The adventure of researching the Host

There were two directions to take in identifying Chaucer's Host as Christ on the covert level, the whole purpose of Book 1. First, there were Chaucer's words that demanded double interpretation. Besides that I had to discover the 14th century image of Christ; that's where research was important. Fortunately, Claremont residents were privileged to use the libraries of the Claremont colleges.
     We'll look at Chaucer's words first. I mentioned in the previous entry that the Host providing best food and strong wine to pilgrims is a clear reference to the Eucharist.
     Later, the Pardoner offers absolution to the pilgrims, and proclaims:
          I advise that our Host here shall begin
          For he is most enveloped in sin.
Notice that Chaucer indicates sin is external to the Host, it envelops the Host. Elsewhere Chaucer says, "Jesus Christ took upon Himself . . . all our wickednesses," but "in Him is no imperfection." Sin is external to Christ; it envelops Him. The same is said of the Host.
     Next, in one of Chaucer's troublesome sections, the Host alludes to the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar.
          And well I know the substance is in me,
          If anything shall well-reported be.
The surface meaning has been difficult to interpret. But we'll pursue the underlying mystical intention of "substance." Dictionaries help. In the OED, the primary definition of Substance, says: "Essential nature, essence; esp. Theol., with regard to the being of God, the divine nature or essence." And the first entry in the MED says substance is "used of the incarnate Christ." Chaucer's Host indicates his covert identity as Christ, and wants this fact well reported.
     On the surface the Host's references to the crucifixion have been judged blasphemous. But if a covert Christ speaks of nails and blood they recall details of Christ's death. Medieval poems and prayers, as well, depict Christ alluding to his death:

           All  . . . for thy sake
           . . . . . . . . .
          The nails, the scourges, and the spear,
          The gall, and thorns sharp--
          All these will witness bear
          That I have thee abiding in my heart.
These lines were characteristic of Chaucer's day.
     I soon found the play called "The Harrowing of Hell." It gave real meaning to the Host's use of "harrow," which on the surface is said to be "obscure." The harrowing of hell had been prophesied. The crucified Christ descended to hell to release the righteous souls. Here is an account of His arrival:
          A voice spoke then terrifyingly, 
              as if it were a thunder's blast:
          undo your gates at once, bid I,
               they may no longer last,
           . . . . . . . .
               Then Jesus struck so fast,
          The gates went asunder
               And iron bands all burst.
This is not a mild-mannered Christ, but a bold, heroic knight.
     Ultimately the pilgrimage becomes symbolic. If the covert journey is symbolic, what happens to the Tabard? That's the last word we'll pursue.
     Note that Chaucer never refers to the "Tabard Inn." Scholars, nevertheless, consistently attach "Inn." What Chaucer presents is a Tabard that shelters pilgrims, and it belongs to the Host. We must acquire a medieval mindset here.
     A tabard is an overgarment of coarse material, usually sleeveless. In Chaucer's day, it was poor men's garb. Christ is poetically described wearing poor men's clothing. While Christ in a tabard is not difficult to fix in our mind's eye, the composite of all the pilgrims sharing the Host's tabard seems beyond out "visual" capability. But this is Chaucer's ingenious portrayal of a mystery, the Mystical Body, "a doctrine of the faith . . . which human reason is incapable of solving." In the Host's Tabard, the pilgrims are part of the Mystical Body of Christ.
     This may be problematic for the modern mind to grasp, but the following excerpts found in medieval Festivals of the Church will help. Marginalia to the first excerpt reads: "The Lord is a householder, he feasts and clothes his folk."
                         I
          The Lord who is a householder
          With fair feasts folk he feeds
          Giveth them clothes He Himself doth wear
           . . . . . . . . .
          With Him on the bed, man, thou sat
          On the bolster of heavenly bliss.
          With His flesh He feeds thee, 
          thou knowest this well, 
          Thy soul shall be clad as His
          In life that nevermore ends.
                      II
           . . . . . . . . .
          He saith God is truly the Son
          And in the same thy soul is clad
          Thy Lord's garment then hast thou worn.
For all of mankind to wear the garment of the Lord may seem an odd expression for relationship with God. Oddity doesn't matter. This was a typical medieval expression in England. And Chaucer's choice of the name of a garment for the pilgrims' shelter captured the idea. Chaucer's Host provides "feasts," "beds," and the "clothes he himself doth wear." We recognize that Chaucer's Host is portrayed with the same attributes that describe Christ.

The following poem--"How Christ Shall Come"--was a startling find in Carleton Brown's Religious Lyrics of the 14th Century. Christ's depiction mirrors what Chaucer says of the Host!
          I come from the wedding as a sweet spouse,
               who has brought my wife with me
          I come from the fight a stalwart knight,
               who has overcome my foe
          I come from bargaining as a powerful chapman (businessman),
               who has bought mankind
          I come from an unknown land as a blessed pilgrim,
               who has searched over a great distance.
These are reverent images of the day. Christ is a spouse whose wife is with Him, a stalwart knight in harrowing hell, a successful businessman, and, lastly, a simple pilgrim. This is how Christ came to Chaucer's mind--and to the Canterbury Tales.