And eke som dele after the newe,

I woll begyn for to mewe.

And thus I saie for these lxx lynes, there be as many other printed, that be cleane contrarie unto these both in sentence and in meanyng. Furthermore there were lefte out in divers places of the worke lines and columes, ye and some tyme holle padges, whiche caused, that this moste pleasant and easy auctour coude not well be perceived: for that and chaungeyng of wordes, and misordrynge of sentences, wolde have mased his mynde in redyng that had ben very well lerned: and what can be a greater blemishe unto a noble auctour? And for to preise worthily unto you the great lernyng of this auctour, I knowe my selfe right much unable, ye shall your selfe now deeme, whan ye shall see hym (as nere as I can) set forth in his own shappe and likenes. And this the mene tyme I may be bolde to saie, that if we shulde never have sene his connyng warkes, the whiche even at the full do witnesse, what a clarke he was, the wordes of the moste famous and excellente Geffraie Chaucer, that he wrote in the ende of his most special warke, that is intitled Troilus and Creseide, do sufficiently testifie the same, where he saith:

O morall Gower, this boke I directe
To the, & to the philosophicall Strode,
To vouchsafe, ther nede is, to correcte
Of your benignitees & zeles good.

By the whiche wordes of Chaucer, we maie also understande, that he and Gower were both of one

selfe, tyme, both excellently lerned, both great frendes together, and both a like endeavoured themselves, and imploied their tyme so well and so vertuously, that thei did not onely passe forth their lifes here right honorably, but also for their so doyenge, so longe (of likelyhode) as letters shall endure and continue, this noble royalme shall be the better, over and beside their honest fame and renowme. And thus whan thei had gone their journey, the one of them, that is to say, John Gower prepared for his bones a restyng place in the monasterie of Saynt Marie Overes, where somewhat after the olde facion he lieth right sumptuousely buried, with a garlande on his head, in token that he in his life daies flourished freshely in literature and science. And the same monumente, in remembrance of hym erected, is on the north side of the foresaid churche, in the chapell of Sainte John, where he hath of his owne foundacion a masse daily songe. And moreover he hath an obite yerely, done for hym within the same churche, on Fridaie after the feaste of the blessed pope Saynte Gregorie.

"Beside on the wall where he lieth, there be peinted three virgins, with crownes on their heades, one of the which is written Charitie, and she holdeth this divise in hir honde

En toy qui es fitz de dieu le pere

Sauve soit, qui gist souz cest piere.

The second is written Mercie, which holdeth in hir hande this divise:

O bone Jesu, fait ta mercie

Al alme, dont le corps gist icy.

The thyrde of them is written Pitee, whiche holdeth in hir hande this divise folowynge.

Pur ta pitè Jesu regarde,

Et met cest alme in sauve garde.

And thereby hongeth a table, wherein appereth that whosoever praith for the soule of John Gower, he shall so oft as he so doth have a M and D daies of pardon.

"The other lieth buried in the monasterie of Seynt Peter's at Westminster in an ile on the south side of the churche. On whose soules and all Amen."

Christen, Jesu have mercie.

Then follows a full table of contents of every book of this long poem; consisting of eight, besides the Prologue.

I shall give a specimen by copying the contents of the Prologue.

"How Iohn Gower in the xvi yere of kyng Richarde the seconde began this boke, fol. 1. "Of the estate of roialmes temporally the same yere, fol. eodem.

"Of the estate of the clergie the time of Robert Gilbonense, namynge hym selfe Clement than Antipope, fo. ii.

“Of the state of the comon people, fo. iii.

"Howe some blame fortune, some the influence of plannettes for thynges that chance, fo. eodem. “Of the image that Nabugodonosor saw in his slepe, fo. iiii.

"The interpretation of the same dreame, fo. eodem.

1

"The Apostles wordes concerning the ende of the worlde, fo. vi.

"The mutabilitee of thinges, fo. eodem.

"Howe man by the matter of his complexion is divided, and of the division of the bodie and soule; and how Adam divided from the state of innocence was dejected out of paradise, fo. eodem.

"Howe the people through the worlde excepte Noe and his, for division were drowned, fo. eodem. "The division of languages, and a token of the worldes ende, fo. vii.

"Of the harper Arion, fo. eodem.

"Thus endeth the contentes of the prologue.".

I will transcribe the first division of the Prologue.

"Hic imprimis declarat Joanes Gower, quam ob
causam presentem libellum composuit, et finaliter
complevit, An. regni regis Ric. Secundi 16.

"Of them, that writen us to fore
The bokes dwell: & we therfore
Ben taught of that was written tho,
For thy good is, that we also
In our time amonge us here
Do write of newe some mattere
Ensampled of the olde wise,
So that it might in suche a wise,
Whan we be deade and els where
Beleve to the worldes ere

In tyme comyng after this

And for men seyne, & sothe it is,
That who that all of wisdom write,
It dulleth ofte a man's witte.

1

To hym that shall it all daie rede
For thilke cause if that ye rede
I wyll go the middell wey,

And write a boke bytwene the twey,
Somwhat of lust, & somewhat of lore,
That of the lasse, or of the more
Some man maie like of that I write ;
And for that few men endite
In our Englisshe, for to make
A booke for Englandes sake

The yere xvi of kynge Richarde.
What shall befalle here afterwarde
God wote, for nowe upon this tide
Men see the worlde on every side
In sondrie wise so diversed
That it well nigh stant all reversed.
Als for to speake of time ago
The cause why it changeth so
It nedeth nought to specifie,
The thynge so open is at the eie,
That every man it maie beholde.
And netheles by daies olde,
Whan that the bokes weren lever,
Writyng was beloved ever

Of them, that weren vertuous.
For here in erthe amonge us
If no man write howe it stode,
The pris of them that were good
Shulde (as who saiyh a great partie)
Be loste so for to magnifie
The worthy princes, that tho were,
The bookes shewen here & there
Wherof the worlde ensampled is,
And tho that diden than amis