114. In the Roman de la Rose, 15980, Venus speaks of her bow (F. _arc_) and
her firebrand or torch (_brandon_). Cf. Merch. Tale, E 1777.
117. 'As surely as I saw thee in the north-north-west.' He here refers to
the planet Venus. As this planet is never more than 47° from the sun, the
sun must have been visible to the north of the west point at sunset; i. e.
the poem must have been written in the summer-time. The same seems to be
indicated by l. 21 (_the longe day_), and still more clearly by ll. 85-88;
Chaucer would hardly have gone to bed at sunset in the winter-time. It is
true that he dreams about Saint Valentine's day, but that is quite another
matter. Curiously enough, the landscape seen in his dream is quite a summer
landscape; see ll. 172, 184-210.