The canon of Chaucer's writings has now been settled with a reasonable degree of certainty. For a long time the fashion existed of imputing to him the composition of any English poem of the century following his death which was floating about without having attached to it the name of any author. The consequence is that the older editions contain a mass of matter which it would have been distinctly discreditable for any one to have produced, let alone a great poet. This has now been gradually dropped, much to the advantage of Chaucer's reputation; though modern scholarship also refuses to admit the production by him of two or three pieces, such as 'The Court of Love,' 'The Flower and the Leaf,' 'The Cuckoo and the Nightingale,' none of which was unworthy of his powers. It is possible indeed that the poet himself may have had some dread of being saddled with the responsibility of having produced pieces which he did not care to father. It is certainly suggestive that he himself took the pains on one occasion to furnish what it seems must have been at the time a fairly complete list of his writings. In the prologue to the 'Legend of Good Women' he gave an idea of the work which up to that period he had accomplished. The God of Love, in the interview which is there described as having taken place, inveighs against the poet for having driven men away from the service due to his deity, by the character of what he had written. He says:-- "Thou mayst it not deny: For in plain text, withouten need of glose,[5] Thou hast translated the Romance of the Rose; That is an heresy agains my law, And makest wise folk fro me withdraw. And of Cressid thou hast said as thee list; That makest men to women lesse trist,[6] That be as true as ever was any steel." [5] Commentary. [6] Trust. Against this charge the queen Alcestis is represented as interposing to the god a defense of the poet, in which occurs the following account of Chaucer's writings:-- "Albeit that he cannot well endite, Yet hath he maked lewed[7] folk delight To serve you, in praising of your name. He made the book that hight[8] the House of Fame, And eke the Death of Blanche the Duchess, And the Parliament of Fowles, as I guess, And all the love of Palamon and Arcite Of Thebes, though the story is knowen lyte[9]; And many an hymne for your holy days That highten[10] ballades, roundels, virelays; And for to speak of other holiness, He hath in prose translated Boece, And made the Life also of Saint Cecile; He made also, gone sithen a great while,[11] Origenes upon the Maudelain[12]: Him oughte now to have the lesse pain; He hath made many a lay and many a thing." [7] Ignorant. [8] Is called. [9] Little. [10] Are called. [11] A great while ago. [12] Origen upon Mary Magdalen.