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Introduction
Geofrey Chaucer uses alchemy in most of his writing to show how influential this
practice and belief was in the medieval era. An alchemist was believed to have the power to
change or transform base metal into valuable material such as gold and silver. They were also
said to have powers to give human beings longevity in life and even immortality.
Transformation. Linden proposes that alchemy is the basis of modern science, as it applies some
chemistry and scientific principles (36). There is a significant contrast in the use of alchemy in
The Canterbury Tales written by Chaucer. In the tale of the Second Nun, alchemy is seen to occur
for spiritual and religious reasons. Cecilia the nun who is transformed through alchemy is able to
overcome physical pain and torment and even achieve immortality. Her lifestyle enables her to
be closer to God and see visions that other mortals could not see. She attains sainthood upon her
death to symbolize her holy existence on earth. In the Canon Yeomans Tale, the use of alchemy
is reserved for material and selfish gain for particular individuals. The Canon and his Yeoman are
career criminals who go around the cities fleecing people of their hard-earned money; they lie to
people that they can transform objects into gold and silver and proceed to perform some tricks
that fool the people. Chaucers tales emphasizes the consequences of use or misuse of alchemy.
Cecilia, the nun in the Second Nuns Tale, achieves immortality due to her diligence and
submission to God. In the Canons Yeomans Tale, the Canon and his Yeoman are doomed to fail,
as they use alchemy for selfish and unscrupulous purposes.

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Alchemy in the Second Nun's Tale, by Chaucer
The Second Nuns Tale is one of Geofrreys Chaucers Canterbury Tales, which are set in
the medieval ages. During this period, alchemy was very popular, especially in the religious
dimensions (DeVun 45). The Second Nuns Tale is a story of a nuns life and the manner in which
she lived a holy and moral life up to her death. According to Sadleck, the narrator who is a nun
has to hide her pride of authorship because of moral obligation (para 12). The story is about a
nun who ascends to become a saint through her good and virtuous deeds. During Chaucers time,
a common form of storytelling was hagiography or the saint's life. The story tells of how a young
woman called Cecilia, who is brought up in strict religious principles. She loves and worships
the Virgin Mary and aspires to attain sainthood someday. Cecilia loves the church and the
teachings, such that she upholds her chastity vows and even hopes to remain a virgin forever;
however, the customs and traditions of the time expect her to be married at a certain age. She is
betrothed to a man named Valerian. The two get married and on their wedding night, and then
Cecilia informs her new husband about her invisible guardian angel. She claims that the guardian
angel will kill anyone who will violate her body. The husband insists on seeing the angel, but
Cecilia informs him that his unclean nature cannot allow him. Valerian is unbaptized and does
not have a strong faith like Cecilia. When Valerian decides to be baptized, he rids himself of the
uncleanliness and sees a vision from Cecilias guardian angel; his conversion to Christianity
also prompts his brother, Tirbuse, to be baptized.
A Roman Pagan named Almachius found out that Valerie and Tirbuse had converted to
Christianity, he summoned them and forced them to offer sacrifices to a pagan god. When they
refused, they were tortured and killed; before they were killed, they managed to convert several
officers and executioners. Almachius also summoned Cecilia and demanded that she abandon her

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faith and offer sacrifices to the pagan god. She adamantly refuses, calling him unwise and
foolish, which causes Almachius to sentence her to death. He orders that she be put inside a pot
of scalding hot water, but she manages to survive this ordeal for a day, as the water does not burn
her. Almachius then orders the executioners to behead her; they attempt to chop off her head, but
fail, although they tried to three times. Cecilia lives for three more days and continues to preach
about Christianity. When she finally dies, she attains sainthood as, Pope Urban decrees her Saint
Cecilia.
In Chaucers The Second Tale Nun, Cecilia the nun who overcomes the limitations of the
physical flesh and achieves Sainthood upon her death. There is a physical and spiritual
transformation as Cecilia undergoes torture and prosecution; this portrays a form of alchemy. The
tale shows that it is possible for a believer to see things that a nonbeliever cannot see. Cecilia
practices her religion faithfully and her pure state allows her to speak to the angels who protect
her. Alchemy is evident when Cecilia is placed in hot water and fails to burn; this shows her pure
state, faith and devotion to God has allowed her to achieve such supernatural abilities that
astonish the world. She proves to be immortal when the executioners fail to chop off her head
after three attempts, which is an indication that her spiritual purity has enabled her to be
redeemed from common human limitations. These supernatural occurrences prior to her death
convince people that Cecilia is truly divine and chosen by God. This conviction makes it easier
for her to convert many people into Christianity as they marveled at Gods power in her. The nun
as depicted in Chaucers tale is able to communicate with a higher power through total
submission and reverence throughout her life. According to the tale, her commitment and
devotion to a higher deity allow her to have access to an angel and protection (Sisk Para 6).

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As in other Chaucers tales from the medieval era, The Second Nuns Tale is a portrayal of
the ideal and perfect human transformation, which can be achieved through a spiritual
connection with a higher power. Cecilia is able to achieve alchemy through her heightened
senses and connection with God. In the tale, she portrays Christianity as a religion that can
enable one achieve spiritual sight and inner strength. Compared to the pagan religion practiced
by Almachus, who is blind and cannot see that the idols he worships are made of stone,
Christianity offers someone ability to see into the future. According to the tale, Cecilias
heightened vision is symbolic to the spiritual and intellectual level of alchemy that she has
reached. Her transformation through alchemy also enables her to have access to the living God as
opposed to the pagans who worship a stone idol.
Cecilia through her Alchemy was able to reveal the True Gospel of Christianity
She declares that life in the living God is truer than any other kind and she is willing to
give up hers for her faith. Cecilia was able to declare such because of the spiritual purification
and transformation that she had undergone. Mere mortals who worshipped idols of stone could
not comprehend the depth of her convictions and beliefs. Cecilia is able to help others, such as
Tirburtus and Valerian achieve this transformation; they even give up their own lives for the sake
of their faith. According to the tale, one is able to achieve this transformation and discover the
truth, if only they detach themselves from sin and material attachments. Consequently,
individuals such as Almachy who had no desire in knowing the true God, but chose to worship
idols, would never attain the supernatural state through alchemy.
When Cecilia acquires alchemy, she is bestowed with knowledge and wisdom that other
mere mortals cannot fathom. Cecilia is one of the virgin martyrs who was able to convert and

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impact a generation through her visions and radical faith. She is able to boldly face Almachus
and accuse him of being foolish and uneducated. She tells him that his soul is void and lacks
spiritual insights to be leader. The tale shows how the nun, Cecilia, achieves remarkable wisdom
from God and she is able to endure incredible torture. She is even able to continue preaching
when her head is dangling from her neck; this indicates that alchemy-related transformation is
powerful and precedes all human powers.
Mortality
Cecilia is able to overcome the power of death and achieve immortality .The
alchemy transformation that she undergoes enables her to face the risk of death without
any fear.She is able to live her life fully without the constraints of a dictator like
Almachius.Her transformed state enables her to overcome imminent death and terrible
torture.This shows that only God who was in charge of her life was able to decide when it
would end. Cecilia ,through the alchemy was able to render the powers of Almachius
impotent as he was eager to execute her and put a stop to her religion.The second nun tale
emphasizes on immortality as a result of ones spiritual commitment. The tale shows how
one can achieve spiritual perfection by submitting their carnal flesh to Gods
power.Cecilia chives this state of mortality through a chaste life and staunch
commitment and devotion to God.Inordr to be transformed, she had to give up her
physical desires hat would hinder her spiritual journey.Upon her death she receives the
ultimate reward of being declared a saint.
Valarian and Tirbutius

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When Valerian and Tirbutius are finally convicted and start practicing
Christianity,they too are able to achieve alchemy transfornmation that nable them to
make good judgment .Prior to theirconversions and subsequent transformations, both
Valarian and Tirbutius wer pagans and unreligious.The practiced heathen principles and
did not believe in the living God but worshipd the idols.It is event that ther is alchemy
transformation in both their lives as they characters change completely upon their
conversions.They achieve inner spiritual vision an profound wisdom that they did not
have before.They are abl to face the dictor Almachius and stand their ground when he
demands they worship the idols.Thy are able to preach and convert many people before
their death.They knowledge of eternal life and understanding of their faith helped them to
make the decision to give up their lives rather than worship idols.
Chastity
The second nun tale emphasizes the significance of chastity in attaing
alchemy.Cecilia was able to acheive the transformation through alchemy through living a
holy and chaste life.Her lifestyle enabled her to devote her time and service to church and
God.She did not engage herself in wordly pleasures that would divert her attention from
God.This drew her closer and closer to the state of spiritual perfection.She was able to get
spiritual insight and revelation from God on her future.She was even granted the
protection of an angel whose duty was to ensure hat her mind and body were kept
pure.She was able to maintain her chastenature, even in her marriage as she converts her
husband into Christianity instead. She was able to preach and teach even as she is dying,
this shows that that her transformation was extraordinary.According to the tale, for one to
achieve alchemy and be transformed into their spiritual nature, a life of chastity is

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important.Worldly distractions and carnal desires can hinder someone from reaching the
spiritual level of alchemy.
Exoteric Alchemy in The second Nuns tale
Cecilia, the nun in the tale is able to achieve different levels of alchemy through her
devotion and commitment to religion. The external evidence of her alchemy transformation is
manifested in her character and lifestyle. We are able to see her exoteric alchemy when she fails
to succumb to death when she is tortured and prosecuted. The reader is able to see the exoteric
transformation in Cecilia in her everyday living and mannerism. We realize that Cecilia is a
virgin nun who is committed to the religious life and principles.All through her life she has been
devotedto the church and has adhered to the rules and principles of the Christian faith.She spends
most of her time in prayerful devotion and preaching the word God.Cecilia is able to be steadfast
in her Christian faith amidst bitter prosecution from the Roman pagans in her community.Other
people in the community cannot understand her deep convictions and devotion to her
religion.She has been able to confront tough leaders like Almachius and boldly proclaim her faith
and believes. Cecilia has kept the religious principles of her faith all through her life and has
maintained a chaste and holy lifestyle.She is often quoted as saying that she aspires to be like the
virgin Mary and this causes her to lead apure and chaste life.She is so determined to maintain
her chastity even in marriage. She rebukes her new husband on their wedding night claiming
since he was not baptized, he was unclean and not worth to love her.The whole community was
witness to righteousness and virtuous life as she inspired and converted many people.The
ultimateillustration of exoteric alchemy in Cecilias life is when she undergoes torture and
persecutions through the hands of Alchamius. Her alchemy transformation extends to her
physical being as she does not die through the torture she undergoes.Almachius as well as the

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other people marvel at her ability to endure scolding hot water for hours and was
unscathed.Attempts to chop off her head also failed as she had achieved a supernatural alchemy
level.
Esoteric Alchemy in The Second Nuns Tale
The tale of the second nun emphasizes the importance of living a holy and pure life in
order to achieve esoteric alchemy. Cecilia was able to achieve the status of esoteric alchemy
from a very young age in her life.Through constant devotion and a prayerful life, Cecilia had
gotten a deep insight in the word of God. She was given spiritual vision and the ability to
overcome temptations of this world. She spent most of her days communing with God and
reading his word that she was able to be given revelations about the future and the present.
Cecilia was able to live a virtuous and moral lifestyle in a community that practiced idol
worship and paganism.Her faith had accorded her inner peace and tranquility and made it
possible for her to communicate with God through visions.
Cecilia through esoteric transformation gains profound and superior wisdom that she is
able to face the cruel authority of Almachius.She is able to speak prophetically as she tells
Almachius to turn away from his evil ways of idol worshipping and embrace the religion of the
living God.She is able to rebuke the sinners with divine authority and preach the word of God
with extraordinary insight.Cecilia righteous walk with God had made her accessible to an angel
who was there to protect her body and soul.She was able to see the angel,but other people like
her husband Valarian was not able to because they were not holy.Her spiritual being had been
totally transformed toreach a realm where it could not be corrupted or influenced by worldly
elements.Her soul was in in unity with the heavenly deity that she was able to be refined and

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become as pure as gold. The reader is able to see the esoteric alchemy in her adaptation of a life
of chastity and purity. She chooses to deny herself physical pleasures of this world and embraces
the spiritual journey of religion and a deeper understanding of God.
Cecilia goes against the culture and norms of that particular time when she devotes
herself to staunch Christianity while living amongst pagans and heathens.Her attempt to convert
and preach to the community around her is evident that her convictions in her faith are deep
rooted.Cecelie has no fear of death as she faces the threat s of Amachius and is steadfast in her
faith even in the face of torture and persecutution.Cecelie seems to have a deeper understanding
of the power of immortality as she is not afraid of death.She does not denounce her faith or
religion and is ready to die for the sake of Christianity.Estoteric alchemy is made possible
through the submission on ones physical and spiritual will to a higher power.Cecilia is
transformed and her spirit purified andshe is able to be a beacon of light in her
community.Through her thousands of people are converted as they are able to see that she is used
by God to preach the word. Cecilies spiritual journey led to the conversion of her husband and
brother in law, who also both died as martyrs.Valarian,Cecilias husband was also able to
achieve esoteric alchemy as he too agreed to be baptized and converted to Christianity.This
wasconfirmed when he saw a vision of the angel that Ceceile had told him about.This confirmed
to him that he was on the right path spirituallyand he could even defend his faith until his death.
Canon Yeomans Tale
After the arrival of Yeoman and the Canon at the pilgrims which is just outside the
Boughton and a few miles from the Canterbury, they ask to join the group. They are then allowed
in but with one condition that they must have a tale. They quickly agree and are allowed to join.

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Yeoman agrees and tells the crowd that his lord has a lot of tales and can have a share with them.
Nonetheless, he takes the chance and praises his master for his amazing powers. He goes ahead
and reveals the Canons secrets, his master, in his greedy business activities. Without fearing his
master, Yeoman continues to disclose his practices. The Canon eventually bolts away in shame.
Yeoman tells the congregation his tale in two main parts. The first part consists of an
overview of the false practices of alchemists. These practices are viewed from the moral point
and the consequences that they have to the society. This practice also has a physical discomfort
of performing chemical experiments without observing the approved stoichiometric calculations
that relate to the reaction speed and energy yield. Part two of the tale explains how the alchemists
even deceive priests several times. The Yeoman concludes his tale by explaining that alchemy is
not a good practice and if there is a secret in it, then its the secret of Christ and not the
alchemists. The larger part of the tale focuses on the esoteric alchemy as the individuals who are
in attendance can easily understand this idea. They have a slight knowledge of what alchemy is
but are not aware of the real practices of the alchemists. The inner ideas are represented in the
tale by Yeoman, who understands the activities of the alchemists.
One of the Canterbury Tales is the Canon Yeomans Tale; the tale has got two parts. One
of these parts is the exposure of the shady business practices that the master, the Canon conducts
as conducts, an individual who can be regarded as an alchemist. The other part also represents a
canon that can be regarded as a pure alchemist and is more devious as compared to the first.
From the introductory part of these characters, it is not known if the two characters were
involved in the design process of the tale or its just a thought that came up in the minds of
Chaucer during the process of writing the tale. The tale is an attack on the activities of alchemists
as it is evident that Chaucer consistently talks about throughout the tale. Yeomans master, the

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Canon, explains that even though his master is rich, he dresses poorly as he doesnt know how to
utilize his finances (Allen and Fisher 310-323).
He describes his master as an alchemist, who has the power to transmute the substance of
a little value that is common in the society to a substance of great value. The master could
transmute substances such as base metals to valuable ones such as gold and finding a solvent that
is universal. Yeoman represents an attendant that works in a noble household. His description
about his master, therefore, had to be believed. After the Canon has run away in shame, Yeoman
finds time to describe him. He describes the Canon as an individual who works so hard in the
search and discovery of the philosophers stone, which was the main symbol of the mystical
practices of alchemy. The philosophers stone is just but an imaginary substance, which is sought
by alchemist as they believe that it has the power to change base metals to expensive ones. He
also describes the numerous processes that the master goes through for him to discover the stone
and how the pot they use breaks, making them to lose everything.
The tale shows a high level of disappointment about the practice from Chaucer, more so
after discovering that the individuals were being deceived by the practice. Yeoman tries to inform
us that we should not try to discover things that are kept by God as a secret in an attempt of
trying to get rich. It is evident that Chaucer is not supportive of this practice as seen from the
narrators point of view. He describes this activity as a fight with God and should be avoided.
This part of the tale is the autobiographical one. He explains that at one time, he had a good
living and could dress decently. However, when they entered into the business of alchemy, they
have been in debt. This is because their attempts of alchemy usually fail to bear fruit as expected.
The canon, a master of alchemy, borrows some ideas from a priest. He tricks the priest to believe
that he is capable of turning quicksilver into the real one. The priest is successfully tricked three

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times by the Canon that he can effectively turn objects that are of less value to valuable ones
such as real silver. As a result, the Canon makes some profit from the tricky as the priest goes
into buying the idea. The priest is, therefore, tricked to substitute faith with reason.
The alchemist gave the priest a little evidence of what he had done and the priest easily
forgot his beliefs and fall into the trap. From this trick, we are made to understand that if an
individual doe not have enough faith in what he is practicing, then he will fall into the traps of a
crooked canon. The priest had put forward his personal interests in place of his faith and this
indeed did cost him. It is evident that even religious leaders can easily be deceived by the tricky
nature of the canons if they are not keen. Lofty ideas in the society are received without even
interrogating their legality. If the priest had taken appropriate measures to ascertain the truth,
then he could not have been trapped by Yeomans master. The canon just maximized on the
greedy nature of the priest and indeed made good money out of it. It requires one to show a lot of
commitment and faith in the work of God, even if he is a priest. The priest can be termed as an
individual who even underwent the transmutation process from being a God fearing individual to
being an individual that values worldly desires such as the precious metals. His desires did cost
him as the canon capitalized on them. Alchemy can be termed as an heretical practice. For
instance, the narrator had known all the tricks of this trade and if he was greedy as his master,
then he could have even started practicing this trade.
Yeoman describes the bride that alchemists such as his master have. They use their
intelligence in deceiving individuals to believe that indeed their business in real and in return,
they make money. He condemns the practice as an unfair practice as a lot of individuals are
deceived and coned their money after falling into their tricks. In the middle ages, there was a
believe that some base metal that lay underground for many years could eventually turn into pure

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metals. They also believed that the alchemists had enough skills to accelerate the process, and
this made alchemy a business. During those times, alchemy was considered as a science by
which transmutation took place. However, the reality is that alchemy has been just but
charlatanism and the alchemist as the charlatan, who could pretend that he had enough
knowledge and skills in the business of transmuting metals. This tale focuses on issues of
corruption as the individuals who believe that the canon can transmute base metals have been
suffering from tricks of the canon. Corruption is one of the Yeomans themes that are reccurring
in his tale. The alchemy practices are quite corrupting and he even criticizes his master,
demanding an end to the practice (Butterfield 86-100).
Yeoman criticizes the false practices of transmuting base metals into pure metals such as
gold. The transmuted products are just counterfeits of the original ones that individuals are made
to believe that they are original. The canon is described as being an imposter, and the souls of the
alchemists have been condemned in the tale. The alchemists are condemned for their practices of
falsely transmuting basic metals into original metals that are like Gods creations such as gold,
the truth and identity. The criticism by the poet is real as witnessed by the reaction by the canon.
The cannon remains speechless and decides to leave. This is a clear show that indeed he had
corrupted innocent individuals, including the religious leader who believed in his false practices.
Just like the current corrupt practices that is witnessed in this century, the practices of alchemy
have the same negative impact to the society. The economy can easily be crippled and the
population can be deprived of their money, which lands in the hands of corrupt minded
individuals. These individuals are greedy, who are mainly concerned with ensuring that they get
income from their corrupt activities. Chaucer understands well the alchemical processes as
exhibited by the tale. Alchemy is considered as a unit of exchange in the eyes of the alchemists

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and eventually, the other parties do not get the real thing that they believe they have given out
their monies for.
The narrator points out that alchemists are liars. The metals produce dangerous reactions
that can cause harm to the canon and the Yeoman. However, due to the greedy nature of his
master, he doesnt fear. If the pot that is being used explodes, its thrown away and the business
continues. The tale cautions individuals that the men who seem to be wise in the society are
actually the most foolish while the activities of the ones who are intelligent individuals who are
regarded to be trustworthy are thieves. An example of these types of individuals is the
alchemists. They will always use the religious beliefs and other tricks to lure the population that
their activities are real and should be promoted but in the real sense, they are not. The Canon
uses all possible tricks to ensure that he has deceived individuals to trade with him. He even
makes individuals who he communicates with to behave in a foolish way and yet, they travel
several miles in search for his services. Little do they know that the alchemist is just but a
charlatan. However, the narrator points out that not all canons are greedy in an attempt of trying
to defend the fact that he is not revenging. The alchemists use their greedy to attain the worldly
endeavors and even their customers has been trapped in the same pot. For instance, the priest had
put aside all his religious beliefs in the name of attaining worldly treasures, only to fall into the
trap of the alchemist.
Yeomans tale represents a pure con-game that is practiced by the alchemists who traps
individuals, full of the worldly desires. He eventually learns the vanity of alchemy and indeed
attacked his old master in the process of his tale. Alchemists argue that everything has a chance
to undergo a perpetual change from one state to another. Coal can be used as the philosophers
stone and the alchemists can melt metals to cover and use them for various economic gains.

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These include using them as a cover of other metals in an attempt of trying to deceive their
customers. The narrators master himself is a peripheral figure, an imposter, and an individual
who, after his tricks are revealed, decided to run away. Even if the narrator does not reveal the
actual person that he is attacking, it is evident that it is his master. This tale offers a tough
warning in practicing this practice as it affects the society negatively. The canon can be termed as
a figure, that is in between fiction and reality. These individuals understand that what they are
actually doing is not right, but because of their worldly desires, they have to practice their
alchemy.
At the start of the tale, the narrator praises his master for all the activities that he
performs. He then changes his topic and attacks the alchemical practices, portraying a very big
difference between what he actually introduced his master to be and what he actually is. Even the
kind of arrival of the two individuals, sweating and the differing skin colour complexion is a
clear indication that even the characters who are within the frame of the narrative are undergoing
some form of alchemical transformation. (Chaucer 1-9). The narrator argues that money in the
root cause of all evil. The individuals who normally fall into the trap of alchemists has been
consistently denied their rights of receiving what they had paid for. They only get counterfeit
products, in the name of original ones. Even if the canon practices this type of trade, we are not
informed of any punishment that he has been subjected to.
The Yeomans tale is a pure autobiography of the experiences of working with his master,
who practices alchemy. Due to the elements of radical social changes during Chaucers period,
the narrator changed his mentality about alchemy, and, thus the reason as to why he decided to
expose the unfair practices of alchemists. There is an element of dramatic monologue in the tale,
as the narrator moves from praising his master to condemning the activities of his trade. He

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describes how alchemy is done, meaning that he is fully aware of all the practices and procedures
involved even if he is against it. His description of how a London priest was coned represents the
highest level of secrecy between him and his master. For instance, if he thinks that alchemy is
not good, he could have informed the priest before falling into the trap. From his tale, however, it
is evident that the narrator is disgusted with the practices of alchemy (Rossignol 38-45).
Conclusion
Alchemy has caused a lot of individuals to lose a lot of money and other possessions, as
well as their own complexion, for instance, the Yeoman. It is also evident from Yeomans
narrative that the narrator does not condemn the chemistry of alchemy, but instead, the false
crooked and the greedy nature of the alchemists. Yeoman believes that one day, the alchemists
will eventually learn and reveal the true philosophers stone. However, their success will be
influenced by Gods wish. However, the practice is not implemented in the current century. In the
second nuns tale, that was told by a nun, who was concerned only with matters related to human
spirituality. The tale incorporated the elements of Dante. Alchemy is used for the good of the
whole society as opposed to selfish and personal gain. The relationship between the two tales
represents a story that is based on Christian values in comparison to the exploitative behavior of
individuals like the canon who practiced alchemy.

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Works Cited
Allen, Mark, and John H. Fisher.The Complete Poetry and Prose of Geoffrey Chaucer. New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston, 2011. Print.
Butterfield, Ardis. Chaucer and the City. Cambridge [U.K.: D. S. Brewer, 2006. Print.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales: The Canon?sYeoman?s Tale (2007): 9. Web.

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DeVun, Leah. Prophecy, Alchemy, and the End of Time: John of Rupecissa in the Late Middle Ages.
Columbia University, 2013.Press
Linden, Stanton J. Darke hieroglyphics: Alchemy in English literature from Chaucer to the Restoration.
University Press of Kentucky, 1996.press
Rossignol, Rosalyn. Critical Companion to Chaucer: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New
York: Facts On File, 2006. Print.
Sadlek, Gregory M. "Nicola Masciandaro, The Voice of the Hammer: The Meaning of Work in Middle
English Literature." Modern Philology 108.2 (2010): E85-E90.
Sisk, Jeniffer. Religion, Alchemy, and Nostalgic Idealism in Fragment VIII of the CanterburTales, 2010,
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/studies_in_the_age_of_chaucer/summary/v032/32.sisk.html