The date of the Envoy to this Poem can be determined almost to a day. Henry
IV. was received as king by the parliament, Sept. 30, 1399. Chaucer
received his answer, in the shape of an additional grant of forty marks
yearly, on Oct. 3 of the same year. Consequently, the date of the Envoy is
Sept. 30 or Oct. 1 or 2 in that year. It is obvious that the poem itself
had been written (perhaps some time) beforehand; see note to l. 17. As far
as we know, the Envoy is Chaucer's last work.
A somewhat similar complaint was addressed to the French king John II. by
G. de Machault in 1351-6; but it is in short rimed lines; see his works,
ed. Tarbé, p. 78. But the real model which Chaucer had in view was, in my
opinion, the Ballade by Eustache Deschamps, written in 1381, and printed in
Tarbé's edition, at p. 55.
This Ballade is of a similar character, having three stanzas of eight lines
each, with a somewhat similar refrain, viz. 'Mais de paier n'y sçay voie ne
tour,' i. e. but how to pay I know therein no way nor method. It was
written on a similar occasion, viz. after the death of Charles V. of
France, and the accession of Charles VI., who had promised Deschamps a
pension, but had not paid it. Hence the opening lines:--
'Dieux absoille le bon Roy trespassé!
Et Dieux consault cellui qui est en vie!
Il me donna rente le temps passé
A mon vivant; laquelle je n'ay mie.'
The Envoy has but six lines, though the stanzas have eight; similarly,
Chaucer's Envoy has but five lines (rimed _a a b b a_), though the stanzas
have seven. Chaucer's Envoy is in a _very_ unusual metre, which was copied
by the author of the Cuckoo and the Nightingale.
The Title, in MS. F. is--'The Complaynt of Chaucer to his Purse.' In
Caxton's print, it is--'The compleint of Chaucer vnto his empty purse.' In
MS. P.--'La Compleint de Chaucer a sa Bourse voide.' MS. Harl. has--'A
supplicacion to Kyng Richard by chaucier.' The last of these, written by
Shirley, is curious. If not a mere mistake, it seems to imply that the
Complaint was first prepared before king Richard was deposed, though, by
means of the Envoy, it was addressed to his successor. However, this copy
of Shirley's gives the Envoy; so it may have been a mere mistake. Line 23
is decisive; see note below.
I remark here, for completeness' sake, that this poem has sometimes been
ascribed to Hoccleve; but, apparently, without any reason.
4. Koch remarks, that the Additional MS. 22139, which alone has _That_, is
here superior to the rest; and he may be right. Still, the reading _For_ is
quite intelligible.
8. _This day._ This hints at impatience; the poet did not contemplate
having long to wait. But we must take it in connexion with l. 17; see note
to that line.
10. _Colour_; with reference to golden coins. So also in the Phisiciens
Tale (C. T. 11971, or C 37), the golden colour of Virginia's hair is
expressed by--
'And Phebus dyed hath hir tresses grete
Lyk to the stremes of his burned hete.'
11. Four MSS., as well as the printed copies, read _That of yelownesse_,
&c.; and this may very well be right. If so, the scansion is:--That of yél
| ownés | se hád | de név | er pere. MS. Harl. 2251 has _That of yowre
Ielownesse_, but the _yowre_ is merely copied in from l. 10.