Thomas Usk, a contemporary of Chaucer, was a figure of political and literary importance who became involved in the tempestuous politics of late fourteenth-century London. In 1384 he took part in John Northampton's agitations against the mayor of London and was imprisoned. While in custody, he had an apparent conversion experience and wrote a detailed accusation against Northampton and his followers. Shortly thereafter, while still in custody, he wrote The Testament of Love, which contains an allegorical apologia for his change of heart, a meditation on the fickle nature of worldly fortune...
Thomas Usk, a contemporary of Chaucer, was a figure of political and literary importance who became involved in the tempestuous politics of late fo...