It is time for Thomas Hoccleve (or Occleve) to come out from under the shadow of his beloved master, Geoffrey Chaucer, and to be recognized as the excellent poet that he is. His four best-known short poems are usually entitled "The Letter of Cupid" (1402), "How to Die" (1421-1422), "Prologue and a Miracle of the Blessed Virgin" (before 1430), and "Mother of God" (before 1430). Hoccleve's major long poem is The Regement of Princes (1411-1412). These five poems stand out from the total of thirty-eight poems by Hoccleve because of their artistic and aesthetic merit. They deserve to be called Hoccleve's best in the various genres he used. Indeed, they can serve as a sampler for the remainder of Hoccleve's poetry, which includes a significant number of additional fine poems.

Hoccleve was born about 1368 or 1369, possibly in Hockliffe, Bedfordshire, about thirty-five miles northwest of London. In 1387 he began a thirty-five-year career...