Chaucer, Gower, Hoccleve and the Commercial Practices of Late Fourteenth-Century London

As residents of fourteenth-century London, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, and Thomas Hoccleve each day encountered aspects of commerce such as buying, selling, and worrying about being cheated. Many of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales address how pervasive the market had become in personal relationships. Gower''s writings include praises of the concept of trade and worries that widespread fraud has harme...