John Gower

“ Latin Verses, x. The idea expressed is that though examples of virginity can only be produced through marriage, yet virginity is nobler than marriage, as the flower of a rose is nobler than the stock from which it springs. Marriage, in fact, replenishes the earth, but virginity heaven: cp. Trait. ii.
6359 ff. Cp. Mirour, 17119 ff., where the saying is attributed to Jerome, who says in fact that precedence was given in the streets to the Vestal Virgins by the highest magistrates, and even by victors riding in the triumphal car (adv. Jovin. ii. 41) . ”

“ Morley quotes from Godefroy a use of the word ‘cole’ in French in a nautical sense, ‘Se mistrent en barges et alerent aux salandres, et en prisrent les xvii, et l’une eschapa, qui estoit a la cole.’ Unfortunately, however, it is uncertain what this means. The vessels in question were in port when they were attacked, and therefore ‘a la cole’ might reasonably mean with sails (or topsails) set, and so ready to start. A topsail breeze would be one which was fairly strong, but not too strong to allow of sailing under topsails, and this is rather the idea suggested by the two passages in Gower. ”

“ The story appears in a form more like that of Gower in the Gesta Romanorum, 87 (ed. Oesterley) , but the name Julius is not there mentioned, only ‘Quidam imperator.’ It may be observed also in general, that [Pg 529] though many stories are common to the Gesta Romanorum and the Confessio Amantis, there is no instance in which Gower can be proved to have used the Gesta Romanorum as his authority. Indeed the tales are there so meagrely and badly told for the most part, that there would be little temptation to turn to it if any other book were available. ”

“ There is no reason to suppose that this is a reference to any particular work which Gower may have known that Chaucer had in hand. It may be a general suggestion that Chaucer should before his death compose some further work on love, which should serve as his last testimony (or last will and testament) on the subject, as the shrift of the present poem was our author’s leave-taking. To assume that the poem referred to must be the Legend of Good Women, and to argue from this that the Confessio Amantis was written before the Legend was given to the public, would be very rash. ”

“ It should properly have dealt with the seventh Deadly Sin and its various branches, that is, as the Mirour de l’Omme gives them, ‘Fornicacioun,’ ‘Stupre,’ ‘Avolterie,’ ‘Incest,’ ‘Foldelit.’ Nearly all of these subjects, however, have already been treated of more or less fully, either in the fifth book, where branches of Avarice are spoken of with reference to the case of love, or in the seventh, under the head of Chastity as a point of Policy. ”

“ This book is very largely based upon Aristotle, with whose works Latini was exceptionally well acquainted, and it is from this that Gower takes his classification of the sciences, though in regard to the place of Rhetoric he does not quite agree with Latini, who brings it in under the head of ‘Politique,’ making Logic the third main branch of philosophy. Gower takes from the Trésor also many of his physical and geographical statements and his reference to the debate on the conspiracy of Catiline. ”

“ Again, at a later stage of the story, when the three young nobles send in their proposals to the daughter of Archistrates, the original story makes her reply in a note which declares that she will marry only ‘the ship-wrecked man.’ The king innocently inquires of the three young men which of them has suffered shipwreck, and finally hands the note to Apollonius to see if he can make anything of it. This is much better managed than by Gower. ”

“ In this the rich man is Vitalis, a Venetian, and the poor man’s name is not given. The animals in the pit are a lion and a serpent. Vitalis thanks his deliverer, and appoints a time for him to come to his palace in Venice and receive the promised reward of half his goods; but when he comes, he is refused with contumely. The magic qualities of the gem which the serpent brings are not mentioned in the story of Vitalis.
5010 f. So in the Speculum Stultorum, ‘Tunc ita Bernardus, Sathanae phantasmate lusum Se reputans, dixit,’ &c. ”

“ The ‘philosopher’ who was the author of this epistle is no doubt responsible also for the lines ‘Eneidos, Bucolis,’ &c. (printed in the Roxb. ed. of the Vox Clamantis, p. 427) , in which our author is compared to Virgil, the chief difference being that whereas Virgil had achieved fame in one language only, Gower had distinguished himself in three. The writer in that case also is ‘quidam philosophus’ (not ‘quidam Philippus,’ as he is called in the printed [Pg 550] copy) , and I suspect that he was the ‘philosophical Strode’ who is coupled with Gower in the dedication of Troilus. ”

“ The very first sentence, with its reference, ‘as seith the bok,’ is enough to indicate this, but a few more points may be mentioned here in which the story of the Pantheon differs from Gower and from the prose Historia Apollonii Tyrii. (1) Godfrey of Viterbo does not say what was the problem proposed by Antiochus, nor does he mention the period of thirty days. (2) He gives no details of the flight of Apollonius or of the mourning of his people, and he does not mention the incident of Taliart (or Thaliarchus) . (3) The name Pentapolim is not introduced. ”

“ The rhyme requires that ‘become,’ ‘overcome’ shall either be both present or both preterite (subjunctive) , and ‘wonne’ seems to decide the matter for preterite. The only difficulty is ‘have I’ for ‘hadde I’ in l. 1370, the latter being required also by the sense (for the reference is to the former time of youth) , but not given by the MSS. ‘So that I wonne’ means ‘Provided that I won.’
1391 ff. This story is from the Roman de Troie, 28571-28666, 29629-30092. Guido does not differ as to the main points, but there are several details given by Gower from Benoît which are not found in Guido. ”

“ The tale of Tereus is from Ovid, Metam. vi. 424-674, in some parts abbreviated and in others expanded, with good judgement usually in both cases, so that this is one of Gower’s best-told tales. He omits the long account given by Ovid of the way in which Pandion was persuaded to allow Philomela to accompany Tereus (Metam. vi. 447-510) , the incidents of the rescue of Philomela from her imprisonment, which no doubt he felt would be unintelligible to his readers (587-600) , and many of the more shocking details connected with the death of Itys and the feast upon his flesh. ”

“ The conception of the god of Love appearing with a company of true lovers in attendance may be regarded as the common property of the poets of the time, and so also was the controversy between the flower and the leaf (l. 2468) , which Chaucer introduces as a thing familiar already to his readers. ”

“ In the original this incident takes place when the king is in company with Apollonius. The king replies that his daughter has fallen ill from too much study, but he bids them each write his name and the sum of money which he is prepared to offer as dowry, and he sends the bills at once to the princess by the hand of Apollonius. She reads them, and then asks whether he is not sorry that she is going to be married. ”

“ This story is founded on the so-called Comedia Babionis, one of those Latin elegiac poems in a quasi-dramatic form which were popular in the fourteenth century. Others of the same class are Geta and Pamphilus. In the original, Viöla is Babio’s step-daughter, with whom he is in love, and who is taken in marriage against his will by Croceus. ”

“ The grammatical abbreviations are, s. substantive, a. adjective, v. verb, v.a. verb active, v.n. verb neuter, v.a.n. verb active and neuter, 3 s.pres. 3rd person singular present tense, pret. past tense, pp. past participle, def. definite form of adjective, &c.
In many cases an explanation is given of the meaning of words for the convenience of readers, but no discussion as to their meaning or origin is admitted in the Glossary.
A. a, interj. iv. 3622, see ha. a, an, indef. art. P. 18, 350, (= one) ii. 1169, 1261. a, (= Fr. à) , in a dieu, a fin, see adieu, afyn. ”

“ Gower, however, does not follow Benoît in a slavish manner. He omits or alters the details of the story very happily at times, and he adds much of his own. Thus he omits all mention of the evil motives of Peleus (or Pelias) , and makes the proposal to seek the golden fleece come from Jason; he passes over the story of the dispute with Laomedon, which was necessary to the Roman de Troie, but not to the story of Jason taken separately; he adds the discourse of Jason with Oëtes on his arrival; he omits the details about Medea’s hair and eyes, her arms and her chin (Rom. de Troie, 1254 ff.) ”

“ There are indeed some points in which Gower agrees with the Pantheon against the Historia, for example in making the princess ask for Apollonius as her teacher on the very night of the banquet instead of the next morning, and in representing that Apollonius went to his kingdom after leaving his daughter at Tharsis (cp. E. Klebs, Die Erzählung von Apollonius aus Tyrus, Berlin, 1899) . ”

“ The beginning of this, including all that we have to do with here, has been printed by M. Paul Meyer in his book on the Alexander romances, ‘Bibliothèque française du moyen âge’ vol. iv. pp. 195-216. Gower was acquainted, however, also with the Latin Historia Alexandri de Preliis, and has made use of this in certain places, as (1) in the account of Philip’s vision (2129-2170) where he probably found the French unintelligible, and (2) in the story of the death of Nectanabus (2289 ff.) , of which the Latin authority certainly gives the more satisfactory account. ”

“ The change made by Gower is not a happy one, for it takes away the motive for the flight from Tarsus, where Apollonius heard of this proscription.
[Pg 539]
542 ff. In the original Apollonius meets ‘Hellanicus’ at once on landing, and is informed by him of the proscription. He makes an offer to Strangulio to sell his wheat at cost price to the citizens, if they will conceal his presence among them. ”

“ Gower agrees with it pretty closely, but the story is not improved in his hands. It loses, of course, the Greek characteristics of which we have spoken, and several of the incidents are related by Gower in a less effective manner than in the original. For example, in the scene near the beginning between Antiochus and Apollonius, the king asks, ‘Nosti nuptiarum conditionem?’ and the young man replies, ‘Novi et ad portam vidi,’ to which there is nothing corresponding in Gower. ”

“ Guido says nothing about the sleeplessness of the serpent (Rom. de Troie, 1357 f., Conf. Am. v. 3514) , nor about repeating the charm ‘contre orient’ (Rom. de Troie, 1700) , nor does he mention the thanksgiving which Jason is to offer up to the gods after his victory and before he takes the fleece (Rom. de Troie, 1735 f., Conf. Am. v. 3626 ff.) . ”

“ Ingenii docilis non dedit, ipsa dabit.
Non ita discretus hominum per climata regnat,
Quin, magis vt sapiat, indiget ipse scole.
I Genius the prest of love,
Quia omnis doctrina bona humano regimini salutem confert, in hoc septimo libro ad instanciam Amantis languidi intendit Genius illam ex qua Philosophi et Astrologi philosophie doctrinam Regem Alexandrum imbuerunt, secundum aliquid declarare. Diuidit enim philosophiam in tres partes, quarum prima Theorica, secunda Rethorica, tercia Practica nuncupata est, de quarum condicionibus subsequenter per singula tractabit. ”

“ There is no mention of the nurse Lichorida being taken with Apollonius and his wife on shipboard, of the master of the ship insisting that the corpse should be thrown into the sea, or of the name of the physician, Cerimon. (6) The Pantheon says nothing of the vow of Apollonius in ll. 1301-1306. (7) The name Theophilus is not given. (8) There is no mention of the tomb of Thaise (or Tharsia) being shown to Apollonius. (9) In the Pantheon the punishment of Strangulio and Dionysia precedes the visit to Ephesus, and there is no mention of the dream which caused Apollonius to sail to Ephesus. ”

“ The story which we have here and in Boccaccio is not at all connected with the idea of choosing [Pg 496] by the outward appearance. The coffers are exactly alike, and the very point of the situation lies in the fact that the choice is a purely fortuitous one. The object was to show that they who complained were persons who had fortune against them, and that this was the cause of their having failed of reward, and not any neglect on the part of the king. I cannot say what the source was for Gower; certainly not Boccaccio, whose story is altogether different in its details.
2391 ff. ”

“ In this latter book the author says, ‘Exercentur quoque hae imagines in amore vel odio, si fuerit actor earum prouidus et sapiens in motibus coeli ad hoc utilibus.’ Thebith is mentioned several times in the Spec. Astronomiae, e. g. p. 662, ‘Super istis imaginibus reperitur unus liber Thebith eben Chorath,’ &c. We must take ‘therupon’ in l. 1321 to mean ‘moreover,’ for it is not to be supposed that the image of Thebith was upon the seal of Ghenbal.
1338. The ‘Naturiens’ are those who pursue the methods of astrology, as opposed to those who practise necromancy (‘nigromance’) or black magic. ”

“ Sagittarius is a house of Jupiter, and it is opposite to Gemini, which is one of the houses of Mercury.
1162. The Plowed Oxe, i. e. the ox that has ploughed the land.
1166. Then the swine are killed and the larder, or bacon-tub, comes into use.
1175. Capricorn is the ‘fall’ of the Moon, being opposite to her house, Cancer, as the next sign Aquarius is that of the Sun, see l. 1190.
1216. ‘Piscis’ is the reading of the MSS. here in text and margin, but ‘Pisces’ in l. 1253.
1229 ff. That is, Pisces is a house of Jupiter and the exaltation of Venus. ”

“ Most of these are comparatively new formations from French or Latin, but there is also among them a fair sprinkling of old-established English words, some of which no doubt were falling into disuse. Such words are, for example: adryh, aghte, anele, arecche, areche, arere v., beȝete, bysne, eldemoder, enderday, ferke, forȝifte, forlie, forworþe, frede, ȝeme, gladschipe, goodschipe, grede (gradde) , griþ, heveneriche, kingesriche, lere (= loss) , lich (= corpse) , metrede, miele, mone (3) , mull, orf, orped, rowe v. ”

“ Visaque concussa dicta probare coma.’ Fasti, ii. 845 f.
5093 ff. This latter part is added from other sources, perhaps from Livy.
5131 ff. Chaucer tells the story of Virginia as the Tale of the Doctor of Physic, professing to follow Livy, but actually taking his materials chiefly from the Roman de la Rose, 5613 ff., from which he transcribes also the reference to ‘Titus Livius.’ His story differs from that of Livy in many respects, and the changes are not at all for the better. ”

“ Cp. Mirour, 18301 ff. The anecdote is taken from Valerius Maximus, Mem. iv. 5, but the name in the original is ‘Spurina,’ and he does not thrust out his eyes, but merely destroys the beauty of his face. In the Mirour it is ‘Coupa ses membres.’
6385 ff. ‘So may I prove that, if a man will weigh the virtues, he will find that virginity is to be praised above all others.’ The sentence is disordered for the sake of the rhymes: cp. ii. 709 ff.
6389. The quotation from the Apocalypse is given in the margin of SΔ and in Mirour, 17053 ff. The reference is to Rev. xiv. 4. ”

“ Hic loquitur qualiter Valentinianus Imperator, cum ipse octogenarius plures prouincias Romano Imperio belliger subiugasset, dixit se super omnia magis gaudere de eo, quod contra sue carnis concupiscenciam victoriam optinuisset; nam et ipse virgo omnibus diebus vite sue castissimus permansit. ”

“ On the other hand our author has done well in dispensing with the rudeness and boastfulness of Apollonius on the occasion when the king’s daughter plays the harp at the feast, and also in modifying the scenes at the brothel and excluding Athenagoras from taking part in them. The quotations given in the following notes are made from the Bodleian MS. Laud 247, a good copy of the twelfth century, which has a form of text more nearly corresponding to that which Gower used than that of any of the printed editions, and by means of which we can account for the names Thaise and Philotenne. ”

“ Dictionary. Gower here mentions the four recognized kinds of divination, by the elements of earth, water, fire, and air.
1306 ff. It is practically certain that Gower was acquainted with the treatise ascribed to Albertus Magnus, called Speculum Astronomiae or De libris licitis et illicitis (Alberti Magni Opera, v. 655 ff.) , since he seems to follow it to a great extent not only here, but also in his list of early astronomers (vii. 1449 ff.) . There are however some things here which he must have had from other sources ”

“ Cp. i. 42 ff.
4557 f. ‘No law may control him either by severity or by mildness.’ For the use of ‘compaignie’ in the sense of ‘friendliness’ cp. i. 1478, and below, l. 7759.
4583 ff. Ovid, Metam. iii. 362 ff., but the circumstances are somewhat modified to suit Gower’s purpose. According to Ovid Echo’s fault was that she talked too much and diverted Juno’s attention, and her punishment was that her speech was confined to a mere repetition of what she heard. ”

“ The metaphor of hunting is still kept up: the gain which they pursue is started like a hare and driven into the net.
4399. Outward, that is, when he gives things out, cp. ‘withinne’ below.
4452. I were a goddeshalf. This seems to mean, ‘I should be content,’ that is, I should be ready to say ‘In God’s name let it be so.’ For the expression cp. l. 5016, ‘Thanne a goddes half The thridde time assaie I schal.’ In the New Engl. Dict. (‘half’) it is said to be used ‘to add emphasis to a petition, command, or expression of consent or resignation’: cp. Chaucer, Book of the Duchess, 370, 757. ”