This MS., of which the text is fairly correct, is written in one hand throughout, and with T it represents, so far as we can judge, the original form of the text in all the revised passages. In some few cases, as iv. 1073, v. 450, H₂ seems to give the original reading, where T agrees with the revised MSS.On the last leaf we find an interesting note about the decoration of the book and the parchment used, written small in red below the ‘Explicit,’ which I read as follows: ‘100 and li. 51 blew letteris, 4 co. smale letteris and more, gold letteris 8: 18 quayers. price velom v s. vi d.’ There are in fact about 150 of the larger blue initials with red lines round them, the smaller letters, of which I understand the account reckons 400 and more, being those at the beginning of paragraphs, blue and red alternately. The eight gold letters are those at the beginning of the first prologue and the seven books.The following notes are in the hand of Lord Burleigh, as I am informed by Mr. R. T. Gunton: ‘Vox Clamantis’ on the first page, ‘nomine Authoris’ and ‘Anno 4 Regis Ricardi’ in the margin of the prologue to the first book, ‘Thomas arch., Simon arch.,’ opposite i. 1055 f., ‘Amoris effectus’ near the beginning of Lib. v, ‘Laus Edw. princ. patris Ricardi 2’ at Lib. vi. cap. xiii, and a few more.
This MS., of which the text is fairly correct, is written in one hand throughout, and with T it represents, so far as we can judge, the original form of the text in all the revised passages. In some few cases, as iv. 1073, v. 450, H₂ seems to give the original reading, where T agrees with the revised MSS.
On the last leaf we find an interesting note about the decoration of the book and the parchment used, written small in red below the ‘Explicit,’ which I read as follows: ‘100 and li. 51 blew letteris, 4 co. smale letteris and more, gold letteris 8: 18 quayers. price velom v s. vi d.’ There are in fact about 150 of the larger blue initials with red lines round them, the smaller letters, of which I understand the account reckons 400 and more, being those at the beginning of paragraphs, blue and red alternately. The eight gold letters are those at the beginning of the first prologue and the seven books.
The following notes are in the hand of Lord Burleigh, as I am informed by Mr. R. T. Gunton: ‘Vox Clamantis’ on the first page, ‘nomine Authoris’ and ‘Anno 4 Regis Ricardi’ in the margin of the prologue to the first book, ‘Thomas arch., Simon arch.,’ opposite i. 1055 f., ‘Amoris effectus’ near the beginning of Lib. v, ‘Laus Edw. princ. patris Ricardi 2’ at Lib. vi. cap. xiii, and a few more.
C₂.Cotton, Titus, A, 13, British Museum. Contains on ff. 105-137 a part of theVox Clamantis, beginning with the Prologue of Lib. i. and continuing to Lib. iii. l. 116, where it is left unfinished. Paper, leaves measuring 8¼ x 6 in. written in a current sixteenth-century hand with an irregular number of lines (about 38-70) to the page. Headed, ‘De populari tumultu et rebellione. Anno quarto Ricardi secundi.’
Text copied from D, as is shown by minute agreement in almost every particular.
Text copied from D, as is shown by minute agreement in almost every particular.
H₃.Hatton 92, Bodleian Library, Oxford. This contains, among other things of a miscellaneous kind, Gower’sCronica Tripertita, followed by ‘[H.] aquile pullus,’ ‘O recolende,’ and ‘Rex celideus,’ altogether occupying 21½ leaves of parchment, measuring 7¾ x 5½ in. Neatly written in hands of the first half of the fifteenth century about 28-30 lines to the page, the text in one hand and the margin in another.
Begins, ‘Prologus. Opus humanum est—constituit.’Then the seven lines, ‘Ista tripertita—vincit amor,’ followed by ‘Explicit prologus.’ After this,‘Incipit cronica iohannis Gower de tempore Regis Ricardi secundi vsque ad secundum annum Henrici quarti.Incipit prohemium Cronice Iohannis Gower.Postquam in quodam libello, qui vox clamantis dicitur, quem Iohannes Gower nuper versificatum composuit super hoc quod tempore Regis Ricardi secundi anno Regni sui quarto vulgaris in anglia populus contra ipsum Regem quasi ex virga dei notabiliter insurrexit manifestius tractatum existit, iam in hoc presenti Cronica, que tripertita est, super quibusdam aliis infortuniis,’ &c.Ends (after ‘sint tibi regna poli’), ‘Expliciunt carmina Iohannis Gower, que scripta sunt vsque nunc, quod est in anno domini Regis prenotati secundo, et quia confractus ego tam senectute quam aliis infirmitatibus vlterius scribere discrete non sufficio, Scribat qui veniet post me discrecior Alter, Amodo namque manus et mea penna silent. Hoc tamen infine verborum queso meorum, prospera quod statuat regna futura deus. Amen. Ihesus esto michi ihesus.’This conclusion seems to be made up out of the piece beginning ‘Henrici quarti’ in the Trentham MS. (see p. 365 of this volume) combined with the prose heading of the corresponding lines as given by CHG. It may be observed here that the Trentham version of this piece is also given in MS. Cotton, Julius F. vii, f. 167, with the heading ‘Epitaphium siue dictum Iohannis Gower Armigeri et per ipsum compositum.’ It is followed by the lines ‘Electus Cristi—sponte data,’ which are the heading of thePraise of Peace.
Begins, ‘Prologus. Opus humanum est—constituit.’
Then the seven lines, ‘Ista tripertita—vincit amor,’ followed by ‘Explicit prologus.’ After this,
‘Incipit cronica iohannis Gower de tempore Regis Ricardi secundi vsque ad secundum annum Henrici quarti.
Incipit prohemium Cronice Iohannis Gower.
Incipit prohemium Cronice Iohannis Gower.
Incipit prohemium Cronice Iohannis Gower.
Incipit prohemium Cronice Iohannis Gower.
Postquam in quodam libello, qui vox clamantis dicitur, quem Iohannes Gower nuper versificatum composuit super hoc quod tempore Regis Ricardi secundi anno Regni sui quarto vulgaris in anglia populus contra ipsum Regem quasi ex virga dei notabiliter insurrexit manifestius tractatum existit, iam in hoc presenti Cronica, que tripertita est, super quibusdam aliis infortuniis,’ &c.
Ends (after ‘sint tibi regna poli’), ‘Expliciunt carmina Iohannis Gower, que scripta sunt vsque nunc, quod est in anno domini Regis prenotati secundo, et quia confractus ego tam senectute quam aliis infirmitatibus vlterius scribere discrete non sufficio, Scribat qui veniet post me discrecior Alter, Amodo namque manus et mea penna silent. Hoc tamen infine verborum queso meorum, prospera quod statuat regna futura deus. Amen. Ihesus esto michi ihesus.’
This conclusion seems to be made up out of the piece beginning ‘Henrici quarti’ in the Trentham MS. (see p. 365 of this volume) combined with the prose heading of the corresponding lines as given by CHG. It may be observed here that the Trentham version of this piece is also given in MS. Cotton, Julius F. vii, f. 167, with the heading ‘Epitaphium siue dictum Iohannis Gower Armigeri et per ipsum compositum.’ It is followed by the lines ‘Electus Cristi—sponte data,’ which are the heading of thePraise of Peace.
Former Editions.TheVox Clamantiswas printed for the Roxburghe Club in the year 1850, edited by H. O. Coxe, Bodley’s Librarian. In the same volume were included theCronica Tripertita, the lines ‘Quicquid homo scribat,’ &c., the complimentary verses of the ‘philosopher,’ ‘Eneidos Bucolis,’ &c., and (in a note to the Introduction) the poem ‘O deus immense,’ &c. In T. Wright’sPolitical Poems, Rolls Series, 14, vol. i. the following pieces were printed:Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia,De Lucis Scrutinio, ‘O deus immense,’ &c.,Cronica Tripertita. In the Roxburghe edition of Gower’sCinkante Balades(1818) were printed also the pieces ‘Rex celi deus,’ and ‘Ecce patet tensus,’ the lines ‘Henrici quarti,’ a variation of ‘Quicquid homo scribat,’ &c. (see p. 365 of this edition). Finally the last poems ‘Vnanimes esse,’ ‘Presul, ouile regis,’ ‘Cultor in ecclesia,’ and‘Dicunt scripture’ were printed by Karl Meyer in his dissertationJohn Gower’s Beziehungen zu Chaucer &c.pp. 67, 68.
Of Coxe’s edition I wish to speak with all due respect. It has served a very useful purpose, and it was perhaps on a level with the critical requirements of the time when it was published. At the same time it cannot be regarded as satisfactory. The editor tells us that his text is that of the All Souls MS. ‘collated throughout word for word with a MS. preserved among the Digby MSS. in the Bodleian, and here and there with the Cotton MS. [Tib. A. iv.] sufficiently to show the superiority of the All Souls MS.’ The inferior and late Digby MS. was thus uncritically placed on a level with those of first authority, and even preferred to the Cotton MS. It would require a great deal of very careful collation to convince an editor that the text of the All Souls MS. is superior in correctness to that of the Cotton MS., and it is doubtful whether after all he would come to any such conclusion. As regards correctness they stand in fact very nearly on the same level: each might set the other right in a few trifling points. It is not, however, from the Cotton MS. that the Roxburghe editor takes his corrections, when he thinks that any are needed. In such cases he silently adopts readings from the Digby MS., and in a much larger number of instances he gives the text of the All Souls MS. incorrectly, from insufficient care in copying or correcting. The most serious results of the undue appreciation of the Digby MS. are seen in those passages where S is defective, as in the Prologue of the first book, and in the well-known passage i. 783 ff., where the text of D is taken as the sole authority, and accordingly errors abound, which might have been avoided by reference to C or any other good copy73. The editor seems not to have been acquainted with the Harleian MS., and he makes no mention even of the second copy of theVox Clamantiswhich he had in his own library, MS. Laud 719.
The same uncritical spirit which we have noted in this editor’s choice of manuscripts for collation appears also in his manner of dealing with the revised passages. When he prints variations, it is only because he happens to find them in the Digby MS., and he makes only one definite statement about the differences ofhandwriting in his authority, which moreover is grossly incorrect. Not being acquainted with Dublin or the Hatfield MSS., he could not give the original text of such passages asVox Clamantis, iii. 1-28 or vi. 545-80, but he might at least have indicated the lines which he found written over erasure, and in different hands from the original text, in the All Souls and Cotton MSS. Dr. Karl Meyer again, who afterwards paid some attention to the handwriting and called attention to Coxe’s misstatement on the subject, was preoccupied with the theory that the revision took place altogether after the accession of Henry IV, and failed to note the evidence afforded by the differences of handwriting for the conclusion that the revision was a gradual one, made in accordance with the development of political events.
I think it well to indicate the chief differences of text between the Roxburghe edition of theVox Clamantisand the present. The readings in the following list are those of the Roxburghe edition. In cases where the Roxburghe editor has followed the All Souls or Digby MS. that fact is noted by the letters S or D; but the variations are for the most part mere mistakes. It should be noted also that the sense is very often obscured in the Roxburghe edition by bad punctuation, and that the medieval spelling is usually not preserved.
Epistola37 orgineHeading to Prol.3 somnumPrologus21 Godefri, des atque D 25 ascribens D 27 nil ut laudes D 32 Sicque D 36 sentiat D 37 Sæpeque sunt lachrymis de D 38 Humida fit lachrymis sæpeque penna meis D 44 favent D 49 confracto D 50 At 58 Hujus ergo DHeading toLib.I. 1om.eciam D 3 contingebant D 4 terræ illius D 7 etiam (foret) DLib.I. 12. quisque 26 celsitonantes 40 Fertilis occultam invenit SD 61 Horta 88 sorte 92 et (forex) Cap. ii.Headingdicet prima 199 geminatis 209 possint D 280 crabs 326 elephantinus 359 segistram 395 Culteque Curræ 396 Linquendo S 455 Thalia D 474 arces 479 nemora 551 pertenui 585 Hæc 603 Tormis bruchiis 743 Cumque 763 alitrixque D 771 dominos superos nec D 784 Recteque D 789 Cebbe D 797 Sæpe 799 Quidem 803 Frendet perspumans D 811 earum D 817 sonitum quoque verberat 821 Congestat D 822 Obstrepuere 824 in (fora) D 827 stupefactus 835 eorum non fortificet 837 furorum D 846 conchos Dom.sibi D 855 roserat atra rubedo D 863 romphæa 873 gerunt 947 rapit (for stetit) D 953 igne S 1173 viris (foriuris) 1174 aut (forsiue) 1241 et (forvt) S 1302 sibi tuta 1312 scit SD 1334 Cantus 1338 ipse 1361 internis D 1390 Reddidit 1425 mutantia 1431 fuit 1440 Poenis 1461 deprimere 1525 statim S 1531 subito D 1587 per longum 1654 in medio 1656 nimis 1662 patebit S 1695 rubens pingit gemmis 1792 dixi (fordedi) 1794 nichil(fornil vel) 1855 coniuncta 1870 imbuet S 1910 tempore 1927 et (forvt) 1941 Claudit 1974 parat 1985om.numen 2009 tunc 2017 inde 2118 ullaLib. II.Prol.10 ora 39 ore 40 fugam isteLib. II.9 obstat D 65 Desuper D 70 Et qui pauca tenet 84 Causa tamen credo 175 continuo 191 migratrix 205 Et (forAtque) 253 cum 271 Jonah 303 jam (fortam) 352 ut 401 lecto 461 monent 545 morte (formonte) 570 prædicat 608 fæcundari 628 DicitLib. III.Prol.9 sed et increpo 77 oro 90 potuit (for ponit)Lib. III.4* exempla D mundus (forhumus) D 18* ei D 27* poterint D 41 sensus 59 cum (foreum) 76 Dicunt 141 possit (forposcit) 176 onus (forouis) S 191 magnates 207 nimium (fornummi) 209 luxuriatio D 225 expugnareque 333 capiunt 382 ad (forin) 383 teli (fortali) 469om.estafteramor 535 Quem (forQuam) 595 terram SD 701 Sublime 845 manu 891 Sic (forSicque) 933 vertatur 954 nostra 969 portamus nomen 971 nobis data D 976 renovare 989 sic (forsit) S 1214 et 1234 attulerat 1265 fallit S 1357 mundus habet 1376 et (forvt) S 1454om.est 1455 Est; (forEt) 1487 intendit 1538 ibi est 1541 Durius 1546 crebro 1695 sua (forsi) S 1747 vovit SD 1759 et sutorem 1863 vulnere SD 1936 intrat 1960 de se 1962 Nam 2049 ese 2085 aguntLib. IV.26 callidis 67 vivens (forniueus) 72 esse (foripse) S 259 Sæpe (forSepeque) 273 et (forvt) S 294 perdant 295 bona qui sibi D 336 non (foriam) S 435 quid tibi 451 Ac 453 cupiensque 531 at (foret) 565 ex (forhee) 567 Simplicitur 583 teneræ 588 præparat 593 ibi S 600 thalamus 610 claustra 662 patet SD 675 Credo 769 In terra 785 ut 799 putabat S 811 et (forad) S 863 sed nec (fornon set) 865 quem fur quasi 958 possit 1000 fratris (forpatris) 1038 Livorem 1081 adoptio S 1127 fallat 1214 vanis 1222* Usurpet ipsaLib. V.1 sic D 18 ei (forita) D 101 cernis 104 atque 159 par est 178 fuit (forsitit) 217 senos (forseuos) 262 Carnis 281 si S 290 sonet 321 valet (fordecet) 338 vanis 375 ille 420 Pretia (forRecia) 461 At 486 redemit (forredeunt) 501 non (fornos) S 508 geret 668 Si 672 Maxime 745 foras (forforis) 805 etenim (foreciam) S 928 est (foret) 936 semine 937 pacis (forpiscis) 955 ubi (forsibi) SLib. VI.54 renuere 132 ipsa 133 locuples 212 ocius (forcicius) 245 ibi (forsibi) 319 Sæpe (forSepius) 405 in ‘æque’ (forineque) 411 descendat 476 quem S 488 Cesset 530 populus, væ (forpopulus ve) 548 ipse D 646 ruat 679 legit S 746 Num 755 Nam (forDum) 789 majus (forinanis) 816 Credo 971 Rex (forPax) 1016 gemmes 1033 quid (forquod) 1041 Hæc (forHic) 1132 fide (forfine) 1156 minuat D 1171* detangere (forte tangere) D 1172* hæc D 1182* foras D 1197 veteris (forverteris) 1210* Subditus 1224om.carnem 1225* decens (fordocens) D lega 1241 Hic (forDic) 1251 defunctus D 1260 ab hoc 1281 est ille pius (forille pius est) 1327 nunc moriturLib. VII.9 magnatum S 93 magnates D 96 nummis (forminimis) 109 Antea 149 sic sunt 185 Virtutem 290 Aucta (forActa) 339 honorifica 350 credit S 409 servus cap. vi.headingl. 4 sinit (forsunt) 555 vultum 562 ff. Quid (forQuod) 601 quam 602 adesse (forad esse) 635 Præceptum (forPreceptumque) 665 agnoscit 707 enim (foreum) cap. ix.heading om.postea 736 decus (forpecus) 750 ille (foripse) cap. xi.headingdicitur (forloquitur) 798 capit (forrapit) 828 etiam (foriam) 903om.nil 918 est (foret) S 977 benefecit D 1043 frigor 1129 qui non jussa Dei servat 1178 eam 1278 opes S 1310 Vix (forVis) 1369 digna 1454 hic (forhinc) 1474 bona 1479* ipsaIt will be seen that most of the above variants are due to mere oversight. It is surprising, however, that so many mistakes seriously affecting sense and metre should have escaped the correction of the editor.
Epistola37 orgineHeading to Prol.3 somnumPrologus21 Godefri, des atque D 25 ascribens D 27 nil ut laudes D 32 Sicque D 36 sentiat D 37 Sæpeque sunt lachrymis de D 38 Humida fit lachrymis sæpeque penna meis D 44 favent D 49 confracto D 50 At 58 Hujus ergo D
Heading toLib.I. 1om.eciam D 3 contingebant D 4 terræ illius D 7 etiam (foret) DLib.I. 12. quisque 26 celsitonantes 40 Fertilis occultam invenit SD 61 Horta 88 sorte 92 et (forex) Cap. ii.Headingdicet prima 199 geminatis 209 possint D 280 crabs 326 elephantinus 359 segistram 395 Culteque Curræ 396 Linquendo S 455 Thalia D 474 arces 479 nemora 551 pertenui 585 Hæc 603 Tormis bruchiis 743 Cumque 763 alitrixque D 771 dominos superos nec D 784 Recteque D 789 Cebbe D 797 Sæpe 799 Quidem 803 Frendet perspumans D 811 earum D 817 sonitum quoque verberat 821 Congestat D 822 Obstrepuere 824 in (fora) D 827 stupefactus 835 eorum non fortificet 837 furorum D 846 conchos Dom.sibi D 855 roserat atra rubedo D 863 romphæa 873 gerunt 947 rapit (for stetit) D 953 igne S 1173 viris (foriuris) 1174 aut (forsiue) 1241 et (forvt) S 1302 sibi tuta 1312 scit SD 1334 Cantus 1338 ipse 1361 internis D 1390 Reddidit 1425 mutantia 1431 fuit 1440 Poenis 1461 deprimere 1525 statim S 1531 subito D 1587 per longum 1654 in medio 1656 nimis 1662 patebit S 1695 rubens pingit gemmis 1792 dixi (fordedi) 1794 nichil(fornil vel) 1855 coniuncta 1870 imbuet S 1910 tempore 1927 et (forvt) 1941 Claudit 1974 parat 1985om.numen 2009 tunc 2017 inde 2118 ulla
Lib. II.Prol.10 ora 39 ore 40 fugam iste
Lib. II.9 obstat D 65 Desuper D 70 Et qui pauca tenet 84 Causa tamen credo 175 continuo 191 migratrix 205 Et (forAtque) 253 cum 271 Jonah 303 jam (fortam) 352 ut 401 lecto 461 monent 545 morte (formonte) 570 prædicat 608 fæcundari 628 Dicit
Lib. III.Prol.9 sed et increpo 77 oro 90 potuit (for ponit)
Lib. III.4* exempla D mundus (forhumus) D 18* ei D 27* poterint D 41 sensus 59 cum (foreum) 76 Dicunt 141 possit (forposcit) 176 onus (forouis) S 191 magnates 207 nimium (fornummi) 209 luxuriatio D 225 expugnareque 333 capiunt 382 ad (forin) 383 teli (fortali) 469om.estafteramor 535 Quem (forQuam) 595 terram SD 701 Sublime 845 manu 891 Sic (forSicque) 933 vertatur 954 nostra 969 portamus nomen 971 nobis data D 976 renovare 989 sic (forsit) S 1214 et 1234 attulerat 1265 fallit S 1357 mundus habet 1376 et (forvt) S 1454om.est 1455 Est; (forEt) 1487 intendit 1538 ibi est 1541 Durius 1546 crebro 1695 sua (forsi) S 1747 vovit SD 1759 et sutorem 1863 vulnere SD 1936 intrat 1960 de se 1962 Nam 2049 ese 2085 agunt
Lib. IV.26 callidis 67 vivens (forniueus) 72 esse (foripse) S 259 Sæpe (forSepeque) 273 et (forvt) S 294 perdant 295 bona qui sibi D 336 non (foriam) S 435 quid tibi 451 Ac 453 cupiensque 531 at (foret) 565 ex (forhee) 567 Simplicitur 583 teneræ 588 præparat 593 ibi S 600 thalamus 610 claustra 662 patet SD 675 Credo 769 In terra 785 ut 799 putabat S 811 et (forad) S 863 sed nec (fornon set) 865 quem fur quasi 958 possit 1000 fratris (forpatris) 1038 Livorem 1081 adoptio S 1127 fallat 1214 vanis 1222* Usurpet ipsa
Lib. V.1 sic D 18 ei (forita) D 101 cernis 104 atque 159 par est 178 fuit (forsitit) 217 senos (forseuos) 262 Carnis 281 si S 290 sonet 321 valet (fordecet) 338 vanis 375 ille 420 Pretia (forRecia) 461 At 486 redemit (forredeunt) 501 non (fornos) S 508 geret 668 Si 672 Maxime 745 foras (forforis) 805 etenim (foreciam) S 928 est (foret) 936 semine 937 pacis (forpiscis) 955 ubi (forsibi) S
Lib. VI.54 renuere 132 ipsa 133 locuples 212 ocius (forcicius) 245 ibi (forsibi) 319 Sæpe (forSepius) 405 in ‘æque’ (forineque) 411 descendat 476 quem S 488 Cesset 530 populus, væ (forpopulus ve) 548 ipse D 646 ruat 679 legit S 746 Num 755 Nam (forDum) 789 majus (forinanis) 816 Credo 971 Rex (forPax) 1016 gemmes 1033 quid (forquod) 1041 Hæc (forHic) 1132 fide (forfine) 1156 minuat D 1171* detangere (forte tangere) D 1172* hæc D 1182* foras D 1197 veteris (forverteris) 1210* Subditus 1224om.carnem 1225* decens (fordocens) D lega 1241 Hic (forDic) 1251 defunctus D 1260 ab hoc 1281 est ille pius (forille pius est) 1327 nunc moritur
Lib. VII.9 magnatum S 93 magnates D 96 nummis (forminimis) 109 Antea 149 sic sunt 185 Virtutem 290 Aucta (forActa) 339 honorifica 350 credit S 409 servus cap. vi.headingl. 4 sinit (forsunt) 555 vultum 562 ff. Quid (forQuod) 601 quam 602 adesse (forad esse) 635 Præceptum (forPreceptumque) 665 agnoscit 707 enim (foreum) cap. ix.heading om.postea 736 decus (forpecus) 750 ille (foripse) cap. xi.headingdicitur (forloquitur) 798 capit (forrapit) 828 etiam (foriam) 903om.nil 918 est (foret) S 977 benefecit D 1043 frigor 1129 qui non jussa Dei servat 1178 eam 1278 opes S 1310 Vix (forVis) 1369 digna 1454 hic (forhinc) 1474 bona 1479* ipsa
It will be seen that most of the above variants are due to mere oversight. It is surprising, however, that so many mistakes seriously affecting sense and metre should have escaped the correction of the editor.
In the matter of spelling the variation is considerable, but all that need be said is that the Roxburghe editor preferred the classical to the medieval forms. On the other hand it is to be regretted that no attempt is made by him to mark the paragraph divisions of the original. A minor inconvenience, which is felt by all readers who have to refer to the Roxburghe text, arises from the fact that the book-numbering is not set at the head of the page.
In the case of theCronica Tripertitawe have the text printed by Wright in the Rolls Series as well as that of the Roxburghe edition. The latter is from the All Souls MS., while the former professes to be based upon the Cotton MS., so that the two texts ought to be quite independent. As a matter of fact, however, several of the mistakes or misprints of the Roxburghe text are reproduced in the Rolls edition, which was printed probably from a copy of the Roxburghe text collated with the Cotton MS.
The following are the variations of the Roxburghe text from that of the present edition.
Introduction, margin2 prosequi (forpersequi).I. 1om.et per (forfer) 7 bene non 15 consilium sibi 71 fraudis 93 cum (fordum) 132 hos (foros) 161marg. om.qui S 173 ausam S 182 Sic (forHic) 199 clientem 204 cepit (forcessat) 209 Regem (forLegem) 219 Qui est (forest qui)II. 9 sociatus (forassociatus) 61 manu tentum 85marg.quia (forqui) 114 de pondere 156 sepulchrum 180 maledictum 220 Transulit 223 omne scelus 237 ipsum 266 Pontifice 271 malefecit 315marg.derisu 330marg.Consulat 333 adeo.III. 109 prius S 131 viles S 177 conjunctus 188 sceleris 235 mane 239 nunc S 242 freta (forfata) 250 ponere 263 Exilia 285marg.præter (forpersonaliter) 287 Nec 288 stanno 333 conquescat 341 auget 372 eo (foret) 422marg.fidelissime 428 prius S
Introduction, margin2 prosequi (forpersequi).
I. 1om.et per (forfer) 7 bene non 15 consilium sibi 71 fraudis 93 cum (fordum) 132 hos (foros) 161marg. om.qui S 173 ausam S 182 Sic (forHic) 199 clientem 204 cepit (forcessat) 209 Regem (forLegem) 219 Qui est (forest qui)
II. 9 sociatus (forassociatus) 61 manu tentum 85marg.quia (forqui) 114 de pondere 156 sepulchrum 180 maledictum 220 Transulit 223 omne scelus 237 ipsum 266 Pontifice 271 malefecit 315marg.derisu 330marg.Consulat 333 adeo.
III. 109 prius S 131 viles S 177 conjunctus 188 sceleris 235 mane 239 nunc S 242 freta (forfata) 250 ponere 263 Exilia 285marg.præter (forpersonaliter) 287 Nec 288 stanno 333 conquescat 341 auget 372 eo (foret) 422marg.fidelissime 428 prius S
Of the above errors several, as we have said, are reproduced by Wright with no authority from his MS.74, but otherwise his text is a tolerably correct representation of that given by the Cotton MS., and the same may be said with regard to the other poemsCarmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia,De Lucis Scrutinio75, &c.
The Present Edition.The text is in the main that of S, which is supplemented, where it is defective, by C. The Cotton MS. is also the leading authority for those pieces which are not contained in S, as the four last poems.
For theVox Clamantisfour manuscripts have been collated with S word for word throughout, viz. CHDL, and two more, viz. GE, have been collated generally and examined for every doubtful passage. TH₂ have been carefully examined and taken as authorities for the original text of some of the revised passages.
As regards the record of the results of these rather extensive collations, it may be stated generally that all material variations of C and H from the text of S have been recorded in the critical notes76. The readings of E, D and L have been printed regularly for those passages in which material variations of other MSS. are recorded, and in such cases, if they are not mentioned, it may be assumed that they agree with S; but otherwise they are mentioned only when they seem to deserve attention. The readings of G are recorded in a large number of instances, but they must not be assumedex silentio, and those of T and H₂ are as a rule only given in passages where they have a different version of the text.
A trifling liberty has been taken with the text of the MSS. in regard to the position of the conjunction ‘que’ (and). This isfrequently used by our author like ‘et,’ standing at the beginning of a clause or between the words which it combines, as
‘Sic lecto vigilans meditabar plura, que mentemEffudi,’
‘Sic lecto vigilans meditabar plura, que mentemEffudi,’
‘Sic lecto vigilans meditabar plura, que mentemEffudi,’
‘Sic lecto vigilans meditabar plura, que mentem
Effudi,’
or
‘Cutte que Curre simul rapidi per deuia currunt,’
‘Cutte que Curre simul rapidi per deuia currunt,’
‘Cutte que Curre simul rapidi per deuia currunt,’
‘Cutte que Curre simul rapidi per deuia currunt,’
but it is also very often used in the correct classical manner. The MSS. make no distinction between these two uses, but sometimes join the conjunction to the preceding word and sometimes separate it, apparently in a quite arbitrary manner. For the sake of clearness the conjunction is separated in this edition regularly when the sense requires that it should be taken independently of the preceding word, and the variations of the manuscripts with regard to this are not recorded.
Again, some freedom has been used in the matter of capital letters, which have been supplied, where they were wanting, in the case of proper names and at the beginning of sentences.
The spelling is in every particular the same as that of the MS. The practice of altering the medieval orthography, which is fairly consistent and intelligible, so as to make it accord with classical or conventional usage, has little or nothing to be said for it, and conceals the evidence which the forms of spelling might give with regard to the prevalent pronunciation.
The principal differences in our text from the classical orthography are as follows:eregularly for the diphthongsae,oe.iforeinperiunt,rediat,nequio, &c. (but alsopereunt, &c.).yforiinymus,ymago, &c.ifory, e.g.mirrha,ciclus,limpha.vforuorvregularly as initial letter of words, elsewhereu.vowels doubled inhii,hee,hiis(monosyllables).uforuuafterq, e.g.equs,iniqus,sequntur.initialhomitted inara(hăra),edus(haedus),ortus,yemps, &c.initialhadded inhabundat,heremus,Herebus, &c.chforhinmichi,nichil.chforcinarcha,archanum,inchola,choruscat, &c. (butCristus, when fully written, for ‘Christus’).cifortiregularly before a vowel e.g.accio,alcius,cercius,distinccio,gracia,sentencia,vicium.cforsorsc, inancer,cerpo,ceptrum,rocidus,Cilla.sforcorsc, insecus(occasionally for ‘caecus’),sintilla, &c.single for double consonants inapropriat,suplet,agredior,resurexit, &c. (alsoappropriat, &c.).phforfinscropha,nephas,nephandus,prophanus, &c.pinserted indampnum,sompnus, &c.setusually in the best MSS. forsed(conjunction), but in the Cotton MS. usually ‘sed.’
The principal differences in our text from the classical orthography are as follows:
eregularly for the diphthongsae,oe.
iforeinperiunt,rediat,nequio, &c. (but alsopereunt, &c.).
yforiinymus,ymago, &c.
ifory, e.g.mirrha,ciclus,limpha.
vforuorvregularly as initial letter of words, elsewhereu.
vowels doubled inhii,hee,hiis(monosyllables).
uforuuafterq, e.g.equs,iniqus,sequntur.
initialhomitted inara(hăra),edus(haedus),ortus,yemps, &c.
initialhadded inhabundat,heremus,Herebus, &c.
chforhinmichi,nichil.
chforcinarcha,archanum,inchola,choruscat, &c. (butCristus, when fully written, for ‘Christus’).
cifortiregularly before a vowel e.g.accio,alcius,cercius,distinccio,gracia,sentencia,vicium.
cforsorsc, inancer,cerpo,ceptrum,rocidus,Cilla.
sforcorsc, insecus(occasionally for ‘caecus’),sintilla, &c.
single for double consonants inapropriat,suplet,agredior,resurexit, &c. (alsoappropriat, &c.).
phforfinscropha,nephas,nephandus,prophanus, &c.
pinserted indampnum,sompnus, &c.
setusually in the best MSS. forsed(conjunction), but in the Cotton MS. usually ‘sed.’
It has been thought better to print the elegiac couplet without indentation for the pentameter, partly because that is the regular usage in the MSS. and must of course have been the practice of the author, but still more in order to mark more clearly the division into paragraphs, to which the author evidently attached some importance. Spaces of varying width are used to show the larger divisions. It is impossible that there should not be some errors in the printed text, but the editor can at least claim to have taken great pains to ensure correctness, and all the proof-sheets have been carefully compared with the text of the manuscripts.
For convenience of reference the lines are numbered as in the Roxburghe edition, though perhaps it would be more satisfactory to combine the prologues, as regards numbering, with the books to which they belong.
In regard to the Notes there are no doubt many deficiencies. The chief objects aimed at have been to explain difficulties of language, to illustrate the matter or the style by reference to the works of the author in French and in English, and to trace as far as possible the origin of those parts of his work which are borrowed. In addition to this, the historical record contained in theCronica Tripertitahas been carefully compared with the evidence given by others with regard to the events described, and possibly this part of the editor’s work, being based entirely upon the original authorities, may be thought to have some small value as a contribution to the history of a singularly perplexing political situation.
FOOTNOTES:12nd Series, vol. ii. pp. 103-117.2Script. Brit.i. 414.3Itin.vi. 55. From Foss,Tabulae Curiales, it would seem that there was no judge named Gower in the 14th century.4Script. Brit.i. 414. This statement also appears as a later addition in the manuscript.5‘Gower’ appears in Tottil’s publication of the Year-books (1585) both in 29 and 30 Ed. III, e.g. 29 Ed. III, Easter term, ff. 20, 27, 33, 46, and 30 Ed. III, Michaelmas term, ff. 16, 18, 20 vo. He appears usually as counsel, but on some occasions he speaks apparently as a judge. The Year-books of the succeeding years, 31-36 Ed. III, have not been published.6These arms appear also in the Glasgow MS. of theVox Clamantis.7Worthies, ed. 1662, pt. 3, p. 207.8e.g. Winstanley, Jacob, Cibber and others.9Ancient Funeral Monuments, p. 270. This Sir Rob. Gower had property in Suffolk, as we shall see, but the fact that his tomb was at Brabourne shows that he resided in Kent. The arms which were upon his tomb are pictured (without colours) in MS. Harl. 3917, f. 77.10Rot. Pat.dated Nov. 27, 1377.11Rot. Claus.4 Ric. II. m. 15 d.12Rot. Pat.dated Dec. 23, 1385.13Rot. Pat.dated Aug. 12, Dec. 23, 1386.14It may here be noted that the poet apparently pronounced his name ‘Gowér,’ in two syllables with accent on the second, as in the Dedication to theBalades, i. 3, ‘Vostre Gower, q’est trestout vos soubgitz.’ The final syllable bears the rhyme in two passages of theConfessio Amantis(viii. 2320, 2908), rhyming with the latter syllables of ‘pouer’ and ‘reposer’. (The rhyme in viii. 2320, ‘Gower: pouer,’ is not a dissyllabic one, as is assumed in theDict. of Nat. Biogr.and elsewhere, but of the final syllables only.) In thePraise of Peace, 373, ‘I, Gower, which am al the liege man,’ an almost literal translation of the French above quoted, the accent is thrown rather on the first syllable.15SeeRetrospective Review, 2nd Series, vol. ii, pp. 103-117 (1828). Sir H. Nicolas cites the Close Rolls always at second hand and theInquisitiones Post Mortemonly from the Calendar. Hence the purport of the documents is sometimes incorrectly or insufficiently given by him. In the statement here following every document is cited from the original, and the inaccuracies of previous writers are corrected, but for the most part silently.16Inquis. Post Mortem, &c. 39 Ed. III. 36 (2nd number). This is in fact an ‘Inquisitio ad quod damnum.’ The two classes of Inquisitions are given without distinction in the Calendar, and the fact leads to such statements as that ‘John Gower died seized of half the manor of Aldyngton, 39 Ed. III,’ or ‘John Gower died seized of the manor of Kentwell, 42 Ed. III.’17Rot. Orig.39 Ed. III. 27.18Rot. Claus.39 Ed. III. m. 21 d.19Rot. Claus.39 Ed. III. m. 21 d.20Harl. Charters, 56 G. 42. See alsoRot. Orig.42 Ed. III. 33 andHarl. Charters, 56 G. 41.21Harl. Charters, 50 I. 13.22SeeRot. Orig.23 Ed. III. 22, 40 Ed. III. 10, 20,Inquis. Post Mortem, 40 Ed. III. 13,Rot. Claus.40 Ed. III. m. 21.23Harl. Charters, 50 I. 14. The deed is given in full by Nicolas in theRetrospective Review.24Rot. Orig.48 Ed. III. 31.25The tinctures are not indicated either upon the drawing of Sir R. Gower’s coat of arms in MS. Harl. 3917 or on the seal, but the coat seems to be the same, three leopards’ faces upon a chevron. The seal has a diaper pattern on the shield that bears the chevron, but this is probably only ornamental.26‘Et dicunt quod post predictum feoffamentum, factum predicto Iohanni Gower, dictus Willelmus filius Willelmi continue morabatur in comitiva Ricardi de Hurst et eiusdem Iohannis Gower apud Cantuar, et alibi usque ad festum Sancti Michaelis ultimo preteritum, et per totum tempus predictum idem Willelmus fil. Will. ibidem per ipsos deductus fuit et consiliatus ad alienationem de terris et tenementis suis faciendam.’Rot. Parl.ii. 292.27Rot. Claus.43 Ed. III. m. 30.28Rot. Claus.42 Ed. III. m. 13 d.29English Writers, vol. iv. pp. 150 ff.30SeeCalendar of Post Mortem Inquisitions, vol. ii. pp. 300, 302.31So also the deeds of 1 Ric. II releasing lands to Sir J. Frebody and John Gower (Hasted’sHistory of Kent, iii. 425), and of 4 Ric. II in which Isabella daughter of Walter de Huntyngfeld gives up to John Gower and John Bowland all her rights in the parishes of Throwley and Stalesfield, Kent (Rot. Claus.4 Ric. II. m. 15 d), and again another in which the same lady remits to John Gower all actions, plaints, &c., which may have arisen between them (Rot. Claus.8 Ric. II. m. 5 d).32Rot. Franc.1 Ric. II. pt. 2, m. 6.33See also Sir N. Harris Nicolas,Life of Chaucer, pp. 27, 125.34Rot. Claus.6 Ric. II. m. 27 d, and 24 d.35Rot. Claus.6 Ric. II. pt. 1, m. 23 d.36Rot. Claus.7 Ric. II. m. 17 d.37Duchy of Lancaster, Miscellanea, Bundle X, No. 43 (now in the Record Office).38‘Liverez a Richard Dancastre pour un Coler a luy doné par monseigneur le Conte de Derby par cause d’une autre Coler doné par monditseigneur a un Esquier John Gower, vynt et sys soldz oyt deniers.’39Duchy of Lancaster, Household Accounts, 17 Ric. II (July to Feb.).40Register of William of Wykeham, ii. f. 299b. The record was kindly verified for me by the Registrar of the diocese of Winchester. The expression used about the place is ‘in Oratorio ipsius Iohannis Gower infra hospicium suum’ (not ‘cum’ as previously printed) ‘in Prioratu Beate Marie de Overee in Southwerke predicta situatum.’ It should be noted that ‘infra’ in these documents means not ‘below,’ as translated by Prof. Morley, but ‘within.’ So also in Gower’s will.41Lambeth Library,Register of Abp. Arundel, ff. 256-7.42The remark of Nicolas about the omission of Kentwell from the will is hardly appropriate. Even if Gower the poet were identical with the John Gower who possessed Kentwell, this manor could not have been mentioned in his will, because it was disposed of absolutely to Sir J. Cobham in the year 1373. Hence there is no reason to conclude from this that there was other landed property besides that which is dealt with by the will.43I am indebted for some of the facts to Canon Thompson of St. Saviour’s, Southwark, who has been kind enough to answer several questions which I addressed to him.44The features are quite different, it seems to me, from those represented in the Cotton and Glasgow MSS., and I think it more likely that the latter give us a true contemporary portrait. Gower certainly died in advanced age, yet the effigy on his tomb shows us a man in the flower of life. This then is either an ideal representation or must have been executed from rather distant memory, whereas the miniatures in the MSS., which closely resemble each other, were probably from life, and also preserve their original colouring. The miniatures in MSS. of theConfessio Amantis, which represent the Confession, show the penitent usually as a conventional young lover. The picture in the Fairfax MS. is too much damaged to give us much guidance, but it does not seem to be a portrait, in spite of the collar of SS added later. The miniature in MS. Bodley 902, however, represents an aged man, while that of the Cambridge MS. Mm. 2. 21 rather recalls the effigy on the tomb and may have been suggested by it.45We may note that the effigy of Sir Robert Gower in brass above his tomb in Brabourne church is represented as having a similar chaplet round his helmet. See the drawing in MS. Harl. 3917, f. 77.46So I read them. They are given by Gough and others as ‘merci ihi.’47Perhaps rather 1207 or 1208.48Script. Brit.i. 415: so alsoAnt. Coll.iv. 79, where the three books are mentioned. The statement that the chaplet was partly of ivy must be a mistake, as is pointed out by Stow and others.49Read rather ‘En toy qu’es fitz de dieu le pere.’50Read ‘O bon Jesu, fai ta mercy’ and in the second line ‘dont le corps gist cy.’51Survey of London, p. 450 (ed. 1633). In the margin there is the note, ‘John Gower no knight, neither had he any garland of ivy and roses, but a chaplet of four roses only,’ referring to Bale, who repeats Leland’s description.52p. 326 (ed. 1615). Stow does not say that the inscription ‘Armigeri scutum,’ &c.; was defaced in his time.53vol. ii. p. 542.54vol. v. pp. 202-4. The description is no doubt from Aubrey.55On this subject the reader may be referred to Selden,Titles of Honour, p. 835 f. (ed. 1631).56Antiquities of St. Saviour’s, Southwark, 1765.57vol. ii. p. 24.58Priory Church of St. Mary Overie, 1881.59Canon Thompson writes to me, ‘The old sexton used to show visitors a bone, which he said was taken from the tomb in 1832. I tried to have this buried in the tomb on the occasion of the last removal, but I was told it had disappeared.’60vol. ii. p. 91.61Bp. Braybrooke’s Register, f. 84.62Braybrooke Register, f. 151.63The date of the resignation by John Gower of the rectory of Great Braxted is nearly a year earlier than the marriage of Gower the poet.64I do not know on what authority Rendle states that ‘His apartment seems to have been in what was afterwards known as Montague Close, between the church of St. Mary Overey and the river,’Old Southwark, p. 182.65At the same time I am disposed to attach some weight to the expression inMir.21774, where the author says that some may blame him for handling sacred subjects, because he is no ‘clerk,’‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’This may possibly mean only to indicate the dress of a layman, but on the other hand it seems clear that some lawyers, perhaps especially the ‘apprenticii ad legem,’ were distinguished by stripes upon their sleeves; see for example the painting reproduced in Pulling’sOrder of the Coif(ed. 1897); and serjeants-at-law are referred to inPiers Plowman, A text, Pass. iii. 277, as wearing a ‘ray robe with rich pelure.’ We must admit, therefore, the possibility that Gower was bred to the law, though he may not have practised it for a living.66The Lincoln MS. has the same feature, but it is evidently copied from Laud 719.67There seems also to have been an alternative numbering, which proceeded on the principle of making five books, beginning with the third, the second being treated as a general prologue to the whole poem. In connexion with this we may take the special invocation of divine assistance in the prologue of the third book, which ends with the couplet,‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’68Fuller’s spirited translation of these lines is well known, but may here be quoted again:‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’Church History, Book iv. (p. 139).69In the first version, ‘Complaints are heard now of the injustice of the high court: flatterers have power over it, and those who speak the truth are not permitted to come near to the king’s side. The boy himself is blameless, but his councillors are in fault. If the king were of mature age, he would redress the balance of justice, but he is too young as yet to be held responsible for choice of advisers: it is not from the boy but from his elders that the evil springs which overruns the world.’70In the first version as follows, ‘O king of heaven, who didst create all things, I pray thee preserve my young king, and let him live long and see good days. O king, mayest thou ever hold thy sceptre with honour and triumph, as Augustus did at Rome. May he who gave thee the power confirm it to thee in the future.For the glory of thy rule I have written these lines with humble heart. O flower of boyhood, according to thy worthiness I wish thee prosperity.’71In the first version, ‘I am myself the worst of sinners, but may God grant me relief by his Spirit.’72Communicated to me by Miss Bateson.73It is even the case in one instance (i. 846) that a blank is left in the line for a word omitted in D which might have been supplied by reference to any other MS. which contained the passage. So difficult was communication between Oxford and London in those days.74e.g. i. 209 Regem 219 Qui est ii. 9 sociatus 114 de pondere 266 Pontifice.75A few errors may be noted in the poemDe Lucis Scrutinio, viz. l. 15 manifestus 36 oculis 66 similatam 89 Ominis (forO nimis): also in ‘O deus immense,’ l. 28 se (forte) 104 sub (forsue).76Trifling differences of spelling are as a rule not recorded. Examples of such variations are the following in C: i. 1 ut 11 uidet 23 choruschat 120 talamum 137 sydera 139 themone 141 &c. sed (forset) 196 &c. amodo 234 prohdolor 311 Immundos 586 Egiptus 1056 Symonis 1219 Ocupat 1295 suppremis 1505 loquturus 1514 Obstetit 1755 opprobrium 1832 littora 1947 litora 2094 patiens ii.Prol.11 etiam ii. 57 fatie 261 Moise 494 synagoga iii. 291 redditus, &c. Variation in the use of capital letters or in regard to the separation of ‘que,’ ‘ve,’ &c. from the words which they follow is usually not recorded. The spelling of H and G is almost identical with that of S.
12nd Series, vol. ii. pp. 103-117.
2Script. Brit.i. 414.
3Itin.vi. 55. From Foss,Tabulae Curiales, it would seem that there was no judge named Gower in the 14th century.
4Script. Brit.i. 414. This statement also appears as a later addition in the manuscript.
5‘Gower’ appears in Tottil’s publication of the Year-books (1585) both in 29 and 30 Ed. III, e.g. 29 Ed. III, Easter term, ff. 20, 27, 33, 46, and 30 Ed. III, Michaelmas term, ff. 16, 18, 20 vo. He appears usually as counsel, but on some occasions he speaks apparently as a judge. The Year-books of the succeeding years, 31-36 Ed. III, have not been published.
6These arms appear also in the Glasgow MS. of theVox Clamantis.
7Worthies, ed. 1662, pt. 3, p. 207.
8e.g. Winstanley, Jacob, Cibber and others.
9Ancient Funeral Monuments, p. 270. This Sir Rob. Gower had property in Suffolk, as we shall see, but the fact that his tomb was at Brabourne shows that he resided in Kent. The arms which were upon his tomb are pictured (without colours) in MS. Harl. 3917, f. 77.
10Rot. Pat.dated Nov. 27, 1377.
11Rot. Claus.4 Ric. II. m. 15 d.
12Rot. Pat.dated Dec. 23, 1385.
13Rot. Pat.dated Aug. 12, Dec. 23, 1386.
14It may here be noted that the poet apparently pronounced his name ‘Gowér,’ in two syllables with accent on the second, as in the Dedication to theBalades, i. 3, ‘Vostre Gower, q’est trestout vos soubgitz.’ The final syllable bears the rhyme in two passages of theConfessio Amantis(viii. 2320, 2908), rhyming with the latter syllables of ‘pouer’ and ‘reposer’. (The rhyme in viii. 2320, ‘Gower: pouer,’ is not a dissyllabic one, as is assumed in theDict. of Nat. Biogr.and elsewhere, but of the final syllables only.) In thePraise of Peace, 373, ‘I, Gower, which am al the liege man,’ an almost literal translation of the French above quoted, the accent is thrown rather on the first syllable.
15SeeRetrospective Review, 2nd Series, vol. ii, pp. 103-117 (1828). Sir H. Nicolas cites the Close Rolls always at second hand and theInquisitiones Post Mortemonly from the Calendar. Hence the purport of the documents is sometimes incorrectly or insufficiently given by him. In the statement here following every document is cited from the original, and the inaccuracies of previous writers are corrected, but for the most part silently.
16Inquis. Post Mortem, &c. 39 Ed. III. 36 (2nd number). This is in fact an ‘Inquisitio ad quod damnum.’ The two classes of Inquisitions are given without distinction in the Calendar, and the fact leads to such statements as that ‘John Gower died seized of half the manor of Aldyngton, 39 Ed. III,’ or ‘John Gower died seized of the manor of Kentwell, 42 Ed. III.’
17Rot. Orig.39 Ed. III. 27.
18Rot. Claus.39 Ed. III. m. 21 d.
19Rot. Claus.39 Ed. III. m. 21 d.
20Harl. Charters, 56 G. 42. See alsoRot. Orig.42 Ed. III. 33 andHarl. Charters, 56 G. 41.
21Harl. Charters, 50 I. 13.
22SeeRot. Orig.23 Ed. III. 22, 40 Ed. III. 10, 20,Inquis. Post Mortem, 40 Ed. III. 13,Rot. Claus.40 Ed. III. m. 21.
23Harl. Charters, 50 I. 14. The deed is given in full by Nicolas in theRetrospective Review.
24Rot. Orig.48 Ed. III. 31.
25The tinctures are not indicated either upon the drawing of Sir R. Gower’s coat of arms in MS. Harl. 3917 or on the seal, but the coat seems to be the same, three leopards’ faces upon a chevron. The seal has a diaper pattern on the shield that bears the chevron, but this is probably only ornamental.
26‘Et dicunt quod post predictum feoffamentum, factum predicto Iohanni Gower, dictus Willelmus filius Willelmi continue morabatur in comitiva Ricardi de Hurst et eiusdem Iohannis Gower apud Cantuar, et alibi usque ad festum Sancti Michaelis ultimo preteritum, et per totum tempus predictum idem Willelmus fil. Will. ibidem per ipsos deductus fuit et consiliatus ad alienationem de terris et tenementis suis faciendam.’Rot. Parl.ii. 292.
27Rot. Claus.43 Ed. III. m. 30.
28Rot. Claus.42 Ed. III. m. 13 d.
29English Writers, vol. iv. pp. 150 ff.
30SeeCalendar of Post Mortem Inquisitions, vol. ii. pp. 300, 302.
31So also the deeds of 1 Ric. II releasing lands to Sir J. Frebody and John Gower (Hasted’sHistory of Kent, iii. 425), and of 4 Ric. II in which Isabella daughter of Walter de Huntyngfeld gives up to John Gower and John Bowland all her rights in the parishes of Throwley and Stalesfield, Kent (Rot. Claus.4 Ric. II. m. 15 d), and again another in which the same lady remits to John Gower all actions, plaints, &c., which may have arisen between them (Rot. Claus.8 Ric. II. m. 5 d).
32Rot. Franc.1 Ric. II. pt. 2, m. 6.
33See also Sir N. Harris Nicolas,Life of Chaucer, pp. 27, 125.
34Rot. Claus.6 Ric. II. m. 27 d, and 24 d.
35Rot. Claus.6 Ric. II. pt. 1, m. 23 d.
36Rot. Claus.7 Ric. II. m. 17 d.
37Duchy of Lancaster, Miscellanea, Bundle X, No. 43 (now in the Record Office).
38‘Liverez a Richard Dancastre pour un Coler a luy doné par monseigneur le Conte de Derby par cause d’une autre Coler doné par monditseigneur a un Esquier John Gower, vynt et sys soldz oyt deniers.’
39Duchy of Lancaster, Household Accounts, 17 Ric. II (July to Feb.).
40Register of William of Wykeham, ii. f. 299b. The record was kindly verified for me by the Registrar of the diocese of Winchester. The expression used about the place is ‘in Oratorio ipsius Iohannis Gower infra hospicium suum’ (not ‘cum’ as previously printed) ‘in Prioratu Beate Marie de Overee in Southwerke predicta situatum.’ It should be noted that ‘infra’ in these documents means not ‘below,’ as translated by Prof. Morley, but ‘within.’ So also in Gower’s will.
41Lambeth Library,Register of Abp. Arundel, ff. 256-7.
42The remark of Nicolas about the omission of Kentwell from the will is hardly appropriate. Even if Gower the poet were identical with the John Gower who possessed Kentwell, this manor could not have been mentioned in his will, because it was disposed of absolutely to Sir J. Cobham in the year 1373. Hence there is no reason to conclude from this that there was other landed property besides that which is dealt with by the will.
43I am indebted for some of the facts to Canon Thompson of St. Saviour’s, Southwark, who has been kind enough to answer several questions which I addressed to him.
44The features are quite different, it seems to me, from those represented in the Cotton and Glasgow MSS., and I think it more likely that the latter give us a true contemporary portrait. Gower certainly died in advanced age, yet the effigy on his tomb shows us a man in the flower of life. This then is either an ideal representation or must have been executed from rather distant memory, whereas the miniatures in the MSS., which closely resemble each other, were probably from life, and also preserve their original colouring. The miniatures in MSS. of theConfessio Amantis, which represent the Confession, show the penitent usually as a conventional young lover. The picture in the Fairfax MS. is too much damaged to give us much guidance, but it does not seem to be a portrait, in spite of the collar of SS added later. The miniature in MS. Bodley 902, however, represents an aged man, while that of the Cambridge MS. Mm. 2. 21 rather recalls the effigy on the tomb and may have been suggested by it.
45We may note that the effigy of Sir Robert Gower in brass above his tomb in Brabourne church is represented as having a similar chaplet round his helmet. See the drawing in MS. Harl. 3917, f. 77.
46So I read them. They are given by Gough and others as ‘merci ihi.’
47Perhaps rather 1207 or 1208.
48Script. Brit.i. 415: so alsoAnt. Coll.iv. 79, where the three books are mentioned. The statement that the chaplet was partly of ivy must be a mistake, as is pointed out by Stow and others.
49Read rather ‘En toy qu’es fitz de dieu le pere.’
50Read ‘O bon Jesu, fai ta mercy’ and in the second line ‘dont le corps gist cy.’
51Survey of London, p. 450 (ed. 1633). In the margin there is the note, ‘John Gower no knight, neither had he any garland of ivy and roses, but a chaplet of four roses only,’ referring to Bale, who repeats Leland’s description.
52p. 326 (ed. 1615). Stow does not say that the inscription ‘Armigeri scutum,’ &c.; was defaced in his time.
53vol. ii. p. 542.
54vol. v. pp. 202-4. The description is no doubt from Aubrey.
55On this subject the reader may be referred to Selden,Titles of Honour, p. 835 f. (ed. 1631).
56Antiquities of St. Saviour’s, Southwark, 1765.
57vol. ii. p. 24.
58Priory Church of St. Mary Overie, 1881.
59Canon Thompson writes to me, ‘The old sexton used to show visitors a bone, which he said was taken from the tomb in 1832. I tried to have this buried in the tomb on the occasion of the last removal, but I was told it had disappeared.’
60vol. ii. p. 91.
61Bp. Braybrooke’s Register, f. 84.
62Braybrooke Register, f. 151.
63The date of the resignation by John Gower of the rectory of Great Braxted is nearly a year earlier than the marriage of Gower the poet.
64I do not know on what authority Rendle states that ‘His apartment seems to have been in what was afterwards known as Montague Close, between the church of St. Mary Overey and the river,’Old Southwark, p. 182.
65At the same time I am disposed to attach some weight to the expression inMir.21774, where the author says that some may blame him for handling sacred subjects, because he is no ‘clerk,’‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’This may possibly mean only to indicate the dress of a layman, but on the other hand it seems clear that some lawyers, perhaps especially the ‘apprenticii ad legem,’ were distinguished by stripes upon their sleeves; see for example the painting reproduced in Pulling’sOrder of the Coif(ed. 1897); and serjeants-at-law are referred to inPiers Plowman, A text, Pass. iii. 277, as wearing a ‘ray robe with rich pelure.’ We must admit, therefore, the possibility that Gower was bred to the law, though he may not have practised it for a living.
‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’
‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’
‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’
‘Ainz ai vestu la raye manche.’
This may possibly mean only to indicate the dress of a layman, but on the other hand it seems clear that some lawyers, perhaps especially the ‘apprenticii ad legem,’ were distinguished by stripes upon their sleeves; see for example the painting reproduced in Pulling’sOrder of the Coif(ed. 1897); and serjeants-at-law are referred to inPiers Plowman, A text, Pass. iii. 277, as wearing a ‘ray robe with rich pelure.’ We must admit, therefore, the possibility that Gower was bred to the law, though he may not have practised it for a living.
66The Lincoln MS. has the same feature, but it is evidently copied from Laud 719.
67There seems also to have been an alternative numbering, which proceeded on the principle of making five books, beginning with the third, the second being treated as a general prologue to the whole poem. In connexion with this we may take the special invocation of divine assistance in the prologue of the third book, which ends with the couplet,‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’
‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’
‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’
‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’
‘His tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,
Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.’
68Fuller’s spirited translation of these lines is well known, but may here be quoted again:‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’Church History, Book iv. (p. 139).
‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’
‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’
‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’
‘Tom comes thereat, when called by Wat, and Simm as forward we find,
Bet calls as quick to Gibb and to Hykk, that neither would tarry behind.
Gibb, a good whelp of that litter, doth help mad Coll more mischief to do,
And Will he does vow, the time is come now, he’ll join in their company too.
Davie complains, whiles Grigg gets the gains, and Hobb with them does partake,
Lorkin aloud in the midst of the crowd conceiveth as deep is his stake.
Hudde doth spoil whom Judde doth foil, and Tebb lends his helping hand,
But Jack the mad patch men and houses does snatch, and kills all at his command.’
Church History, Book iv. (p. 139).
69In the first version, ‘Complaints are heard now of the injustice of the high court: flatterers have power over it, and those who speak the truth are not permitted to come near to the king’s side. The boy himself is blameless, but his councillors are in fault. If the king were of mature age, he would redress the balance of justice, but he is too young as yet to be held responsible for choice of advisers: it is not from the boy but from his elders that the evil springs which overruns the world.’
70In the first version as follows, ‘O king of heaven, who didst create all things, I pray thee preserve my young king, and let him live long and see good days. O king, mayest thou ever hold thy sceptre with honour and triumph, as Augustus did at Rome. May he who gave thee the power confirm it to thee in the future.For the glory of thy rule I have written these lines with humble heart. O flower of boyhood, according to thy worthiness I wish thee prosperity.’
For the glory of thy rule I have written these lines with humble heart. O flower of boyhood, according to thy worthiness I wish thee prosperity.’
71In the first version, ‘I am myself the worst of sinners, but may God grant me relief by his Spirit.’
72Communicated to me by Miss Bateson.
73It is even the case in one instance (i. 846) that a blank is left in the line for a word omitted in D which might have been supplied by reference to any other MS. which contained the passage. So difficult was communication between Oxford and London in those days.
74e.g. i. 209 Regem 219 Qui est ii. 9 sociatus 114 de pondere 266 Pontifice.
75A few errors may be noted in the poemDe Lucis Scrutinio, viz. l. 15 manifestus 36 oculis 66 similatam 89 Ominis (forO nimis): also in ‘O deus immense,’ l. 28 se (forte) 104 sub (forsue).
76Trifling differences of spelling are as a rule not recorded. Examples of such variations are the following in C: i. 1 ut 11 uidet 23 choruschat 120 talamum 137 sydera 139 themone 141 &c. sed (forset) 196 &c. amodo 234 prohdolor 311 Immundos 586 Egiptus 1056 Symonis 1219 Ocupat 1295 suppremis 1505 loquturus 1514 Obstetit 1755 opprobrium 1832 littora 1947 litora 2094 patiens ii.Prol.11 etiam ii. 57 fatie 261 Moise 494 synagoga iii. 291 redditus, &c. Variation in the use of capital letters or in regard to the separation of ‘que,’ ‘ve,’ &c. from the words which they follow is usually not recorded. The spelling of H and G is almost identical with that of S.