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From Illustrations of Chaucer’s England, edited by Dorothy Hughes, M.A.; Longmans, Green and Co.; 1919.

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NOTES.




A. NOTE ON AUTHORITIES


FOR the general history of the period, “The Political History of England,” ed. Hunt and Poole, vol. iii. (T. F. Tout) and vol. iv. (C. Oman); “A History of England,” ed. Oman, vol. iii. (K. H. Vickers, “England in the Later Middle Ages”); the “Constitutional History of England,” Stubbs, vols. ii. and iii. For Edward III’s reign, “The Life and Times of Edward III,” W. Longman; “The History of Edward III,” J. Mackinnon (more recent, but devotes attention mainly to military affairs). Of Richard II’s reign the only account is the “Histoire de Richard II,” by Henri Wallon; cf. also “John of Gaunt,” S. Armitage Smith; “England in the Age of Wycliffe,” G. M. Trevelyan. For special subjects, “The Black Death of 1348-49,” F. A. Gasquet; “The Enforcement of the Statute of Labourers,” B. H. Putnam. “Le Soulèvement des Travailleurs d’Angleterre,” A. Réville; “The great Revolt of 1381,” C. Oman. For ecclesiastical history, the “History of the English Church,” ed. Stephens and Hunt, vol. iii. (“The English Church in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries,” W. W. Capes); “Wycliffe and Movements for Reform,” R. L. Poole; “Wyclif and his English Precursors,” P. Lorimer (translated from J. Lechler). For naval and military affairs, the “History of the Royal Navy,” Sir H. Nicolas, vol. ii.; “History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages,” Oman. Valuable notes and commentaries upon matters connected with the French War are to be found in M. Luce’s notes to the First Book of Froissart’s “Chronicles” (Société de l’Histoire de France, ed. xii Luce and Raynouart), and in Kervyn de Lettenhove’s indexes to his “Froissart”. Taxation is dealt with in the “History of Taxation,” S. Dowell; cf. also, “Taxes on Movables in the Reign of Edward III,” J. S. Willard, “English Historical Review,” xxx.

Valuable articles and references may be found in the “Dictionary of National Biography”. Bibliographies of the period are given in the volumes of the “Political History of England” mentioned above; full and detailed references are given in the standard bibliography, “Sources and Literature of English History,” C. Gross, 2nd ed., 1915.

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B. NOTES ON THE CHRONICLERS PRINCIPALLY QUOTED.


ADAM OF MURIMUTH. A Doctor of Civil Law and Canon of St. Paul’s, frequently employed in diplomatic and other business by the governments of Edward II and Edward III. He accepted the rectory of Wraysbury in Buckinghamshire in 1337, and died in 1347 at the age of seventy-two. In compiling his “Continuatio Chronicorum” he “had access to documents and private information of which he freely availed himself”.

ROBERT OF AVESBURY. A canon lawyer, Registrar of the Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. His chronicle “De mirabilibus gestis Edwardi III,” extending to 1356, devotes especial attention to military affairs; “holding a public position, he had access to some of he material of which Murimuth also makes use”.

GEOFFREY LE BAKER OF SWINBROOK, a secular clerk, was to some extent indebted to the work of Murimuth, with whom he was probably acquainted; for his “Chronicon,” begun possibly about 1350, he “obtained most of his information from living sources”.

HENRY OF KNIGHTON, a Canon of Leicester, is responsible for a “Chronicon” containing important accounts of xiv affairs especially, to about 1366. His anonymous “Continuator,” also closely connected with Leicester, resumed a full narrative of events from the death of Edward III.

The “Chronicon” of WALTER OF HEMINGBURGH was completed by a continuation from 1326 to 1346.

THOMAS OF WALSINGHAM was closely connected with St. Albans Abbey, presiding over the Scriptorium for many years. His death occurred in c. 1422. His literary activities began about 1380, the “Chronicon Angliae” being an early work, while the “Historia Anglicana” represents a final history, much rewritten and revised. From the St. Alban’s Scriptorium proceed also the “Annales Ricardi II,” contributing, like the above, original and contemporary accounts of the events which they describe.

JEAN FROISSART came to England in 1361, and was for some years attached to the household of Queen Philippa. In 1369, after her death, he left the country; the first edition of the First Book of his “Chronicles” was probably written between this time and 1373, being perhaps compiled from material already carefully collected. After 1376, when under the influence of the Court of Brabant, he produced a second version of this Book, his English bias appearing much weakened; this version is represented by the “MS d’Amiens”. The third and latest edition (represented by the “MS. de Rome”) was written after Richard II’s deposition, covers the period to 1350 only, and exhibits strong anti-English feeling.

JEAN LE BEL, Canon of Liège, probably compiled the first portion of his “Chronicle” (to 1346) between 1352 and 1356, the portion 1346-58 in the latter year, and the remainder from time to time until 1361. He may have obtained much information from John of Hainault, but we are told that he spared no pains and expense to secure authentic information from all sources. He died in 1370. Froissart borrowed lavishly, often word-for-word, from this “Chronicle” for the first edition of his book.




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C. NOTE ON THE TRANSLATIONS.


In the translations from Froissart, use has been made of Lord Berners’ Tudor Translations and of the version by Johnes, but careful comparison has been made with the original (ed. Luce and Raynouard). for Nos. 53 and 59 (Book I), Lord Berners’ translation is used with little modification; No. 39 is based mainly on his version, but some changes, more closely following the original, have been made. For No. 55 (b), not included in Berners’ translation, use has been made of Johnes’ version, freely modified with reference to Froissart. No. 23 has been carefully compiled and translated from Froissart’s various narratives, with some reference to Johnes’ version.

The French letters and despatches quoted by Murimuth and Avesbury1 have been newly translated from the originals, but reference has in all cases been made to the renderings given by Sir E. M. Thompson in his edition of these writers for the Rolls Series; his translations have been adopted for No. 2 (Book I), with some modifications, and for No. 2 (Book III) completely.

For extracts from the Statutes, the translations printed in the “Statutes of the Realm” have been compared with the originals, and in some cases new renderings are given.

For other translations, unless otherwise noted, the Editor is responsible.





NOTES


1   Book I, Nos. 7, 17, 18, 19, 22, 27-30, 35, 36.







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