Excerpt from A Commentary on the Poetry of Chaucer Spenser This book has come together somewhat occasionally. Originally conceived as two of several essays designed to consider some of our older poets from the standpoint of modern interest, it has finally taken the shape of a detailed critical account of Chaucer and Spenser. The explanation is that while the essays were still incomplete, I was asked to deliver, in the Session 1914-1915, the Clark Lectures in Trinity College, Cambridge, and, as I was then busy with those two poets, I chose them as my subject. Literary essays and class-room comment are different things, and to turn my material into lectures during the stress of the National preoccupation was not easy. Nevertheless, doing what I could, I found myself as of course hastily altering, both by omission and addition, and in the upshot, I am afraid, deferring the interests of the general reader to those of the student. And now when later I have tried again to recast in more literary form, I am not sure that I have ended by satisfying either party. But I have had two guiding considerations. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from The Canterbury Tales, And, Faerie Queene: With Other Poems of Chaucer and Spenser; Edited for Popular Perusal, With Current Illustrative and Explanatory Notes Subject be unto all poesy, And kiss the steps, where as thou seest space, Of Virgil, Ovid, Homer, Lucan, Stace. See note 13, page 93. 3 See note 16, page 282.that the poet had chosen in that way to convey his matter - told, or taught, so much more directly and simply by word of mouth. It is impossible to pronounce positively on the subject the question whether Chaucer saw Petrarch in 1373 must remain a moot-point, so long as we have only our present information but fancy loves to dwell on the thought of the two poets conversing under the vines at Arqua and we find in the history and the writings of Chaucer nothing to contradict, a good deal to countenance, the belief that such a meeting occurred. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.