People:
Gilbert bull: father of tiffany, filthy rich merchant
Geofrey ducket: adopted son of gilbert, became a grocer
Tiffany bull: married ducket, daughter of gilbert
James bull:married dame Barnikel after her husband hung himself, wanted to
marry tiffany to keep gilbert’s money in the name of the family Dame Barnikel:
30 years old, and magnificent. Very tall. Loud. Dresses in bright colors, married
james bull
Benedict silversleeves: evil, tricked people into thinking he was an alchemist
John fleming: teacher of ducket in grocers guild, was tricked by silversleeves so
he hung himself
Amy: daughter of fleming and dame Barnikel, first like ben carpenter then liked
ducket and then married Ben
Ben carpenter: archer, carpenter married Amy
Geofrey Chaucer: godfather of ducket, poet, wrote Canterbury tales, wanted all
his work burned
John Wyclif: translated bible
Wat Tyler: led peasant revolt
John Ball:led peasant revolt, religious
Plot:
Men understood that the earth was a globe and planets surrounded it
Church didn’t like pagan astrology
London bridge: acted as dam, caused dangerous rapids, ships could pass under,
had 2 gateways
The chapel of Thomas becket was on the bridge
Plantagenets inherited French throne through marriage, therefore England has
taken over France
wars were profitable to the English. King Edward didn’t need to tax his people
because of the ransom money from French
Gilbert Bull and Chaucer are walking on London bridge when they find a baby
At first, they are cautious to touch it because of The Black Death.
Kills 1/3 of Europe’s population. By now, it has subsided but every once in a
while it returns
Gilberts family was at bocton so they avoided the black plague
They are afraid the baby may have the plague since it is abandoned, but Bull takes
a liking to it and takes it anyway.
Chaucer discovers that the baby is of the Ducket family.
Entire Ducket family had died of the plague, leaving the baby.
Ducket spends a lot of time with his “hero,” Richard Whittington. He is an
apprentice in the Bull house. Likes Ducket very much and says. “He never gives
up”
Whittington showed Geoffrey the city
Great Conduit brings in fresh water. Aqueduct.
Whittington says that one day he will become mayor
-At age 7, Ducket is sent to St. Mary le Bow school, learns English there
(language of the courts, previously was Latin)
When Ducket is 12, Bull asks him what he would like to be
Ducket answers a mercer, just as Bull himself and Whittington.
Instead of being proud, Bull says he can’t. Bull knows the mercer’s guild is for
rich people, and since Ducket is not actually a Bull he won’t let him go there. He
tells Ducket to choose something else
Chaucer is popular in the English courts and by now has married into the outskirts
of the Plantagenet family. Katherine
Chaucer hasn’t been very close with Ducket, but one day he spots Ducket and
Tiffany and he approaches them. Ducket tells him of his problem. And Chaucer
says he has a solution
Ducket moves out of Bulls and goes to the house of Fleming (married to Dame
Barnikel.) Chaucer says: the household is unusual. But he does not elaborate
further.
Dame Barnikel doesn’t like her daughters’ new interest in a man, Ben Carpenter.
She believes that he isn’t good enough for her daughter, to which she responds
that he is her cousin.
Fleming likes him.
Dame B runs a brew house that she inherited from her first husband. She is also a
member of the Brewer’s guild.
Instead, Dame B says Amy should be marrying young Ducket, who is her
husband (Fleming’s) apprentice. Dame likes his cheerful spirit, and says that Amy
will be laughed at for marrying Carpenter because he is crazy.
Gilbert Bull takes part in the “Good Parliament” of 1376
James proposes: that he’ll marry Gilbert’s only daughter (Tiffany) in order to
preserve the Bull family fortune once Gilbert dies.
Bull considers James’s proposal, but he is still hopeful that one day he will have a
son. Although his wife keeps miscarrying.
Chaucer had persuaded Bull to leave some money for Ducket once he finishes his
apprenticeship so that he can begin his work.
The new Grocers Guild emerges, and it is very large and powerful. Fleming is a
member, and the most modest.
Peppercorns = grocers gold
The George: one of many inns in Borough. 452. Dame Barnikel lives over the
George. Behind the Inn was her brewery. She was happiest when she was brewing
her famous rich ale.
Ducket has come to be friends with Amy and her interest, Carpenter. The three
would often do things together
Carpenter is an archer
Dame B talks to Ducket and says that she wants him to marry Amy, not
Carpenter.
When Tiffany is age 11, she is told that it is time to find a husband.
Chaucer has given Bull a gift for his birthday: an astrolabe.
an object to read the sky. Bull is confused by how to use it, but Silversleeves
explains to everyone what it does and how to use it. He impresses everyone with
his intellect, including Bull
Bull tells his daughter that instead of him picking who she is to marry, she will
get to choose. But he also tells Tiffany that she should consider Silversleeves.
Shortly after Bull’s birthday, Edward III had died, leaving his 10 year old son
Richard the throne
Ever since he’d joined Fleming, Ducket kept his word to Tiffany (that he would
often visit her) and he did once a week
One day, the 2 of them went to see Chaucer
Chaucer’s new position: Comptroller of Wool Customs 459
England’s main export at the time: raw wool
Chaucer shows the two the room where he writes
When Ducket returns home, Silversleeves is waiting for him and says he saw the
kiss. Ducket decides that he shouldn’t see Tiffany for a while
James Bull is still not discouraged from his goal to marry Tiffany.
She tells him to never give up and goes home
James Bull goes to Dame B’s brewery and gets drunk. He talks to her, and tells
her of his problems. She tells him to stay honest, unlike the highwayman who
steals from pilgrims (also in the bar) because one day he’ll be in the gallows.
James is no longer discouraged
Tiffany talks to her father and asks if she can have a few more years before
marrying (She’ll be 15) and he agrees to her request
French pirates are attacking English vessels
A London Merchant, Phlipot, of the Grocer’s guild, takes care of the pirates
singlehandedly
the young king’s royal uncle, has a brother who is attacked by a gang of ruffians
near London
Princes decide it was a plot from the Londoners, and decide to withdraw from the
city “to teach the Londoners some respect”
Effect: Flow of wealth (from the Princes, who have many landholdings) is cut off,
so the tradesmen, grocers, fishmongers, etc. aren’t getting any business.
Londoners are forced to bribe the princes back.
Ducket hasn’t tried very hard to make any moves on Amy, so he hasn’t fulfilled
Dame B’s requests
Amy and Carpenter come to see Amy’s parents and ask if the marriage may be
postponed three years.
Ducket accidently walks where Dame B is, forgetting that it is the time of the
month that she gets extremely drunk
In her state, she throws Ducket and Amy into a shed, telling them it’s time that
they got to know one another
Because business in the market is so bad, Fleming has been depressed lately. He
cheers up considerably when Silversleeves comes to the tavern
Ducket gets Silversleeves talking to Fleming, who enjoys talking to educated men
such as Silversleeves
Later, Ducket finds Fleming in a trance. He drops his peppercorns and talks about
how if you know the mystery of the universe, peppercorns will be useless. The
next day however, Fleming is fine.
Ducket decides he wants to have a woman for the first time. He confides in
Whittington, who arranges for him to meet one so they can sleep together. At the
tavern, Ducket meets Sister Olive (Silversleeves’ cousin who is a nun) and is
forced to talk to her politely. Whittington apologizes for the delay, and sends
Ducket up to his room where he finds his woman, who is actually Sister Olive, on
the bed.
Whittington tells Bull, and Bull is furious with Ducket, but Chaucer eventually
calms him down
King’s council still desperate for money, but the citizens of London have already
paid the council to get them back and they can’t be taxed further, so a poll tax is
done. Every man and woman, rich or poor, must pay a sum to the king’s council.
Rich men pay a large amount, but serfs will still have to pay a few days work so it
is equal
Many people run away when word that the collectors are coming gets out
Fleming can’t pay-he’s completely broke. Says that there should’ve been more
money in the storebox, but there wasn’t.
Dame B believes that Ducket stole $,
Another poll tax is levied, this time by the Archbishop of Canterbury who is in
charge during the time
This time, everyone pays a flat rate. The rich will pay significantly lower, but a
peasant must pay an amount that is unattainable for him
Ducket realizes he has fallen in love with Tiffany quite suddenly
Fleming goes to an alchemist/sorcerer, who makes a potion out of many
expensive ingredients. He gives it to Fleming, saying that it is the secret of the
universe
Alchemists are looking for a way to turn base metals into their purest form-gold.
Silversleeves becomes an alchemist, and he concocts a way to fool people into
thinking that he has found the “elixir that will turn metal into gold” although the
elixir is really made of dried dung
Fools men like Fleming into thinking that it really works
the Great Peasant Revolt begins, led by a man called Wat Tyler
They attack the Archbishops palace, blaming him
Armies of peasants march towards London, everyone is frightened. City goes on
lockdown! 486
Amy asks Ducket for help-she can’t find Carpenter and she thinks he’s gone to
join the rebels
Ducket goes to Blackheath, a camp where the rebels are, and finds Carpenter
Carpenter tells Ducket that the peasants aren’t going to get violent. They’re good
people and have come to save the kingdom. They’ll speak rationally with the king
the following day
John Ball comes to preach to the immense crowd. He says all men were created
equal and the wealth should be shared, not in the hands of a few.
Richard II, now 14, comes to Blackheath and asks what the peasants of Kent have
to say to him. The crowd asks for the heads of the traitors and Archbishop (those
who imposed the ridiculous taxes)
The king says no and turns around to go back to London. The angry peasants yell
Treason! And begin to march towards London
Entire crowd enters London, passing over the bridge. At first, the crowd seems
harmless and friendly, but by midday they’ve grown restless. They get angry and
head towards John of Gaunt’s palace, aiming to kill him.
They burn the building, and Carpenter heads towards it. Ducket saves him, but
barely before it collapses. He takes Carpenter to the hospital and goes to tell Amy
what happened
James Bull goes to London and tries to remove some of the Kentish people
because they are causing trouble. He spots Ducket, who has ash on his hands and
looks like a looter and captures him.
He sees Bull and tells him, who says that “Ducket will pay for this.”
Bull locks him in his kitchen until he can hand him over to the authorities.
He explains the situation, that he was saving a man, to the fat girl guarding the
door
The Kents have killed the archbishop and put his head on the London Bridge
Bull returns the next day and says to Ducket: “For some reason, the king has
pardoned you” and releases him
Tyler says he wants an end to lordship, and no more archbishops except for 1,
John Ball
As they are negotiating, James realizes he knows Tyler and says loudly “He’s a
highwayman” which really angers Tyler, who goes crazy and (he is drunk) falls
from his horse and dies
The crowd is left without a leader, and King Richard says he’ll be their captain.
They trust him, and follow him to a field.
Meanwhile, the mayor and men in the group go to London and gather all of
London’s force.
London’s force surrounds the Kentish peoples, who have no choice but to
surrender, ending the Peasant Revolt
Silversleeves and Tiffany become engaged, but their marriage is put off for a
while at Tiffany’s request
James Bull gives up on marrying her, and often goes to Dame B’s brewhouse
Later, the fat girl tells Bull that Ducket was only involved in the riot because he
was saving a man’s life, but Bull is not convinced and tells Tiffany that she may
never see him again
Secretly, she meets with him and warns him of Dame B’s suspicion: that he stole
the money from Fleming
in 1382, a Bible that has been translated into English begins circulating London
Wyclif’s followers become known as Lollards, and his book the Lollards’s Bible
Ben Carpenter hopes to obtain a copy and reads some to Amy, the church is
corrupt
Ducket, hoping to clear his name, follows Fleming one night to see where he’s
been disappearing to
Fleming has gone to Silversleeves, still thinking he’ll get gold
Ducket sees Silversleeves’ face in a window and sneaks into the house
Meanwhile, Silversleeves is “doing his magic” and suddenly the house starts
shaking. It’s an earthquake
Ducket takes charge of situation and explains to Fleming that Silversleeves is a
fraud.
So Ducket threatens Silversleeves to either give up Tiffany, or he’ll tell all of
London what he’s been doing
Carpenter gets a copy of the translated Bible
Realizes he’s never thanked Ducket for saving his life
Decides that he’ll give him the bible
Silversleeves does not intend to give up Tiffany, so he decides he must kill
Ducket
Follows him one night into the tavern, and watches him for a while
There, Ducket receives a package, It is a present from Carpenter, the translated
Bible
Silversleeves sees it, and decides he won’t have to kill Ducket after all
Ducket doesn’t even really want the book, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell
Carpenter
Ducket takes a walk alone and is approached by Silversleeves and a city sergeant,
who empties his bag and finds the Bible. Silversleeves takes it from him and says
that Ducket may be charged for this “crime”
Later, Silversleeves tells this to Bull, saying that Ducket may be arrested
Ducket explains to her that Silversleeves is not what he seems to be. The alchemy,
deception , etc. He leaves out names though, keeping his promise to Fleming, but
this is the reason Tiffany doesn’t believe him.
Ducket says come back tomorrow and I’ll give you proof (he wants Fleming to
speak to her)
Fleming hangs himself. Ducket and Dame B find him.
He left a letter explaining that he stole the money, hoping to make more for Dame
B and Amy. Also, Ducket is loyal and is to be trusted. He wants him to take over
the business
This isn’t really too helpful to Ducket, because his proof to Tiffany is gone. He
says that she’ll just have to take his word as the truth
Ducket decides he won’t let her marry Silversleeves, and if it comes to it, he’ll
have to kill him.
Tiffany doesn’t know who to believe, Silversleeves or Ducket.
She decides she doesn’t love Silversleeves, but she admires him and it’ll please
her parents.
Amy decides she doesn’t love Carpenter, and decides to pursue Ducket instead.
She considers him a risk, while Ben had always been secure. She admires how he
saved Carpenter and (tried to) her father.
Just as she’s come to this conclusion, Tiffany comes to see her
Tiffany asks to hear Amy’s opinions of Ducket. Together, they discover that
Fleming was the man who was the proof and when he died, Ducket couldn’t offer
her any.
Tiffany decides she’s not marrying Silversleeves, even if he denies these
accusations
Tiffany tells her father she refuses to marry Silversleeves. He’s outraged and
sends her to her room for many days. Bull gives her a choice: marry him or be
sent to a covenant, although he doesn’t want to do that. Eventually, they talk and
come up with a deal.
Ducket receives a message to come to the house
At the house, there are many eligible bachelors for Tiffany to choose from.
Silversleeves and James Bull are also there.
The deal was this: Bull has agreed to break the marriage and tell Silversleeves as
long as Tiffany picks one of the men to marry that is in the house. Or else, she
will be sent to a covenant. And this time, Bull will not go back on his word.
Ducket enters the house dressed as a cook so he won’t be recognized. He speaks
briefly to Tiffany who asks if he loves her, and he says yes, I’ll die for you.
Her plan is to point to Ducket when her father asks who she is to marry
Ducket doesn’t know about this, and he sees his chance to kill Silversleeves, and
as he is about to, Tiffany announces that she wants to marry him
Bull’s anger is out of control and he strikes Tiffany so hard that she falls out of a
window into the Thames
No one knows what to do, and Ducket jumps out the window to save her
He does, and Bull apologizes for the false accusations he made of Ducket’s
character. He asks if he would marry his daughter. they marry the following week
Bull asks one thing of Ducket: take the family name.
Dame B announces that she will marry James Bull. So the George Tavern
becomes the Bull Brewery
Bull’s wife has died and Chaucer decides to take Bull with him to Kent
Chaucer has a new position: Justice of the Peace
Bull is reluctant to leave his entire business behind with Ducket
Ducket refuses to join the Mercer’s guild, and stays in the Grocer’s guild
Chaucer tells Bull his plan to write The Canterbury Tales.All the different people
the two of them have encountered along the way are his inspiration. He’ll write in
verse and have 30 characters who each tell a little story about themselves when
they are travelling on a pilgrimage to Thomas a Becket’s shrine at Canterbury
Bull makes a suggestion: Don’t throw away your life’s work: write it in Latin.
Meanwhile, Ducket and Whittington are being clever. They come form two
opposing guilds, and by using this they corner the market on different items such
as peppercorns and furs. They hold off from selling just yet, letting the prices
inflate
Ducket hates that he is now Geoffrey Bull
Geoffrey goes to the College of Arms in coldharbour and asks for a coat of arms
He orders his shield, it will have a river with three ducks. The arms of Ducket
Chaucer is at a court in Rochester when a man, Simon le Clerk comes to defend
himself to the claims a miller has made. The miller says he took his grain and is
an alchemist who claims to turn base metals into gold. Simon says he was given
in a bet half of the grain the miller says he took, but he denies that he is an
alchemist. The miller shakes his head but has no proof so the matter is settled
Just as they finish up, Bull comes in and immediately recognizes Simon as
Silversleeves.
Bull explains that he has been suspected of the same crime before and has
changed his name
bull now comes back to london
Bull is enraged when he finds out that Ducket is going by Ducket now instead of
Bull
He is so angry that Ducket broke his word
Bull’s plan is to try and have another child, a son. He says the son will inherit
everything, not Ducket and Tiffany
Tiffany talks to Dame B, hoping to get her to become her fathers mistress, since
she is past childbearing age, but she declines
Richard Whittington sets Bull up with Sister Olive, who cannot marry, solving the
problem
Bull retires to Bocton
Tiffany and Ducket have 7 children. Bull forgets his stubbornness and desire to be
immortal (by name) when he has all these grandchildren around him.
in 1400, the Plague strikes again. He takes his family to Bocton to wait it out,
when they return to London they find that Chaucer has passed
Chaucer is working on the Canterbury Tales when he dies because of the plague,
or something else
He ends up writing the Tales in English, much to Bull’s annoyance
Whittington becomes mayor 3 times
Bull’s Brewery prospers