2. Comment upon the style of each of the following extracts. Note the use of French words, the type of sentences, the clearness of construction, and the handling of the meter. Compare (1) with the extract given from Chaucer on page 39. Which is the better narrative, and which shows the more humor?

(1) In a Croniq I fynde thus, How that Caius Fabricius Wich whilome was consul of Rome,

And tolde vnto hem in this wise:

"I not what is with golde to thryve

By whome the lawes yede Whan none of alle my wittes

and come,

Whan the Sampnitees to

him brouht
A somme of golde, and
hym by souht

To done hem fauoure in
the lawe,

Towarde the golde he gan
hym drawe:

Where of in alle mennes
loke,

A part in to his honde he
tooke,

Wich to his mouthe in alle
haste

He put hit for to smelle
and taste,

And to his ihe and to his

ere,

Bot he ne fonde no comfort

there:

And thanne he be gan it to
despise,

fyve

Fynt savour ne delite ther inne
So is it bot a nyce sinne
Of golde to ben to coveitous,
Bot he is riche an glorious
Wich hath in his subieccion
The men wich in possession
Ben riche of golde, and by this
skille,

For he may alday whan he
wille,

Or be him leef or be him loth,
Justice don vppon hem bothe."
Lo thus he seide and with that
worde

He threwe to fore hem on the
borde

The golde oute of his honde anon,

And seide hem that he wolde

none,

So that he kepte his liberte
To do justice and equite.
GOWER, Confessio Amantis

(2) The kyng and hise knyghtes
To here matyns of the day
Thanne waked I of my wynkyng,
That I ne had slept sadder
Ac er I hadde faren a furlong,
That I ne myghte ferther a foot
10 faintness,

To the kirke wente
And the mass after.
And wo was withalle,
And y-seighen moore.
Feyntise me hente,1
For defaute of slepynge,
11 seized,

10

11

And sat softly a-doun,

And so 12 I bablede on my bedes
And thanne saugh I much moore
For I seigh the feld ful of folk,
And how Reson gan arayen hym
And with a cros afore the kyng

And seide my bileve,
Thei broughte me a-slepe.
Than I bifore of tolde,
That I bifore of seide
Al the reaume 13 to preche
Comsede 14 thus to techan.

LANGLAND, Piers Plowman

3. The two extracts given below represent the older and the more modern versions of Chevy Chace. Compare them with regard to diction, vivacity, and general competence in the handling of meter.

4. "In the union of the two [art and strength] Chaucer stood alone." (Saintsbury.) Compare Chaucer with Langland and Gower, and show how he combines the strength of the former with the art of the latter.

5. The following quotations on Chaucer can each be taken as the theme of a short discussion, and all of them can be used as the foundation of a longer paper.

(1) Dan Chaucer, well of English undefiled,

On Fame's eternall beadroll worthy to be filed.

...

SPENSER

(2) He is the father of English poetry. . . . He followed nature everywhere. The verse of Chaucer is not harmonious to us. There is the rudeness of a Scotch tune in it.19 DRYDEN

...

(3) He was a healthy and hearty man, so humane that he loved even the foibles of his kind. . . He was a truly epic poet, without knowing it. . . . He has left us such a picture of contemporary life as no man ever painted. LOWELL (4) Dan Chaucer, the first warbler, whose sweet breath Preluded those melodious bursts that fill

The spacious times of great Elizabeth

With sounds that echo still.

18 parted.

TENNYSON

19 Dryden wrote before the metrical importance of the final e was understood.

6. Point out some of the traces that the social and religious unrest has left upon the literature of the time.

7. "There exists a general impression that our prose dates from the sixteenth century." (Earle.) Is this impression a correct one?

CHAPTER IV

FROM CHAUCER TO SPENSER

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (1450-1550)

The dates that appear at the head of this section are only approximate, but the general features of the time are well defined. In England the period begins with wars, unrest, and almost chaos; it concludes with a settled dynasty, a reformed religion, and a people united and progressive. Abroad, as well as in England, there is apparent the broad intellectual flood known as the Renaissance, running deep and strong: the renewed desire for knowledge, changes in religious ideals, the discovery of new worlds, both geographical and literary, and the enormous quickening of heart and mind. In England the scene is being prepared for the great age to follow.

LITERARY FEATURES OF THE AGE

1. Poverty of Material. Considering the length of the period, the poverty of the output is hard to explain. There is no English poet of any consequence; the prose writing is thin in quality and quantity; and if it were not for the activities of the Scottish poets the age would be poor indeed.

2. Scottish Poetry. Scottish poetry comes late into notice, but it comes with a bound. The poverty and disunion of Scotland, its severance from the intellectual stimulus of English thought, and the dearth of educational facilities all combine to retard its literary development. But these disadvantages are rapidly passing away, with the beneficial results apparent in this chapter.

3.

Tevelopment of the Drama. The popularity of the romance is almost gone; the drama, more suited to