Chaucer for Children

Chaucer for Children, subtitled A Golden Key, carries a key to the cover that describes an arch showing Palamon and Arcite fighting desperately, yet wounded oftener and sharplier by Love's arrows than by each deadly stroke. The writer says a running glossary of such words as are not immediately clear has been added, on a level with the line, to disperse any lingering difficulty, and that care was taken in the pictures to preserve the right costumes, colours, and surroundings.

A section headed Accent of Chaucer says that the mother should read to the child a fragment of Chaucer with the correct pronunciation of his day. A scene has the Summoner tell an old woman that he has a bill of summons against her, and the poor widow says she has not so much as twelve pence in the whole wide world. A note says that at this period the personal pronoun you was used only in the plural sense, or in formal address, as on the Continent now, whilst thou implied familiarity.