or concerning) PIERCE PLOWMAN, written by Robert (or William) Langland.

PLOWMAN, yet I cannot blame him for inveighing so sharply against the vices of the clergy in his age: their avatheir pride, their ambition, their pomp, rice, their worldly interest, deserved the lashes which he gave them, both in that, and in most of his CANTERBURY TALES. Neither has his contemporary, Boccace, spared them. Yet both those poets lived in much esteem with good and holy men in orders; for the scandal which is given by particular priests, reflects not on the sacred function. Chaucer's Monk, his Canon, and his Friar, took not from the character of his Good Parson. A satirical poet is the check of the laymen on bad priests. We are only to take care, that we involve not the innocent with the guilty in the same condemnation. The good cannot be too much honoured, nor the bad too coarsely used, for the corruption of the best becomes the worst. When a clergyman is whipped, his gown is first taken off, by which the dignity of his order is secured. If he be wrongfully accused, he has his action of slander; and it is at the poet's peril, if he transgress the law. But they will tell us, that all kind of satire, though never so well deserved by particular priests, yet brings the whole order into contempt. Is then the peerage of England any thing dishonoured, when a peer suffers for his treason? If he be libelled, or any way defamed, he has his scandalum magnatum to punish the offender. They who use this kind of argument, seem to be conscious to themselves of somewhat which has de

served the poet's lash, and are less concerned for their publick capacity, than for their private; at least there is pride at the bottom of their reasoning. If the faults of men in orders are only to be judged among themselves, they are all in some sort parties; for, since they say the honour of their order is concerned in every member of it, how can we be sure that they will be impartial judges? How far I may be allowed to speak my opinion in this case, I know not; but I am sure a dispute of this nature caused mischief in abundance betwixt a King of England and an Archbishop of Canterbury; one standing up for the laws of his land, and the other for the honour (as he called it) of God's church; which ended in the murder of the Prelate, and in the whipping of his Majesty from post to pillar for his penance. The learned and ingenious Dr. Drake has saved me the labour of enquiring into the esteem and reverence which the priests have had of old; and I would rather extend than diminish any part of it: yet I must needs say, that

Henry the Second, and Thomas Becket, who was murdered at the altar of St. Benedict's church in Canterbury, by four gentlemen of the King's household, Dec. 29, 1172.

9 Dr. James Drake, a physician, took a part against Collier in the contest relative to the entertainments of the stage, which was at this time at its height. The work here alluded to is entitled "The Ancient and Modern Stage surveyed, or Mr. Collier's View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the Stage set in a true light;" 8vo. 1699, p. 348-354.