VT 
Vol. I. No. 26 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
AWEEKY-JOURNAL DEVOTED-TO-THE BEST: INTERESTS:OF THENORTHSHORE 
BEVERLY, MASS., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1904 
Three Cents 
MASTERS OF 
ENGLISH LITERATURE. 
Geoffrey Chaucer — 1328-1400. 
BY D. F. LAMSON. 
The first great name in English 
literature is that of Geoffrey Chaucer. 
He has been called ‘the father of 
English poetry.”’ Spenser thus sings 
of him: 
“ That renowned poet, 
Dan Chaucer, well of English undefyled, 
On Fame’s eternall bead-roll worthie to be 
fyled.” 
No less a literary judge than Hal- 
lam classes him with Dante and 
Petrarch in “the great poetic trium- 
virate of the Middle Ages.’’ He was 
a worthy representative of the splen- 
did fourteenth century. 
But little is known of Chaucer’s 
early life. He was son of a vintner 
in London; he had no liking for his 
father’s trade, but showed almost 
from childhood a love for books and 
letters. He obtained a_ university 
education, and was soon admitted to 
court, was page to Edward III., nego- 
tiator and ambassador, and a man of 
eminence under his friend and patron, 
the Duke of Lancaster. He knew 
much of the world, had seen men and 
cities, was accomplished and learned. 
In Italy he made the acquaintance of 
Petrarch, and came under the spell of 
Romanticism. It is the great praise 
of Chaucer that he was the first to 
write literary English; he may be 
called the first English literary artist ; 
it is hardly too much to say that, like 
Dante, he found his native tongue a 
dialect and left it a language. “In 
him,” says Lowell, ‘ we see the first 
result of the Norman yeast upon the 
home-baked Saxon loaf.’’ He welded 
together the French and English ele- 
ments in our language, and naturalized 
the poetry of the Trouveurs in Eng- 
land. In a semi-barbarous age, an 
age of battles and camps and forays, 
he introduced a humanizing element, 
softening the manners and _ instilling 
into the minds of his countrymen a 
love of nature and of classic grace. 
His style is always simple, fresh, 
flowing; it has in it the naturalness 
of childhood and the joyousness of 
spring-time. His spirit is gentle and 
kindly ; he laughs at the foibles of his 
time, and is full of charity and good 
humor even when castigating folly 
with his wit. He omits no occasion 
of satirizing the corruptions and pride 
of the lazy and luxurious monks, but 
he treats the poorand faithful parson 
with the greatest affection and respect. 
He has a great love of truth and a 
deep sense of reverence, but he com- 
bines with these the flowers of poesy 
[Continued on page fourteen.] 
PUBLIC 
LIBRARY 
«AT. 
Picturesque Manchester. 
Given to the Town, largely 
through the efforts of 
D L. Bingham. 
CELEBRATED HIS 
90th BIRTHDAY. 
Delucena L. Bingham, one of Manchester’s 
Oldest Sons, and Oldest Librarian in the 
State, Received Friends. 
Enjoying good health, remarkably 
active, delightfully reminiscent, ver- 
satile and interesting, Delucena L. 
Bingham, one of Manchester’s beloved 
old sons “of the manor born,” passed 
his 90th milestone Monday, at his 
home, corner Vine and School streets. 
DELUCENA L. BINGHAM, 
Of Manchester, Oldest Librarian in the State. 
The event was a memorable one, 
inasmuch as the friends and neighbors 
united in their expression of regard 
for the grand old man in a manner 
such as has seldom been seen in Man- 
chester. More than 150 called during 
the day to extend their congratula- 
tions. 
Friends of Mr. Bingham had planned 
to give him a reception at his home, 
and their plans materialized. In the 
afternoon some of the older friends 
called, such as Deacon A. E. Low, 
