Geoffrey Chaucer epub The Prologue, the Knights Tale, the Nonne Preestes Tale (Classic Reprint)

Chaucer was, likeS penser, Ben Jonson, Milton, etc, a Londoner bom and bred .I nhis Release of his right to his fathers former house inT hames-street, London, to one Henry Herbury, the poet describes himself as son of John Chaucer, citizen and vintner of London (C ity Hustings Roll, no, 5R ic. H, membrane 2). His mother was.no doubt Agnes Chaucer, who is described in another Roll as the wife of John Chaucer in 1349. Chaucer sgrandfather was Robert Chaucer, of Ipswich and London, who married a widow, Maria Heyroun, with a son Thomas Heyroun. (H er third husband was Richard Chaucer, a London vintner.) This Thomas Heyroun left his land to be sold by his bn)ther.(that is, brother of the half-blood) John Chaucer, the poets father. As John Chaucer shouse inT hames-street was by Walbrook a stream flowing from Finsbury Moor it must have been near the spot where theS outhE astern Railway (from Cannon street) now crossesT hames-street. There, on Thames bank, the poet spent his earliest days; there for twelve and a half years later, 1374-1386, he did his daily work in the Custom House, after his marriage and settling down in his rooms at A ldgate. Near there he must have gone to school. Out of school and after play, the boy would probably sometimes help his father in his wineshop and cellar, and fill citizens pots with the wine they required. Young men inC haucer stime finished their education either at the University, or in some noblemans house as pages. Chaucer sfather (J ohn) was in attendance onE dward III and his queen Philippa in their expedition to Flanders and Cologne in 1338 (R ymer, v. 51) ;and to the fathers connection with the court, the son no doubt owed his training and first appointment. The first records of the name of Geoffrey Chaucer are on two parchment leaves, fragments of aH ousehold A ccount, The Testament of Love, which names London as the birthp(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)