It befell in that season, on a day, In Southwark, at the Tabert as I lay, Ready to wend on my pilgrimage To Canterbury, with full devout courage; That night was comen into the Hosterie, Well nine and twenty in a companie, Of sundry folke, by adventure yfall In fellowship, and Pilgrims were they all, That toward Canterbury woulden ride; The Stables and Chambers weren wide, And well wee were eased at the best, &c. By his Travel also in _France_ and _Flanders_, where he spent much time in his young years, but more in the latter end of the Reign of King _Richard_ the Second; he attained to a great perfection in all kind of Learning, as _Bale_ and _Leland_ report of him: _Circa postremos_ Richardi _Secundi annos_, Galliis _floruit, magnamque illic ex assidua in Literis exercitatione gloriam sibi comparavit. Domum reversus Forum_ Londinense; _& Collegia_ Leguleiorum, _qui ibidem Patria Jura interpretantur frequentavit_, &c. About the latter end of King _Richard_ the Second's Days, he flourished in _France_, and got himself into high esteem there by his diligent exercise in Learning: After his return home, he frequented the Court at _London_, and the Colledges of the _Lawyers_, which there interpreted the Laws of the Land. Amongst whom was _John Gower_, his great familiar Friend, whose Life we wrote before. This _Gower_, in his Book entituled _Confessio Amantis_, termeth _Chaucer_ a worthy Poet, and maketh him as it were the Judge of his Works. This our _Chaucer_ had always an earnest desire to enrich and beautifie our _English_ Tongue, which in those days was very rude and barren; and this he did, following the example of _Dantes_ and _Petrarch_. who had done the same for the _Italian_ Tongue, _Alanus_ for the _French_, and _Johannes Mea_ for the _Spanish_: Neither was _Chaucer_ inferior to any of them in the performance hereof; and _England_ in this respect is much beholding to him; as _Leland_ well noteth: _Anglia_ Chaucerum _veneratur nostra Poetam_; _Cui veneris debet Patria Lingua suas_. Our _England_ honoureth _Chaucer_ Poet, as principal; To whom her Country-Tongue doth owe her Beauties all. He departed out of this world the _25th._ day of _October_ 1400, after he had lived about seventy two years. Thus writeth _Bale_ out of _Leland, Chaucerus ad Canos devenit, sensitque Senectutem morbum esse_; _& dum Causas suas_ Londini _curaret_, &c. _Chaucer_ lived till he was an old man, and found old Age to be grievous; and whilst he followed his Causes at _London_, he died, and was buried at _Westminster_. The old Verses which were written on his Grave at the first, were these; Galfridus Chaucer, _Vates & Fama Poesis, Maternae haec sacra sum tumulatus humo_.