LIFE OF JOHN GOWER. xxi a a a II. HIS WRITINGS AND CHARACTER. A YOUNG and healthy literature is generally the offspring of fome remarkable epoch in the hiftory of the nation to which it belongs; for men's minds are fertilized and invigorated by the actions of great political events, and an impulse is given to their imagination and language, which more tranquil times would probably never have evoked. This obfervation especially applies to England in the fourteenth century, when the long reign of Edward III. had been marked by circumstances the most varied and extraordinary in its hiftory. The eyes of all Europe were fixed for a time on a ftruggle between two empires for the crown of one of them. Great wars with France had been crowned with unparalleled fuccefs to the arms of the king and his brave fon; but at last a sudden check reversed the fplendid picture. The once glorious king, borne down by premature old age and decay of intellect, faw nearly all his conquests fnatched from him, and the fecurity of his island empire menaced by the enemy, while his people, who for many years had borne the burden of the war with cheerful patriotism, for which they had obtained conceffions of ineftimable political rights, began to clamour against the king's ill fuccefs, and to demand a direct share in the administration of public affairs. The vicious and corrupt state of the church had brought on the first serious attempt at a reformation; and a bold and honest priest had risen to preach the Gospel in the vernacular tongue "free and truly." The whole order of things as they then existed seemed on the point of collapfing, when Edward, by this time become a wretched dotard, died in the arms c of a concubine, and his grandfon, a mere boy, fucceeded to the throne. Ere Richard had reigned four years, the Commons, who had long viewed with indignation the poffeffion of wealth and the exclufive enjoyment of political privileges by the higher orders of fociety, and who had imbibed very erroneous ideas of property, government, and religion, revolted, and for a moment threatened the country with a general conflagration. Their rifing ftruck terror into the hearts of the more peaceable part of the community. Nor were the difafters confequent on this event unaccompanied by others of equal gravity. Crown and country being both exhaufted, no fresh fucceffes against the French were obtained, and a spirit of discontent began rapidly to pervade all claffes. This young and headstrong prince made two dangerous attempts to wrest from the people what they claimed as their ancient and hard earned rights, and for a short time fucceeded in ruling them with true defpotism; but the century closed with his depofition, the acceffion of a skilful ufurper and a univerfal reaction in church and state. Nevertheless not only did civil and religious liberty take fo firm a root as to enable it to withstand the most violent political tempefts of fucceeding ages, but the first bloffoms of English literature, forerunners of repeated brilliant difplays of genius, began to expand during this period, and it is as one of the earliest labourers in this hitherto uncultivated field, that John Gower will ever be honourably mentioned. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, there exifted in England no national language; the court, nobility, parliament, and even the courts of law spoke French, the church generally made ufe of Latin, and public acts were written in either language, while the defcendants of the Anglo-Saxon race employed a dialect of direct Saxon derivation, but modified and foftened by time, and occafionally mixed up with words of Romance origin. These three tongues, from all of which the English language was rapidly forming itself, remained in public ufe throughout the century. In 1362 Parliament was first opened by a speech in English, and the courts of law fubfequently adopted the fame language; Chaucer had already begun to write, and Gower, whofe earlier works had been composed in French and Latin, now used his mother-tongue. There is no better illustration of this fingular tranfition to the English language than a fhort enumeration and description of Gower's writings. The head of the figure sculptured on his tomb reclines on three volumes reprefenting his three great works, written in as many languages: the Speculum Meditantis, the Vox Clamantis, and the Confeffio Amantis. Several MSS. and Caxton's edition of the English poem contain the following fhort characteristic sketch of each of them drawn up probably by the poet himself, but differing, like his two editions of the Confeffio Amantis, according to his position in relation to the political events of the day. Quia unufquifque prout Quia unufquifque prout a Deo accepit aliis impartiri tenetur, Johannes Gower fuper hiis que Deus fibi fenfualiter donavit, villicacionis fue racionem dum tempus inftat fecundum aliquod alleviare cupiens, inter labores et ocia ad aliorum noticiam tres libros doctrine caufa forma fubfequenti propterea compofuit. a Deo accepit aliis impartire tenetur, Johannes Gower fuper hiis que Deus fibi intellectualiter donavit, villicacionis fue racionem dum tempus inftat fecundum aliquid alleviare cupiens, inter labores et ocia ad aliorum noticiam tres libros doctrine caufa forma fubfequenti propterea compofuit. Primus liber Gallico fer Primus liber Gallico fer mone editus in decem dividitur partes et tractans de viciis et virtutibus necnon de variis huius feculi gradibus viam, qua peccator tranfgreffus ad fui creatoris agnicionem redire debet, recto tramite docere conatur. Titulus libelli iftius Speculum hominis nuncupatus eft. Secundus enim liber fermone Latino verfibus exametri compofitus tractat fuper illo mirabili eventu, qui in Anglia tempore Regis Ricardi Secundi anno regni fui quarto contigit, quando ferviles ruftici impetuofe contra nobiles et ingenuos regni infurrexerunt, innocenciam tamen dicti Domini Regis tunc junioris etatis caufam inde excufabilem pronuncians culpas aliunde, et quibus et non a fortuna talia inter homines contingunt enormia, evidencius declarat. Titulufque voluminis huius, cuius ordo feptem continet pagas, Vox Clamantis nominatur. Tercius ifte liber Anglico fermone in octo partes divifus, qui ad inftanciam mone editus in decem dividitur partes et tractans de viciis et virtutibus necnon de variis huius feculi gradibus viam, qua peccator tranfgreffus ad fui creatoris agnicionem redire debet, recto tramite docere conatur. Titulufque libelli iftius Speculum Meditantis nuncupatus est. Secundus enim liber fermone Latino metrice com pofitus tractat de variis infortuniis tempore Regis Ricardi Secundi in Anglia contingentibus, unde non folum regni proceres et communes tormenta passi funt, fet et ipfe crudeliffimus Rex fuis ex demeritis ab alto corruens in foveam quam fecit finaliter proiectus eft. Nomenque voluminis huius Vox Clamantis intitulatur. Tercius ifte liber qui ob reverenciam ftrenuiffimi domini fui Domini Henrici fereniffimi Principis dicti Domini Regis Anglie Ricardi Secundi conficitur fecundum Danielis propheciam fuper huius mundi regnorum mutacione a tempore Regis Nabogodonofor ufque nunc tempora diftinguit. Tractat eciam fecundum Nectanabum et Ariftotelem fuper hiis, quibus Rex Alexander tam in fui regimine quam aliter amorem et amantum condiciones fundamentum habet, ubi variarum cronicarum hiftoriarumque finem necnon poetarum philofophorumque Scripture ad exemplum diftinctius inferuntur. Nomenque prefentis opufculi Confeffio Amantis fpecialiter nuncupatur. de Lancaftria tunc Derbie Comitis Anglico fermone conficitur fecundum Danielis propheciam fuper huius mundi regnorum mutacione a tempore Regis Nabugodonofor ufque nunc tempora diftinguit. Tractat eciam fecundum Ariftotelem fuper hiis, quibus Rex Alexander tam in fui regimine quam aliter eius difcipline edoctus fuit. Principale tamen huius operis materia fuper amorem et infatuatas amantum paffiones fundamentum habet. Nomenque fibi appropriatum Confeffio Amantis fpecialiter fortitus eft,* The French poem is placed first in order, and there is fufficient reason to believe, that Gower in the earlier part of his career chiefly made use of this language. No copy of the Speculum Meditantis has yet been discovered; what Warton and his copyifts erroneously describe as fuch, is another fhort French poem under the title, "Un Traitee felonc les aucteurs pour enfamplier les amants marietz au fin qils la foy de lour feints espousailles pourront pur fine loyalte guarder et al honeur de Dieu *MS. Harl. 3869, fol. 366, and Caxton, fol. 2106. |