44 Chaucer's Mission to Florence in i^yz 



the known conditions, and especially the known exigencies of 

 the kingdom and the King.-° Whether he was successful or not, 

 his efforts were certainly appreciated. Pollard has remarked"^: 

 'From the mission to Genoa dates a great advance in Chaucer's 

 prosperity. '^^ 



XI. KATHARINE SWYNFORD 



It has often been assumed of late that John of Gaunt's irregular 

 relations with Katharine Swynford began about the year 1372. 

 Armitage-Smith/ relying on the Monk of Evesham's statement, 

 'Quam ut concubinam multo tempore vivente uxore Constancia 

 carnaliter cognovit,' and Froissart's assertion" that he had kept 

 her in the lifetime of his queen, Constance, that is, within the 

 period 1371-94, and also as well before as after the death of 

 her husband (Nov. 13, 1371),^ concludes: 'Only the years 1371 

 and 1372 fit in with this statement.' In fact, any connection 

 which took place between John of Gaunt's marriage to Constance 



■" Cf. Young, Kittredge Anniversary Papers, pp. 415-6, unfortunately 

 overlooked till this paper was in type. 



^' Chaucer, p. 13. 



"^ Cf. Legouis, p. 12; Skeat, Oxford Chaucer, p. xxv. Kirk {Life-Rec- 

 ords IV, p. xxv) thus summarizes his income for the year after his return, 

 1374: 'Geoffrey was receiving 13/. 6s. 8d. yearly from the King, a pitcher 

 of wine daily (of about the same value), 10/. from the Controller- 

 ship, . . . and id/, from the Duke, while his wife's two pensions 

 amounted to 16/. i^s. 4d ; in all, 63/. 6s. Sd., or more than 1000/. a year 

 of our money.' Of all this, Chaucer had previously had only the item 

 first mentioned, besides Philippa's two pensions, so that now their joint 

 income was more than doubled. By 1376, as Kirk notes (p. xxvi), two 

 years later, he had received three extra grants, which 'may have brought 

 him a sum equal in our present currency to about four thousand pounds' 

 (more than $300,000). 



No less significant than the increase of Chaucer's income is the fact 

 that towards the close of 1376 he was again employed on the King's 

 secret business, that between Feb. 17 and March 25 of 1377 he was engaged 

 on another secret mission, and between April 20 and June 26 on still 

 another — 75 days in all, at his regular wages of 13s. 4d. per day (say 

 $3750) before the recent decline in the value of money). Cf. Froissart, 

 ed. Luce, 8. cxxxix, note 3. 



' John of Gaunt, p. 462. 



"Ed. Kervyn de Lettenhove 15. 239. 



^ Derby Accounts, ed. L. T. Smith, p. 301. 



