South London

return bore conspicuously upon his hat or scrip or hanging round his neck (see Skeat, Notes to Piers Plowman) in token that he had accomplished that particular pilgrimage. Thus the

e of our Lord. These shrines were cast in lead in the m

custom is, signes

should know whom

silver in such th

nwhile the mil

of signes of Ca

tead of bracelets.' To which the reply is that he has been to certain shrines on pilgrimage. The late Dr. Hugo communicated to the Society of Antiquaries a paper in which he enumerated and figured a great many of these signs

KING'S HEA

the pilgrimage beyond the seas. From Southampton and at Dartmouth sailed the ships of those who were licensed to carry pilgrims to Compostella, which was the shrine of St. Iago: or to Rome: or to Rocamadom

rther afield, there were the shrines of Our Lady of the Oak; of Muswell Hill; or of Willesden. But these were all on the north side of London and belonged to the City rather than to Southwark. For him of the Borough there was the shrine of Crome's Hill, Greenwich, which provided a pleasant o

LL, AY

and as far as Venice, and then by a 'personally conducted' voyage, the captain providing escort to and

There were other Saints, of course, but St. Thomas was his special Saint. No other shrine was possible for him save that of St. Thomas. Not Glas

BURY P

unt of what was done and what was shown at the shrines

palaces look dim, and as it were obscures the place that was anciently the most celebrated for religion. There are two lofty turrets which stand as it were bidding visitants welcome from afar off, and a ring of bells that make the adjace

re is no entrance, but so that the view is still open from one end of the church to the other. You ascend to this by a great many steps, under which there is a certain vault that opens a passage to the north side. There they show a wooden altar consecrated to the Holy Virgin; it is a very small one, and remarkable for nothing except as a monument of antiquity, reproaching the luxury of the

, as it was bored through; the upper part is left open to be kissed, all the rest is covered over with silver. There is also shown you a leaden plate with this insc

brought out of it, skulls, chins, teeth, hands, fingers, whole arms, all which we having first adored, kissed; nor had there been

s that were laid up under the altar; all was very rich, you would have said Midas and Croes

th silver; it hath but little of weight, and nothing of workmanship, and was longer than up to one's girdle. Me. Was there never a cross? Og. I saw none. There was a gown shown; it was silk, ind

nother ascent as into another church. In a certain new chapel there was shewn

e seemed to me to be a godly and prudent man, and not unacquainted with the Scotch divinity. He opened us the box in which the remainder of the holy man's body is said to rest. Me. Did you see the bones? Og. That is not permitted, nor can it be done without a ladder. But a wooden box covers a golden one, and that being craned up with ropes, discovers an inestimable treasure. Me. What say you? Og. Gold was the b

h riches. Me. You tell me of riches in the dark. Og. Candles being brought in we saw more than a royal sight. Me. What, does it go beyond the Parathalassian virgin in wealth? Og. It goes far beyond in appearance. What is concealed she knows best. These things are shewn to none

g certain prayers prescribed, and to make offerings at every exhibition of relics. Thus on beholdi

rrive at that happy infant state of dovelike innocence in which, being void of malice, fraud, and deceit, we may continually desire the milk of the evangelical doctrine, un

elling-place of the Virgin like the Casa Sancta of Loret

selves to thee that art pure, and reverence thee with our poor offerings, such as they are. Oh that thy Son would enable us to imitate thy most holy life, that we ma

heir piety. Nay, even with this stimulus, there were found some who, while they laid their offering on the altar, by sleight of hand would steal what another had laid down. Since pilgrimage was reduced to the e

home by pilgrims, presented to archbishops and kings, and sold by pardoners and friars, the whole country was crammed with relics; at the great shrines as shown by Erasmus, there were cupboards filled with holy bones a

NTURY G

AND HIS WIFE

ere transferred from their original resting-place by Stephen Langton, Archb

e, was not alone in his opinions. Indeed, it required no great wisdom to perceive that a rel

scovery. Piers Plowman, long before, had

almers plihten

eint Jeme and

heore wey with

e to lye al he

a hep with

ngham, and here

more serious in

o state these opinions to Archbishop Arundel. An account remains, written by the priest himself,

wilfully and spende them unjustely against Goddis bidding upon straungers, with which they shoulde helpe and releve after Goddis will their poor nedy neighbours at home: ye, and over this foly, ofte tymes diverse men and women of thes runners thus madly hither and thither in to pilgrimage borowe hereto other mennis goodes, ye and sometymes they stele mennis goodes hereto, and they pay them never again. Also, Syr, I know well that when diverse men and women will go thus often after their own willes, and finding out one pilgrimage, they will order with them before to have wi

ght well done that pilgremys have with them both singers and also pypers, that whan one of them that goeth barfoote striketh his toe upon a stone and hurteth hym sore, and makyth him to blede: it is well done that he or his f

round the Mediterranean, the members do not agree to meet: they find out that a party will start on such a date from such a place, and they join it. Part of the business of the Tabard, and of other inns of Southwark, was to organise and to conduct such a party to Canterbury and back. As the ships licensed to carry pilgrims charged so much for the voyage there and back, including the visit to the shrine, so the Host of

is a list of

A Serjeant at Law. 7.-A Franklin. 8.-A Haberdasher, a Carpenter, a Weaver, a Dyer, and a Tapestry Maker, all clad in the livery of a Fraternity. 9.-A Sailor and a

NTURY C

NTURY M

NTURY C

n found by Professor Skeat. Allow them sixteen hours for the journey. This means more than four miles an hour without any halt. But so large a company must needs go slowly and stop often. We can

g them the Prioress Madame Eglantine is a gentlewoman who might belong to any age: tenderhearted: del

first i-writ

, Amor vi

burly man who kept many horses and

heard confessions, sweetly imposing light penance: he knew all the taverns: he could play and sing: he knew all the

f the Ploughman, is perhaps the most charmi

was ther of

ovre Persou

was of holy t

a lerned m

gospel trewel

s devoutly wo

as, and wond

ersitee fu

was y-preve

him to cursen

lde he yeven,

ovre pariss

, and eek of h

itel thing ha

isshe, and hous

te nat, for r

r in meschie

his parisshe,

t, and in his

sample to his

oghte, and after

spel he tho w

ure he added

ruste, what

t be foul, on

s a lewed m

is, if a pree

herde and a

reest ensampl

, how that his s

t his benef

sheep encombr

ondon, un-to

a chauntrie

therhed to be

hoom, and kept

olf ne made i

pherde and n

e holy were,

inful man n

eche daunder

ching discree

lk to heven

mple, was hi

any person

re, of heigh

nibben sharply

, I trowe that

er no pompe a

m a spyced

re, and his ap

first he folwe

face: children were afraid of him: he loved strong meat and strong drink. If he found a good fel

t end: all the imagination in the nature of certain classes was lavished upon the invention of relics. Thus it required a fine power of imagination to show a

nd of swiche

hing, for to

pense and na

en described, figured, illustrated, annotated a hundred times. They form the most trustworthy presentation of the time which we possess. The Knight is full of chivalry, truth, honour, and courtesy: his son is well bred and lusty, is a lover and a bachelor. The Merchant talks eagerly and much of his profits: the Clerk, a poor scholar, would rather have books than rich robes or musical instruments: the Craftsmen were all well-to-do, in easy circumstances: the Physician w

d is a portrait fi

r was of Ox

logik hadde

his hors a

at right fat

lwe, and the

was his ove

eten him yet

rldly for to

ever have at

s, clad in

e and his p

e, or fithele,

at he was a

but litel g

mighte of his

on lerninge

gan for the

af him wher-w

he most cure

spak he more

seyd in forme

quik, and ful

oral vertu wa

de he lerne, a

perhaps call a 'lower middle class' woman than that of the Wyf of Bath? She is

as ther of b

-del deef, and

ng she hadde s

em of Ypres

isshe wyf ne

fring bifore h

e, certeyn, so

s out of al

fs ful fyne w

re they weye

nday were up

ren of fyn s

yd, and shoos fu

ce, and fair, a

rthy womman

chirche-dore s

ther compan

deth nat to sp

dde she been

sed many a st

adde been, an

seint Iame, a

he of wandrin

s she, soothl

mblere esi

l, and on hi

is a bokeler

l aboute hir

et a paire of

el coude she la

f love she kn

of that art th

. .

three times to Jerusalem and back: once to Rome: once to Bologna: once to St. Iago of Compostella: once to Cologne: apart from the English shrines. We may be quite sure that so good an Englishwoman would not neglect the saints of her own country: after Canterbury she would pilgrimise to Beve

bred of pur?

wyves eten

barley bred

sù refreissh

e Limitour plays on the rote: the Miller plays the bagpipe: the Pardoner could sing 'full loud:' the Knight's son could bot

ne and back again: the former was under vows of poverty, and continually travelled from shrine to shrine. The Canterbury Pilgrims w

e was a Benedictine nunnery dating from the eleventh century. The beautiful little Parish Church of Bow was formerly the chapel of the nunnery. The Wyf of Bath is 'gat toothed,' i.e. her teeth are wide apart: Professor Skeat has discovered that an old s

DL

ned Window in

e roads were none of the best: the party jogged on, I am sure, picking their way over the rough places and avoiding the quagmires at a steady pace of about three miles an hour, with many stoppages for rest and for refreshment. When Cardinal Morton journeyed from Lambeth to Canterbury for his enthronisation, he took a whole week over the journey, resting for the night at Croydon, Knol

rvice in Chaucer or in any other writer of the time, so far as I know. There is none in the Pilgrimage of Felix Fabri of the sixteenth century. One may suppose, therefore, that the service had been allowed to drop

which is a sermon: witness also the contempt and hatred of the poet for the shrines of religion: the impostor with his relics: the Sompnour and the Friar. Chaucer makes the two latter tell stories reflecti

lle a mery t

this feeste, a

r His grace,

the wey, in

rfit gloriou

e Ierusale

age of Jeremiah, vi. 16: 'Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths

ELS A.

t there were scandals: that on the way there were drinking and revelry, with the 'wanton songs' of which Thorpe complains: that there was an idle parade of pretended relics, and an assumption of virtues and miracles for these relics: we can also very well believe: but on the

Archbishop Arundel t

pilgremys have with them both syngers and also pypers, that whan one of them that goeth barfoote striketh his toe upon a stone and hurteth hym sore, and maketh hym to blede: it is well done that he or his felow begy