Chaucei', though nearly thirty years younger than BoC- 

 eaeeio, for several years was his contenaporai'y. Chaucer's 

 versatility and varied oooupations made him conver&ant 

 with all Ci-Drte and conditions of inei:^. liy turns he was 

 page, soldier, diplomat, customs controller, clerk of works 

 for the king and chief fore&ter. Of his scholastic education 

 little is known, though his knowledge of Latin, French and 

 Italian was abreast of the scholar-siiip of that day. G-reafc 

 changes were talcing place in the speech of the English 

 people during his lifetime, which lun from 1340 to l-iOO. 

 In the struggle between the English and French languages, 

 English was gaining the mast-ery. During Chaucer's life 

 it was made lawful by statut-e for Engliish pleadings to be 

 made in courts of law ; and parliament was opened with an 

 English speech. Eolle, the Hampole hermit, wrote sundry 

 treatises in English ; Trevisa. translated intO' English Hig- 

 den's Chronicle; and a bible translation into English was 

 finished before Chaucer's death. These are some of the 

 origins of modern Engliish, of which it has been s^id: "Its 

 foundations are Sa:xon, and its graces French." 



Chaucer helped on the work of his time. He translated 

 Latin and French books of gi'eat value into English, and 

 wrote; in that language poeti'y which gives him rank with 

 the immortals. Lydgate, who knew him, called him the 

 lode-star of our language; Ascham refers to him as the 

 English Homer; and now, v.-hen he has been dead for more 

 than five hundred years, and his works are read with glos- 

 sary and grammar, he still has readers v.'herever the English 

 language ia studied throughout the v/ide world. To the 

 Canterbury Tales, Chaucer's mastei-piece, this popularity 

 is mainly due. They comprise stories, told by pilgrims on 

 their way from the Tabard hostelry, Southwark, to the 

 shrine of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Cant-erbury, who 

 was murdered hi his church in 1170. Hem'y the Second 

 did public penance at his tomb; and in an age when pil- 

 gi'images were in vogue Becket's shrine became the most 

 faanous in Christendom. 



34 



