Lewis, if so be I shew you in my easy English as true conclusions
as be shewn in Latin, grant me the more thank, and pray God save
the King, who is lord of this English."

So we see from this that more than five hundred years ago a
kindly father saw the need of making simple books on difficult
subjects for children. You may never want to read this book
itself, indeed few people read it now, but I think that we should
all be sorry to lose the preface, although it has in it some long
words which perhaps a boy of ten in our day would still find
"full heavy."

It is interesting, too, to notice in this preface that here
Chaucer calls his King "Lord of this English." We now often
speak of the "King's English," so once again we see how an
everyday phrase links us with the past.







Chapter XXIII CHAUCER--"THE CANTERBURY TALES"

CHAUCER rose in the King's service. He became an esquire, and
was sent on business for the King to France and to Italy. To
Italy he went at least twice, and it is well to remember this, as
it had an effect on his most famous poems. He must have done his
business well, for we find him receiving now a pension for life