Pavia to Milan 45 



he started from Dover/* of a comparatively few persons who 

 had gone to Italy on his business in the months immediately 

 preceding-,*^ and in large measure of detachments from the 

 bands of Englishmen then serving as mercenaries in Italy. One 

 proof of the latter is that so many of his followers were armed 

 with great bows**' and shields/' which is somewhat easier to 

 understand of the local forces than of those which had come 

 with him from England; another is that Cron. Monf. (p. 1212) 

 speaks of the English in Lionel's train (presumably such 

 mercenaries) as having greatly prevailed against the resistance 

 of the Emperor Charles/* and as having done infinite damage 

 in the lands of the state of Milan.*^ 



enemies (M. H. P., p. 1023). But if the frescoes were executed after 

 i373> out of regard for Petrarch, would Giofffedo be likely to characterize 

 them as ancient, and seem to know nothing of the story as told by 

 Petrarch after Boccaccio? 



It therefore appears (i) that if Gioffredo's 'ab antiquo' means any 

 time between 1316 and 1367, Chaucer-^supposing- him to have been in 

 Pavia — might have seen the frescoes ; (2) if Gioffredo's 'ab antiquo' 

 refers to a date after 1367 (or the earlier months of 1368), Chaucer 

 might have seen the frescoes if he visited Pavia during his mission to 

 Lombardy in 1378, or if perchance he made the two days' trip (Petrarch, 

 Sen. 5. i) from Genoa to Pavia in 1372-3. If in 1378, and the execution 

 of the frescoes was due to the authority of Petrarch's version — for 

 Boccaccio's direct influence need not be considered — ^Chaucer would 

 undoubtedly have learned of Petrarch's agency in the matter, and would 

 tlius have been led to the latter's version, a copy of which, considering 

 Galeazzo's relations with him, would surely have been in existence at 

 Pavia. 



" See p. 31. 



'^ See Cal. Pat. Rolls for Nov. 23 and 30, 1367 ; Jan. 9 and Feb. 9, 1368. 



^^ On these bows, see R. I. S. 16. 380. 



" Annal. Med.: 'inter quos erant multi cum arcubus et targhettis'; 

 Frag.: 'molti con gli archi grandi in forma d'una terretta' (sic) ; Corio : 

 'tra i quali molti haveano archi.' These archers, like the others, must 

 have been on horseback, if we are to take literally Corio's 'dismontarono 

 nella corte.' 



^* Temple-Leader and Marcotti {Sir John Hawkivood) assign this to 

 the month of May. They say (pp. 61-2) : 



'This prince had erected a new bastion at Borgoforte on the Po, 

 and stationed an Italian garrison there, which by reason of old 

 rancors had disagreed with the German mercenaries in Visconti's pay, 

 and was reduced to evil case, so that Bernabo had to ride in great 



