Certain recent investigations have suggested that Richard II and his
consort Anne may have been patrons of Chaucer. For this theory the most
definite evidence is derived from references to Queen Anne in several of
the poems. The most obvious of these references is that in Prologue to
L. G. W., version F. 11. 496, 7; another is the one implied in Koch's
explanation for the writing of P. F.; and Professor Lowes finds two more
in his interpretations of a line in K. T. (M. L. N. XIX, 240.242) and of
one in the Troilus. (2 p. M. L. A. 32; 285 ff) Since this investigation
has to do wholly with external evidences as to Chaucer's life, it is not
my business to deal with these references. I would merely point out that
they can derive no active support from the facts which we know about
Chaucer's life, for there is no exceptional feature of his career as an
esquire which points toward patronage by anyone. We have no right from
the circumstances of his rewards and appointments to suppose that
Richard even knew that he was a poet, certainly none to suppose that
Richard enjoyed his poetry and patronized him because of it.
To be sure we have certain evidences of Richard II's interest in
literature, especially the well known stories of his suggestion to Gower
that the poet write the Confessio Amantis, his gift to Froissart for the
latter's book of poems, and the payment entered in 1380 on the Issue
Roll of twenty-eight pounds for the Bible written in French, [Footnote:
Devon's translation, p. 213, is incorrect; the phrase in the document is
"lingua gallica." Issues P. 301, mem. 16.] the Romance of the Rose and
the Romances of Percevale and Gawayn. But those are all; a careful
reading of the Issue Roll for all the years of Richard's reign has
failed to turn up another entry which would indicate an interest in
literature. It is to be noted further that in the entire body of poems
left to us by Chaucer but a few unmistakable references to the queen
occur, and none to the King. If Chaucer is compared in this respect with
his successors Hoccleve and Lydgate a marked difference appears. In a
single volume of Hoccleve before me [Footnote: Hoccleve's works I, E. E.
T. S. 1892.] occur three "balades" to Henry V, one to the Duke of York,
one to the Duke of Bedford, and one to the Lord Chancellor. Perhaps the
striking contrast between this and Chaucer's practice is due to
different notions as to the function of poetry, perhaps to some other
cause, but it exists, and it causes one to feel that, in comparison with
Hoccleve at least, the internal evidences of patronage in Chaucer's
poems are slight indeed. Finally the fact that Chaucer was treated
favourably by the government of Henry IV would suggest that his personal
relations with Richard II had not been very close.