THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 



57 



inspired Boccaccio, and through him Chaucer, whence his 

 " Troihis and Creisida." Moreover Lydgate's Troy book, and 

 the Troy bool^; Caxton translated from the French, whicli was 

 the first book printed in Enghsh, are from the same source, as 

 is also Shakespear's tragedy of that name. 



Chaucer became a soldier, and went into France, with the 

 English army of invasion, during the war, began in 1359. He 

 was taken prisoner by the French, and on March ist, 1360, 

 King Edward III paid sixteen pounds sterling for his ransom. 

 That was a small sum, but money was worth fifteen times as 

 much then as now. In those days a cow sold for five shillings ; 

 wheat was two shillings a quarter ; Judges of the High Court 

 received forty pounds a year; and labourers and mechanics 

 worked for wages averaging from a penny to threepence a day. 



About 1366 Chaucer married one of the ladies in waiting 

 to the Queen ; and the same year he was granted an annual 

 allowance of £13. 6s. 8d. The name Chaucer appears several 

 times in records of that date, and in one or two instances has 

 been held to refer to the poet's children ; but there is trust- 

 worthy evidence of only one son, the boy for whom Chaucer 

 wrote his " Treatise on the Astrolabe." The opening sentence 

 of that lesson has the ring of genuine affection. It reads : 



"Little Louis, my son, I aperceive well by certain evidences thine 

 ability to learn sciences touching number and proportions." 



Several writers speak of Chaucer's marriage as unhappy ; 

 and a record of some abduction, come of late to light, has been 

 impressed into service of that opinion. Infelicitous wedlock is 

 unfortunately confined to no class, it laughs at barriers, and 

 merit is powerless to resist its insidious attack, as John Milton, 

 and John Wesley can witness. In this instance we may " for- 

 bear to judge," for as Professor Lounsbury says : 



" To interpret two or three passages in his writings to mean his life 

 with his wife was unhappy would compel us to reverse our whole con- 

 ception of the poet's character." 



In 1360, Blanche, the wife of John of Gaunt died. To com- 

 memorate her worth, and the sorrow of the Prince, Chaucer 

 wrote " The Death of Blanche the Duchess." His threnody, 



