Chapter IV: Introduction: Life of Gower (3)

CAP. XIV. Craftsmen, who make things, follow the laws of Fraud, and so do those who sell articles of food, as meat, fish, bread, beer and so on.

CAP. XV. It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest, and it is shameful for a citizen to benefit strangers at the expense of his fellow-citizens. It is an evil thing when one of low condition is exalted to the highest place in the city. The evil man is a common scourge; but though he be mounted on high, he shall fall and perish.

CAP. XVI. The man whose tongue is unrestrained is as a pestilence among the people. The tongue causes strife and many evils; it breaks through every guard and devours like a flame. None can say how many evils the tongue of the talkative man brings about in the city: it causes discord and hatred instead of peace and love; and where peace and love are not, there God is not. The citizen who thus plagues his fellows should be put to death or banished: it is expedient that one should die, lest the whole people should perish.

Thou ruler of the city, labour to bring about harmony and peace, and above all deal prudently. Great consequences often follow from small things, and the fire which seems to be extinguished may blaze up again. Justice and peace, which formerly reigned, must be restored, so that the ruin which overtook Rome and Athens may be averted from our city.

LIBER SEXTUS.

CAP. I. Besides the three degrees of society above described, there are those who are called ministers of the Law. Of these some labour for true law and justice, and these I praise; but most practise an art under the name of law which perverts justice. The advocate will plead the cause of any man who pays him, and compels his rich neighbours to give him gifts, for fear that evil should befall them. He has a thousand ways of making his gains; the great and powerful break through his snares, but the weak and defenceless are caught in them. Like the bat or the owl he loves darkness rather than light: yet sometimes the biter is bitten.

CAP. II. The advocate oppresses and plunders the poor, and rejoices in discord as a physician in disease. He contrives every device to enrich himself and his offspring; he joins house to house and field to field. But his heir dissipates that which he has gathered together, and a curse comes upon him at the last.

CAP. III. The land is ruined by the excessive number of lawyers. As a straight stick appears crooked when plunged in water, so does straightforward and simple law become distorted in the mind of the lawyer. As clouds conceal the sun, so do advocates obscure the clear light of the law. Conspiracy, they say, is unlawful, but they themselves conspire to protect one another, and the law has no power over these.

CAP. IV. They ascend by degrees from the rank of apprentice to that of serjeant and so to the office of judge. The administration of justice is disturbed chiefly by three things, gifts, favour, and fear. Those who make friends with the judge will hardly lose their case.

CAP. V. O ye who sell justice for gain, learn what end awaits you. The higher you rise, the greater will be your fall: the more wealth you gather, the greater will be your misery. O thou judge who seekest after wealth, why dost thou attend to all things else and neglect thyself? Thou wilt gain the world, but lose heaven. All worldly power comes to an end, and so, be sure, will thine.

CAP. VI. As regards the sheriffs, the bailiffs, and the jurymen at assizes, they are ready to accept bribes and pervert justice. As the toad cursed the harrow, so I curse these many masters, who are all unjust.

CAP. VII. Laws, nevertheless, there must be, to punish the transgressor; and if there are laws there must also be judges. The worst of evils is when justice is not to be had, and this causes a land to be divided against itself. Much depends upon the ruler: for the sins of a bad king the people are punished as well as the king himself. The higher a man’s place is, the worse is the effect of his evil-doing. A law is nothing without people, or people without a king, or a king without good counsel.

[69]Complaints are everywhere heard now of the injustice of the high court, and the limbs suffer because the head is diseased. The king is an undisciplined youth, who neglects all good habits, and chooses unworthy companions, by whose influence he is made worse. At the same time older men give way to him for gain and pervert the justice of the king’s court. None can tell what the end will be: I can only mourn over these evils and offer my counsel to the youthful king.

CAP. VIII. Every subject is bound to serve his king, and the king to govern his people justly. Hence I shall endeavour to set forth a rule of conduct for the honour of my king.

First then, I say, govern thyself according to the law, and enforce on thyself the precepts that are fitting for others. A king is above all others; he should endeavour to overcome and rise above himself. If thou art above the laws, live the more justly. Be gentle in thy acts, for thy wrath is death. Endeavour to practise virtue in thy youth and to avoid evil communications.

CAP. IX. Avoid false friends and those who stir up war for the sake of their own profit. Resist those who will tempt thee to evil, O king. Take vengeance on wrong, and let justice be done without fear or favour.

CAP. X. Show mercy also, where mercy is fitting, and listen to the prayer of the poor and helpless. Let fit men of proper age and sufficient wisdom be appointed to administer justice.

CAP. XI. Be not exalted with vain glory, O king, or moved by sudden wrath to violence. Be liberal to those who need thy help, and give alms to the poor of that which God has given thee. Avoid gluttony and sloth.

CAP. XII. Above all things, O king, flee from the enticements of fleshly lusts. Take example by the sin of David, and by that of the Hebrews who were tempted by the counsel of Balaam. One consort is sufficient for thee: be faithful to her.

CAP. XIII. O king, thou art the defender in arms of thy people. Remember the deeds of thy father, whose praise is sounded everywhere and whose prowess was above that of Hector. He was just and liberal; he made prey of foreign lands, but he protected his own. France and Spain both felt his might, and he broke through the ranks of his enemies like a lion. The land was at rest under that great prince: the nation was secure from its enemies. O king, endeavour to deserve the praise which thy father won. Peace is the best of all things, but it must sometimes give way to war.

CAP. XIV. A king must not prey upon his people; their love is his chief glory. He should remember that true nobility does not come from noble descent but from virtue. Study to know thyself and to love God.

CAP. XV. O young king, remember how Solomon in his youth asked for wisdom to rule well, rather than wealth or long life, and how God granted his prayer and added also the other blessings. Wisdom is above everything for a king, and this makes him acceptable to God.

CAP. XVI. Whatever thou hast, O king, comes from God. He has given thee beauty of body, and thou must see to it that there be virtue of the soul corresponding to this. Worship and fear God, for earthly kingdoms are as nothing compared with his.

CAP. XVII. Death makes all equal; rich and poor, king and subject, all go one way. Prepare thyself, therefore, for thy journey, and adorn thyself betimes with virtue. May God direct thee in the right way.

CAP. XVIII. [70]The king is honoured above all, so long as his acts are good, but if the king be avaricious and proud, the people is grieved. Not all that a king desires is expedient for him: he has a charge laid upon him and must maintain law and do justice.

O king, do away the evils of thy reign, restore the laws and banish crime: let thy people be subject to thee for love and not for fear.

CAP. XIX. All things change and die, the gems that were bright are now dimmed, the Church herself has lost her virtue, and the Synagogue becomes the spouse of Christ. The good men of old have passed away, and the bad of old live again. Noah, Japhet, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Micaiah, Elisha are gone; Nimrod, Ham, Belus, Ishmael, Abiram, Korah, Dathan, Zedekiah, and Gehazi survive. Peter is dead, but Tiberius lives; Paul is reconverted into Saul; the examples of Gregory, Martin, Tobit, and Job are neglected. Benedict is dead, but Julian lives: there is a new Arius, a new Jovinian, who spread their heresy.

CAP. XX. As the good men in the Church of God have passed away, so also the men who were famed for prowess in the world are gone, as Trajan, Justinian, Alexander, Constantine, Theodosius, Julius, Hannibal, while the bad still survive, as Nero, Dionysius, Tarquin, Leo, and Constantius. Solomon is dead and Rehoboam survives. The love of David and Jonathan is gone, but the hatred of Saul still lives; the counsel of Achitophel is followed and that of Hushai rejected; Cato is banished and Pilate is made judge in his stead; Mordecai is hanged and Haman is delivered; Christ is crucified and Barabbas is let go free.

CAP. XXI. Temperance and chastity also have disappeared. Socrates and Diogenes are dead, Epicurus and Aristippus still live; Phirinus is dead and Agladius survives; Troilus and Medea are dead, while Jason and Criseida remain; Penelope and Lucretia have passed away, Circe and Calipso still live. The laws of marriage are no longer kept in these days, chaste love is all but unknown, and adultery everywhere prevails. Women have no modesty, no chastity, and no patience: vice blooms and flourishes, while the flower of virtue is trodden under foot.

LIBER SEPTIMUS.

CAP. I. Now the golden head of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue is gone, and the feet of iron and clay remain: the world is in its final stage of deterioration. There are principally two causes, lechery, which leads to sloth, and avarice, which is ever unsatisfied.

CAP. II. The avaricious are merciless to the poor, and their hard hearts are typified by the iron of the statue. He is wretched who is ever desiring more, not he who has little and is content.

CAP. III. The fragile clay signifies the frailty of our flesh, which shows itself in fornication and adultery. There is also hypocrisy everywhere, which conceals the foulness within by a fair show without. Yet it will not escape detection.

CAP. IV. Things that were good are now changed into the opposite forms, truth into falsehood, wisdom into folly, love into lust, learned into ignorant; servants are become masters and masters servants. Nothing pleases now but flattery. Courts do not keep their former honour: knights there are in plenty, but little valour. Weakness grows and strength is depressed, there is much talk but little action, the burdens of war without the advantages. Justice has departed and fraud has taken its place; even those of one family feel envy and hatred one against another. Friendship is treacherous and seeks gain like a harlot: hatred is everywhere common, but love is as the phenix. There is no faith anywhere, and the right hand cannot trust the left. All cry out against the world and say that it is growing worse and worse.

CAP. V. The world is indeed full of evil and impurity, and this life is a perpetual warfare, in which all that is good perishes and all that is evil prevails. Even the elements of the world change and pass away, and much more human things. No degree is exempted: the hearts of kings are disturbed by fear of change, and terrors prevail in spite of royal banquets and bodyguards.

CAP. VI. Man was created for the service of God, and the world was given for his use. He was made in the image of God, and he learnt gradually the purpose of his creation and to love his Creator.

CAP. VII. All things were put under his feet, and were made to minister to him. He ought therefore to remember whence he is and who gave him these things. Again, when by man’s sin the race of man was corrupted, the Creator himself restored and redeemed it, taking the form of a servant. Man ought therefore to confess him as Lord and follow his precepts with a devout mind.

CAP. VIII. Man is a microcosm or lesser world, and according as he does ill or well, the greater world is good or bad. Man ought therefore to aim at high things, and not to submit himself to the rule of sin.

CAP. IX. When death comes, when the throat is dry and the face bloodless, when the eyes are fixed and the tongue silent, when the pulse beats no more and the feet can no longer move, what then will the proud man say? The body in which he prided himself is now food for worms, his strength is less than that of a fly, and his beauty is turned into loathing. His wealth and his pomp avail him no longer, the serpent is his attendant and the charnel-house is his bed-chamber.

CAP. X. The envious man, who once gnawed upon others, is now himself devoured: he who laughed at the misfortunes of others, laughs now no more; the heart that so much murmured now suffers putrefaction; the sting of envy can pierce no more.

CAP. XI. He who was full of anger, now cannot move his head; he who uttered furious words, now cannot make a sound; he who terrified others by his threats, now does not scare away the worm which eats his heart.

CAP. XII. What can avarice do for him who has served her? He has no chest but his coffin, no land but the seven feet of earth in which he lies. He who preyed upon others, is himself the prey of death; he who closed his purse against the poor, is now himself in want.

CAP. XIII. The slothful man who was given to sleep, has now abundance of it, with the cold earth instead of his soft bed-coverings. He who seldom came to the church, now never leaves it, but his time for prayer is past.

CAP. XIV. Gluttony is no longer a pleasure; the body which delighted in choice food and drink is now full of vileness and horror, the abode of foul reptiles.

CAP. XV. The man who took pleasure in lechery, delights in it now no more. His members are preyed upon by the serpent, and he can no longer use his hands, his eyes, or his tongue in the service of lust. No longer can he commit incest or violate the honour of virginity.

CAP. XVI. Answer, thou sinful man, what will thy pride do for thee then, thy envy, thy anger, thy sloth, thy gluttony, thy lechery, or thy avarice? All the glory of this world perishes and passes away.

CAP. XVII. Everything passes away, wealth, honour, beauty, power, learning, and pleasure. Our flesh grows old as a garment and we perish. He is happy and a true king who rules himself, he is a slave (though called a king) who is subject to his own vices. Our life is so short and death comes so soon, that we ought all to prepare for our journey hence. Death comes when we least expect it, and takes away our wealth and strength, nor can any man redeem himself with gold, or move with gifts the Judge who judges all things justly.

CAP. XVIII. Death is common to all, but to the good it is a cause of joy, to the evil of sorrow. The good will pass by means of death to a place of perfect peace and perfect joy, such as cannot be described or imagined.

CAP. XIX. The evil-doer has a twofold death, the death of the body and the death of the soul. No words can tell the torment of that second death, which is eternal. How terrible will the Judgement be and how direful the sentence! Happy are they who shall escape such punishment.

CAP. XX. Let each man remember what his condition is, and let him repent in time, turning himself to the service of his Creator. Let him submit to punishment in this life, that he may escape that which is eternal: for it is the property of God to forgive and to have mercy.

CAP. XXI. Almost everyone, however, follows the lusts of his flesh and neglects the cause of his soul. The unrighteous have power everywhere, and all vices flourish.

CAP. XXII. The days are coming which Christ foretold, and the signs which he predicted are visible now. God’s sentence is still delayed, in order that the sinner may have room for repentance. Hardly even a few just men are found to save the world from destruction.

CAP. XXIII. Each one of the various degrees of society has departed from its true virtue, and the deadly vices have rule over the whole. Prelates are worldly, priests unchaste, scholars lazy, monks envious and self-indulgent, knights are evil livers, merchants defraud, peasants are disobedient and proud. The enticements of the world have overcome them all.

CAP. XXIV. I love all the realms of Christendom, but most of all I love this land in which I was born. From other lands I stand apart and am not involved in their calamities; but this country of mine, which brought me up from childhood and in which I dwell, cannot suffer evil without affecting me: by its burdens I am weighed down; if it stands, I stand, if it falls, I fall. Therefore it is that I bewail its present divisions.

One thing above all things is needful, and that is justice, with which is associated peace. If in other lands the sins of the flesh prevail, yet there they are to some extent compensated; for there justice prevails and all are equal before the law. Among us, however, not only is there carnal vice, but justice is absent; so that a terrible vengeance is being prepared for us by God.

We, who have always been favoured by fortune, are now brought low; this land, which was once reputed so wealthy, is now poor both in virtue and in possessions; my country, which was so strong, is made feeble by unjust judgements; she who was so fertile, is now sown with salt; she who had Fame for her sister, is now infamous, all her praise is taken away and her glory is departed. Her lords are sunk in sloth, her clergy is dissolute, her cities full of discord, her laws oppressive and without justice, her people discontented.

O land barren of virtue, where is thy past fortune? omens appear which presage thy fate, and all point to thee as an example. It is not by fortune or by chance that this comes about, but by our sins; and the grace of God even now may be found by repentance. I pray that God may show us his mercy and accept our tears. We know that thou, O God, art alone to be worshipped, that thou art the ruler of all things, and not fortune. Show pity therefore, O God!

CAP. XXV. Such were the verses which came to me by inspiration in my sleep. It is not I who speak them, but the common voice of all. Let him who feels himself in fault amend his ways, and he who feels himself free from fault may pass untouched. I accuse no man; let each examine his own conscience.

The world is neither evil nor good: each man may make of it what he will by his own life. [71]But this I say, that sin committed and not purged by repentance receives at length its due reward.

The conclusion of the _Vox Clamantis_, as altered from the first version, is doubtless intended as a fitting form of introduction for the _Cronica Tripertita_, which comes in as an appendix added in later years. It will be noted as regards the prose which forms a transition to this, that Gower has in the end brought himself to think that the misfortunes of the earlier part of Richard’s reign were intended as a special warning to the youthful king, whom he formerly relieved from responsibility on account of his tender age, and that the tyranny of his later time sprang naturally out of his disregard of this preliminary chastisement. This change of view is also to be traced in the successive forms assumed by the paragraph relating to the _Vox Clamantis_ in the author’s account of his books (‘Quia vnusquisque,’ &c.).

Of the contents of the _Cronica Tripertita_ it is unnecessary that more should be said than is contained in the Notes to this edition. Of the remaining pieces the _Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_ is dated by the author as belonging to the twentieth year of Richard II. The _Tractatus de Lucis Scrutinio_ is probably somewhat later, and the poem ‘O deus immense,’ &c., is said in one of the titles prefixed to have been composed near the end of Richard’s reign. Besides these there is a group of Latin poems referring to the accession of Henry IV, ‘Rex celi, deus,’ &c. adapted from the _Vox Clamantis_, ‘H. aquile pullus,’ and ‘O recolende, bone,’ with several short occasional pieces belonging to the last years of the author’s life. One of these has reference to his blindness and to the end of his activity as an author which was caused by it, and in connexion with this we have also the epistle to Archbishop Arundel prefixed to the All Souls MS. of the _Vox Clamantis_ and other Latin poems, and apparently meant to accompany the presentation of this particular copy. To Arundel also is addressed the short piece referring to the comet of March 1402, and finally we have the lines in which allusion is made to the short-comings of executors. It is probable also that the four lines which afterwards appeared upon the poet’s tomb, ‘Armigeri scutum,’ &c., and which are given by the Glasgow MS., were written by Gower himself.

Some reference ought perhaps to be made in conclusion to the list of Gower’s works given by Bale and copied by others, with a view to the question whether he was acquainted with any works of Gower which are not known to us. In his _Scriptorum Illustrium Catalogus_, p. 524 (ed. 1559) he says that Gower wrote

‘_Speculum Meditantis_, Gallice, Lib. 10.

‘_Confessionem Amantis_, Anglice, Lib. 8, “Eorum qui ante nos
scripserunt.”

‘_Vocem Clamantis_, Latine, Lib. 7, “Scripture veteris capiunt
exempla.”

‘_De compunctione cordis_, Lib. 1.

‘_Chronicon Ricardi Secundi_, Lib. 3, “Opus humanum est
inquirere.”

‘_Chronicon tripertitum_, Lib. 3, “Tolle caput mundi C. ter et
sex.”

‘_Ad Henricum quartum_, Lib. 1, “Nobilis ac digne rex Henrice.”

‘_De eodem rege Henrico_, Lib. 1, “Rex celi deus et dominus.”

‘_De peste vitiorum_, Lib. 1, “Non excusatur qui verum non
fateatur.”

‘_Scrutinium lucis_, Lib. 1, “Heu quia per crebras humus est.”

‘_De coniugii dignitate_, Lib. 1, “Qualiter creator omnium rerum
Deus.”

‘_De regimine principum_, “O deus immense, sub quo dominatur.”

‘_Epigrammata quaedam_, Lib. 1, “Alta petens aquila volat
alitque.”

‘_De amoris varietate_, Lib. 1, “Est amor in glosa pax bellica.”

‘_Carmina diuersa_, Lib. 1, et alia plura.’

In regard to this list it may be observed first that in the two cases where the beginning of the book or piece in question is not cited, we may safely assume that Bale had not seen it. This applies to the _Speculum Meditantis_ and the supposed piece _De compunctione cordis_, of which I can give no account. It will be observed that he makes the short prose preface to the _Cronica Tripertita_, ‘Opus humanum est inquirere’ &c., into a separate work in three books. The other items are all recognizable, except ‘Epigrammata quaedam, Lib. 1, “Alta petens aquila volat alitque.”’ Here we may observe that the quotation is from _Vox Clamantis_ vi. 985, ‘Alta petens aquila volat alite celsius omni,’ &c. (a passage taken from the _Aurora_); and on referring to Bale’s unpublished papers[72] we find the description of this supposed book of epigrams in the following form, ‘Ex suo libro et sanctifidensi chron. Epigrammata edidit, li. 1, “Alta petens aquila volat alite,”’ whence we should gather that the book referred to was a collection of quotations. It is probable that Bale may have seen in some Gower MS. a selection of sententious passages from the _Vox Clamantis_ and other places, such as we actually have on one of the blank leaves of the Digby MS. (f. 160), beginning ‘Vulturis est hominum natura cadauera velle,’ again one of those allegories of bird nature which were borrowed by Gower from the _Aurora_.

It may be noted here that in the same passage of Bale’s unpublished papers we have the following statement:

‘De triplici opere hoc carmen est super eius tumbam editum,
Quos viuens legi libro nunc offero regi,
Cuius habent legi secula cuncta regi.’

Also the following is given as the epitaph of his wife,

‘Quam bonitas, pietas, elemosina, casta voluntas,
Sobrietas que fides coluerunt, hic iacet Agnes.
Vxor amans, humilis Gower fuit illa Ioannis:
Donet ei summus celica regna Deus.’

These statements seem to be given by Bale on the authority of Nicholas Brigham, to whom we owe the tomb of Chaucer in Westminster Abbey.

THE TEXT AND THE MANUSCRIPTS.

Gower’s principal Latin work, the _Vox Clamantis_, is found in ten manuscripts altogether. Of these four are evidently contemporary with the author and contain also the _Cronica Tripertita_ and most of the other Latin poems printed in this volume. Some of these last are found also in other MSS. of the _Vox Clamantis_, some Latin pieces are contained in the Trentham MS. of the _Praise of Peace_ and the _Cinkante Balades_ (described in vol. i. p. lxxix), and the _Cronica Tripertita_ occurs separately in the Bodleian MS. Hatton 92. Copies of the _Carmen de multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_ are contained in some MSS. of the _Confessio Amantis_, viz. TBAP₂ of the second recension, and FH₂K of the third, and with regard to these the reader is referred to the account given of the manuscripts in the Introduction to the second volume of this edition.

Of the four manuscripts of the _Vox Clamantis_ with other Latin poems, which have been referred to as contemporary with the author, one is at Oxford, in the library of All Souls College, one at Glasgow in the Hunterian Museum, and two in London. They are proved to be original copies, not only by the handwriting of the text, which in each case is distinctly of the fourteenth century, but also by the fact that they all have author’s corrections written over erasure, and in several cases the same hand is recognizable throughout. The original text of the _Vox Clamantis_ seems to be written in one and the same hand in the All Souls and Glasgow MSS. and this hand is also that of the lines supplied occasionally in the margin of the Harleian: the hand in which the text of the _Cronica Tripertita_ is written in the All Souls MS. appears also in all the other three, and the same is the case with some of the correctors’ hands, as will be seen in the detailed accounts which follow. Of the other manuscripts of the _Vox Clamantis_ two, which are not themselves original copies, give the text in its first (unrevised) form, the rest are more or less in agreement with the revised text, but give it at second or third hand, with no alterations made over erasure.

S. ALL SOULS COLLEGE, OXF. 98. Contains, f. 1 v^o, Epistle to Archbishop Arundel, ff. 2-116, _Vox Clamantis_, ff. 116-126 v^o, _Cronica Tripertita_, ff. 126 v^o-127 v^o, ‘Rex celi deus,’ ‘H. aquile pullus,’ ‘O recolende bone,’ ff. 127 v^o-131, _Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_, f. 131, _Tractatus de Lucis Scrutinio_ (imperfect at the end owing to the loss of a leaf), ff. 132-135, _Traitié pour ensampler les Amantz marietz_, (imperfect at the beginning), f. 135 v^o, ‘Quia vnusquisque,’ ff. 136, 137, ‘Eneidos Bucolis,’ ‘O deus immense,’ ‘Quicquid homo scribat’ (f. 137 v^o blank). Parchment, ff. 137 as numbered (and in addition several blank at the beginning and end) measuring 12½ x 8¼ in. Well and regularly written in single column, the _Vox Clamantis_ 48 lines on a page and the succeeding poems 52. The original first quire begins with f. 2, but before this a quire of four leaves (probably) was inserted, of which the first two are blank, the third is cut away, and the fourth has on its verso the Epistle to the Archbishop. The quire which ends with f. 116 has seven leaves only, and that ending with f. 137 six. After this several leaves have been inserted, which remain blank. The book has on f. 1 an ornamental initial S containing a miniature of Abp. Arundel in his robes and mitre, and there are large coloured and gilt capitals at the beginning of each book of the _Vox Clamantis_, and coloured initials of various sizes for chapters and paragraphs. Original oak binding.

Five leaves are lost (apart from blanks at the beginning and end), as follows.

After f. 2 one leaf containing chapter-headings of _Vox Clamantis_ Lib. ii. cap. ii-Lib. iii. cap. xxii. After f. 5 two leaves, containing chapter-headings Lib. vii. cap. xix to the end, the lines ‘Ad mundum mitto,’ probably with a picture of the author, and _Vox Clamantis_ Lib. i. Prologus, ll. 1-18. After f. 13 one leaf (_Vox Clamantis_ i. 766-856). After f. 131 one leaf (_De Lucis Scrutinio_ 93-103; probably some other short piece, and the French _Traitié_, to iii. 3).

This MS. was certainly written and corrected under the direction of the author, and remained for some time in his hands, receiving addition from time to time. From the _Epistola_ at the beginning, which occurs here only and seems to relate to this volume in particular, we may gather that it was eventually presented to Abp. Arundel. It is possible that it passed from him to his successor Chichele, and so to the College of All Souls, where it now is, but there seems to be no definite evidence to confirm this suggestion.

The text of S in the _Vox Clamantis_ agrees in the main as
regards revised passages with that of the other original
manuscripts C, H and G, but in some respects it is peculiar. In
Lib. iii. cap. i. S has a rewritten version which differs from
that of the other revised copies, and the same is the case with
regard to the lines ‘Quicquid homo scribat’ (p. 365). There are
also some places, as iv. 1072, 1197-1232, v. 450, where S retains
the original text in company with TH₂ or even with H₂ alone.
A few possibly right readings are peculiar to S, as in i. 1788,
2073, ii. 300, iii. 380 (margin), 1642, v. 325, vi. 555, while
some others are common to S with G alone, some few small mistakes
remain uncorrected, as in i. 106, 953, 1212, 1591, 1662, iii.
176, 989, 1214, 1541, 1695, iv. 273, 336 &c., and in some cases,
where the headings of chapters have been rewritten, as vi. cap.
xviii, xix, the original headings are left standing in the Table
of Chapters at the beginning.

At least five hands are distinguishable, as follows:

(1) the original text of the _Vox Clamantis_.

(2) the original text of the succeeding poems, French and Latin,
and the rewritten text or corrections on ff. 15 v^o (i. 1019), 90
v^o (vi. 545), 97 (vi. 1159), 115 v^o (vii. 1454 f., 1469 f.),
116 (last lines of _Vox Clamantis_).

(3) the original text and (probably) the corrections of the
_Epistola_, f. i, and the corrections or rewritten text on ff. 36
v^o (iii. 2 ff.), 39 (iii. cap. iv. heading), 97 v^o (vi. 1189),
98 (vi. 1219 ff.), 115 r^o (vii. 1409 ff.), 116 (first lines of
_Cron. Trip._), 126 v^o, 127 v^o, and the text of ‘Quicquid homo
scribat.’

(4) marginal note on f. 40 v^o, ‘Nota de bello Cleri’ &c. (iii.
375).

(5) marginal note on f. 66, ‘Nota quod Genius’ &c. (iv. 587).

In addition there are some marginal notes which are not quite
contemporary, as those on ff. 51 v^o, 52, 76 v^o, 77 (‘Contra
rectores Oxon.’ &c., ‘Nota de muliere bona’ &c.), and the heading
of the last piece on f. 137 seems to have been rewritten over a
hand different from any of the above, of which some words remain.
A few corrections are in doubtful hands, as vi. 1208.

Of the above hands the first, very regularly written in a
fourteenth century character, in brown ink, probably the same as
that of the _Vox Clamantis_ in G, and the same scribe apparently
wrote the lines which are supplied sometimes in the margin of
H, having been dropped out of the text by the first copyist.
The second (2) is also a very neat and regular hand, but of a
somewhat later type. It appears in the French and Latin poems
of MS. Fairfax 3, as well as in the substituted leaf at the
beginning of the _Confessio Amantis_ in that manuscript. It is
also used for the _Cronica Tripertita_, _Traitié_ and other
pieces in the Glasgow MS. (G), for the _Cron. Tripertita_ and
other Latin pieces in H, and for some of the rewritten passages
of the _Vox Clamantis_ in G, H, and C. The third (3) is a rather
rough hand, found also occasionally in corrections of G and H.
The fourth (4) is that in which the same marginal note is written
also in C, H and G.

G. GLASGOW HUNTERIAN MUSEUM T. 2, 17. Contains, ff. 1-108, _Vox Clamantis_ preceded by the Table of Chapters, ff. 109-119, _Cronica Tripertita_, ff. 119, 120, ‘H. aquile pullus,’ ‘O recolende,’ ‘Quia vnusquisque,’ ‘Eneidos Bucolis,’ ff. 120 v^o-122, _Carmen super multiplici Viciorum Pestilencia_, ff. 123, 124, _Tractatus de Lucis Scrutinio_, f. 124 v^o, _Traitié pour ensampler les Amantz marietz_ followed by _Carmen de variis in amore passionibus_, f. 129, ‘Orantibus pro anima,’ with shield of arms and the lines ‘Armigeri scutum,’ and below this a bier with candle at head and foot, f. 129 v^o, ‘Epistola quam Iohannes Gower in laudem ... Henrici quarti statim post coronacionem ... deuote composuit,’ f. 130 v^o, ‘O deus immense,’ f. 131 v^o, ‘Henrici regis,’ ‘Vnanimes esse,’ f. 132, ‘Presul, ouile regis,’ ‘Cultor in ecclesia,’ ‘Dicunt scripture,’ f. 132 v^o blank.

Parchment, ff. 132 in quires of eight leaves (except the first, which has six) with catchwords, measuring 11¾ x 7¾ in., 53 lines to the page in the _Vox Clamantis_, then 52 or 51, regularly and well written with passages erased and rewritten as in CH. On f. 6 v^o is a painting like that in the Cotton MS. of a man in a brown hat, a blue coat with brown lining, and with three arrows in his belt, shooting an arrow at the globe (which has a threefold division corresponding to the three elements of air, earth, and water), with the lines ‘Ad mundum mitto mea iacula’ &c. There is a floreated page at the beginning of Lib. i. (after the Prologue) and illuminated initials with decoration at the beginning of the other books; large and small coloured capitals for chapters and paragraphs.

I have to thank Dr. Young the Librarian of the Hunterian Museum, for facilities given to me in using this MS. and for his kind help in collating and describing it.

The text of G has, as might be expected, a close affinity with
that of S, but the peculiarities of S as regards revision in
certain passages, e.g. iii. 1 ff., iv. 1197 ff., are not shared
by this MS., which goes here with the other revised copies, C and
H. In one place at least G has a further touch of revision, viz.
in the heading of vi. cap. vii., where its reading is shared by
D. In a good many instances, however, G stands with S (sometimes
in company with D or L) in support of a probably true reading
which is not given by other MSS., as i. 465, 468, 979, 1454,
iv. 72, v. 789, vii. 684, 1342, or of an error, as i. 1525,
1870, iii. 1863, iv. 799. It may be noted that sometimes in G an
erasure has been made without the correction being supplied.

The following are some of the hands that may be distinguished in
this manuscript:

(1) Text of the _Vox Clamantis_. This seems to be the same as S
(1), H (2).

(2) Text of the _Cronica Tripertita_ and succeeding pieces to f.
131 r^o., passages rewritten over erasure in vi. 545 ff., 1159
ff. and in the conclusion of the _Vox Clamantis_. This is the
same as S (2), C (3), H (3).

(3) Corrections in vi. cap. xix., vii. cap. iii. and xxiv,
rewritten lines at the beginning and near the end of the _Cronica
Tripertita_, text of the poem ‘Henrici Regis’ with its heading,
f. 131. Perhaps the same as S (3).

(4) The marginal note at iii. 375: the same as S (4), C (6), H
(6).

(5) The text of ‘Vnanimes esse’ and the succeeding poems on ff.
131 v^o, 132.