Chaucer are carefully copied ;but there is, nevertheless, a wide difference between the two, and, in particu lar, there is an underplot in the Play, of which Chaucer afforded only the merest hint; K. T. 610. Chaucer s Tale itself stands in a somewhat similar relation to its own original, which was an Italian poem in twelve books named the Tescide, written by Boccaccio ;that is to say, Chaucer, though following Boccaccio, tells the story in his own way, with considerable alterations, omissions, and additions. For a comparison of the Knightcs Talc with the Tescide, sec the extract from Tyrwhitt s Intro ductory Discourse to the Canterbury Tales, reprinted in Dr Morris s Introduction. If we attempt to trace back the story still further, we find at least a probability that Boccaccio himself obtained it from an older source. Warton, in his History of English Poetry (ed. 1840, n. 131 ;or ed. 1871, IT. 300), suggests that Boccaccio possibly took the story from a certain Greek poem on the same subject which was first printed at Venice in 1529, and endeavours to prove this. But there exists a fatal objection to this theory, namely, the express declaration of Tyrwhitt (I ntrod. Discourse, note 13) that the poem in modern Greek political verses DC Nitptiis Thesei ct Emiliae, printed at Venice in 1529, is a mere translation of the Theseida. The author has even translated the prefatory epistle addressed by Boccace to the Fiammetta .A ll that is known upon the subject is thus reduced to the expressions used by Boccaccio himself; for, as Tyrwhitt points out, he calls it a very ancient story, which he had found in Italian una antichissima storia, eal piu delle genti non manifesta1, in latino volgare2 .T he facts, that the scene is laid at A thens and at Thebes, and that the chief personage referred to in it is Theseus, tend to prove 1I take the opportunity of suggesting here (Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don"t occur in the book.)