Publications of the University of Pennsylvania 
 
 SERIES IN 
 
 Philology Literature and Archaeology 
 
 Vol. IV. No. i 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER 
 
 BY 
 
 MORTON W. EASTON, PH.D. 
 
 Professor of .Comparative Philology in the 
 University of Pennsylvania 
 
 1895 
 
 GINN & COMPANY MAX NIEMEYER 
 
 Agents for United SJates, Canada and England Agent for the Continent of Europe 
 
 7-13 Tremont Place, Boston, U.S.A. Halle, a. S.. Germany 
 
THE GIFT OF 
 ^/yjkk^HJViL^tftfJt^ 
 
 
 A. {OU.00,2. 
 
 
 17/4(17 
 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PR 1984.C6E13 
 
 Readings in Gower, 
 
 3 1924 013 113 547 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013113547 
 
Publications of the University of Pennsylvania 
 
 series IN 
 
 Philology Literature and Archaeology 
 
 Vol. IV. No. i 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER 
 
 BY 
 
 MORTON W. EASTON, PH.D. 
 
 Professor of Comparative Philology in the 
 University of Pennsylvania 
 
 i8 9S 
 
 GINN & COMPANY 
 
 Agents for United States, Canada and England 
 7-13 Tremont Place, Boston, U.S.A. 
 
 ¥ 
 
 MAX NIEMEYER 
 
 Agent for the Continent of Europe 
 Halle, a. S.. Germany 
 
The Papers of this Series, prepared by Professors and others connected 
 with the University of Pennsylvania, will take the form of Monographs on the 
 subjects of Philology, Literature, and Archaeology, whereof about 200 or 250 pages 
 will form a volume. Each Monograph, however, is complete in itself. 
 
 The price to subscribers to the Series will be $2.00 per volume ; to others 
 than subscribers the numbers will be sold separately at the regular prices. 
 
 It is the intention of the University to issue these Monographs from time 
 to time as they shall be prepared. 
 
 Each author assumes the responsibility of his own contribution. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 By Morton W. Easton, 
 
 PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 That a new edition of Gower's Confessio Amantis is sorely 
 needed is well known to all students of the literature of the 
 fourteenth century. But such a preliminary examination of 
 some of the manuscripts as I have been able to make during 
 the past summer, has convinced me that the work, if properly 
 done, will require a number of years. It should not indeed be 
 difficult to prepare a passably good edition in much less time ; 
 such an edition as should violate none of the canons of four- 
 teenth century grammar, syntax and metrical usage, but, among 
 the great variety of conflicting admissible readings, to select 
 precisely that form of expression which is most in accordance 
 with Gower's own taste, this is that which must probably 
 render all progress very slow. In the meantime I have reason 
 to believe that the selection of readings printed below will be 
 welcome to many ; while I cannot claim to have cleared up all 
 the difficulties, yet, with this aid, I think that the printed texts 
 will be rendered more intelligible, and many of the worst 
 blemishes in grammar and in syntax removed. The complete 
 revision of the whole, and even the thorough-going correction 
 of the English can be attained only by the publication of a 
 complete edition. 
 
 The readings given are all from the manuscripts in the 
 British Museum. It may seem hardly worth while to have 
 spent much time over these, as Pauli claims to have had them 
 under his eye in the preparation of his edition, but every one 
 who will take the pains to compare his text with only the 
 asterisked lines in the following pages will soon see that "he 
 
2 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 left much to be done." As is well known, there are many- 
 other manuscripts ; nor have I as yet given to those in the 
 Museum 1 as full an examination as they require. 
 
 I quote from the Museum catalogue its description of the 
 manuscripts in question, adding only such details as concern 
 the class of corrections selected for publication. The capital 
 letters by which they are designated are my own. 
 
 A. " Harl. 3490. With various arms and other ornaments 
 at the beginning of each book." 
 
 B. "Harl. 7184. The remains of a very fine copy of 
 Gower's Confessio Amantis, written on vellum and illuminated. 
 The size, a large and magnificent folio. The first page a little 
 defaced, the rest very clean. There are no paintings, except 
 for the ornamenting of initial letters. It appears, however, to 
 have been mutilated, at some period, for the sake even of these 
 illuminations. Thus miserably mutilated, the MS. is still 
 worthy of collation from its antiquity and from the care with 
 which it was originally written. It is apparently of the four- 
 teenth century." 
 
 C. "Harl. 3869. The volume is large and is written partly 
 on vellum, partly on paper." 
 
 D. "Reg. 18 C. XXII." 
 
 E. "Eg. 1991. Vellum, fifteenth century. Written in 
 double columns, with illuminated borders at the beginning of 
 each book, and a single miniature. The miniature apparently 
 the portrait of the author, repeated in Reg. 18 C. XXII." 
 
 F. "Additional, 12,043. On vellum, fifteenth century: 
 folio." 
 
 G. "Additional, 22,139. Vellum, with coloured initials, 
 very much mutilated. On a fragment of the first leaf, the date 
 1432 is written in a shield of arms ; folio." 
 
 //. "Eg. 913. Portion of the first book, including the 
 prologue. On paper ; fifteenth century." 
 
 1 Especially B. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 3 
 
 Caxton's edition is referred to as Cx., Pauli's as P. 
 
 A, D, G, E, H are dedicated to King Richard ; B, C to King 
 Henry. Caxton used a manuscript of the latter class, but it 
 differed from such others as I have seen by including the lines 
 addressed to Chaucer. (P. Ill, 374 page.) Pauli prints both 
 dedications, and I judge from his remarks in the preface that 
 he held substantially the same views as those expressed farther 
 on with reference to the differences, although he certainly did 
 not make full use even of the material at his hand. Slacks 
 the distinctive passages at the beginning and end of the poem. 
 Its first line is 
 
 " The strengthe of love to withstonde " 
 (P. I, 68-19), an d ^ concludes with 
 
 " Mi love lust and lokes hore " 
 
 (P. Ill, 356-7). 
 
 A closes with the line at the bottom of P. 377, but there is 
 nothing to indicate that the scrivener had completed his copy ; 
 there is no formula of conclusion, no Latin verses. The 
 deficiency is not, however, due to loss of folios, for the copy 
 stops at or near the middle of the first column of the page. 
 
 B has lost many folios throughout the volume and a great 
 part of Book VII with all of the eighth Book. 
 
 G has lost pieces of many folios at the beginning, nearly all 
 of Book I, and all of Book II up to the thirteenth line of page 
 161 of Pauli's first volume. 
 
 H has lost part of Book I, and begins with the twenty- 
 second line of page 97 of Pauli, although one torn folio before 
 this preserves a few lines. 
 
 Pauli says that he made B the basis of his edition, and, 
 considering how elastic the signification of the phrase is, I 
 presume that he did so ; at any rate, I judge that he referred 
 oftener to B than to any other manuscript. One would natu- 
 rally start with some degree of faith in the fidelity of his col- 
 
4 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 lation, and, in consequence, I paid less attention to B than 
 to A and C, having chosen these as representing the two 
 versions. 
 
 A is a rather careless copy of some good original ; many 
 lines, scattered throughout the poem, were omitted by the 
 copyist, and a great number of words written in a mutilated 
 form, representing no possible various reading or peculiarity of 
 pronunciation. One peculiarity of this text, as compared with 
 C, is to write -ing in the present participle where C has -end(e). 
 It seems to me to have been written from dictation, something 
 to be remembered if conjectural emendation becomes necessary. 
 Many of the erroneous spellings imply a weakness in the 
 utterance of the front palatals ; for lor forth, seih for seith and 
 saide, gol for gold, etc. As I have implied, this seems to be 
 due to the utterance, and may help to explain the endurance 
 on the part of the speakers of the seemingly very harsh com- 
 bination produced by the syncope of -e in the personal suffix 
 -eth and leads to the wider inference that an inorganic t or d 
 might much more easily make its appearance then than now. 
 See remark on simpleste (I, 62—25). 
 
 I may be permitted to remark in passing that a systematic 
 account of certain erroneous forms in these manuscripts would 
 constitute one of the most valuable contributions to the history 
 of English that could be made. Such constantly recurring 
 forms as astat for estat, wich and whas for which and was, 
 dishese for disese, Jubiter for Jupiter, etc., are very interesting, 
 and quite as essential to the study of the history of the words 
 in question as the normal forms. Strenth for strength seems 
 to have assimilated its nasal to the front palatal. World and 
 word interchange so frequently that an editor need not hesitate 
 to conjecture one for other, if by so doing he can obtain a 
 better reading ; as to the former word, wordl is the manuscript 
 orthography in a vast number of cases, seemingly not to be 
 explained by the assumption of a mere error in transcription. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 5 
 
 None of the manuscripts mentioned above show anything 
 like a constant attention to metrical considerations, although 
 there is much difference in respect to the care given to writing 
 mute -e ; but this may be due to a difference in pronunciation. 
 In consequence, I have with greater confidence quoted many 
 readings as presumably original, and not emendations of the 
 copyist. B is specially apt to omit mute -e. Caxton's author- 
 ity, if fairly followed by the printer, must have been especially 
 deficient in its metre. 
 
 So far, however, as concerns mute -e, I am convinced that in 
 the first place it is not an element to conjure with, and sec- 
 ondly that every word must stand on its own basis. The care 
 given to writing the mute -e in the preterite sende is very note- 
 worthy. And of this and other matters I may say here that I 
 think that the study of the language of Gower should be car- 
 ried on, so far as may be, without reference to the rules laid 
 down from the study of Chaucer; the possibility of a difference 
 in dialect, though unsuspected, must always be borne in mind. 
 
 An important question, especially with reference to a new 
 edition, is, were there several recensions of the poem ? Is the 
 version dedicated to King Henry to be followed throughout, as 
 representing the last word of the poet, or are we at liberty to 
 select a reading from any manuscript of any class ? 
 
 The readings quoted in the following pages have been 
 selected on the latter principle, although I do not consider that 
 the manuscripts in the British Museum justify me in coming 
 to any final conclusion. As has been seen, only two among 
 these certainly represent the Lancaster version. And yet, any 
 one who attentively compares the readings given in detail, and 
 above all those marked with a double asterisk, must, I think, 
 feel that this evidence so far as it goes, leads to something 
 like the following inference : 
 
 The changes made desirable — and fully justified — by 
 the events of the closing years of the century, affect simply 
 
6 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 the lines concerned. Apart from these changes, the phe- 
 nomena can be best explained by the assumption that the poet 
 wrote not merely two, but many copies of the book, or of parts 
 of the book. Mere slavish copying of the precise phraseology 
 of the original before him was not demanded in the case of the 
 author of verse of this rather plain character ; many details 
 might be altered, as he went on, even without special reason ; 
 the new line was just as good as the old. In other cases 
 he altered purposely in each succeeding copy, and it might 
 sometimes happen that one of the latest transcriptions should 
 revert to the reading of an earlier, either because the last was 
 after all the best in his judgment or because the earlier form 
 occurred to his memory as he wrote on. 
 
 From this point of view, I should consider all the manu- 
 scripts that I have seen as representing for the purposes of an 
 editor one recension. It is quite possible also that in copying 
 so long a poem the scrivener used more than one manuscript 
 (see remarks on III, 380-26) ; finally, the poem is itself of 
 such a nature that one story may have been retouched several 
 times by the author, and another left in its original condition. 
 Some of the episodes vary very much more than others. 
 
 I need not say that the thorough examination of the question 
 must take into consideration a vast number of variations of 
 such a kind that they are not noted in the present paper. I 
 have not printed one tenth of the contents of my note-book. 
 
 In selecting the readings, I have kept in view mainly the 
 needs of those who study the Confessio Amantis rather as a 
 literary document than as a store-house of philological facts. 
 Of course, the correction of the sense comes first ; then the 
 rectification of ' the more obvious violations of grammatical 
 usage, the removal of some harsh constructions, such as the 
 frequent unemphatic repetition of the subject (in these I 
 respect manuscript authority), the improvement of the sentence 
 stress, and the rectification of the metre. The removal of 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 7 
 
 hiatus, and the quotation of readings illustrating the treatment 
 of initial h- (not to be regarded as final) and the correction of 
 certain monstrous uses of mute -e will probably interest a 
 reader of the type described. Some of the readings are quoted 
 for the purpose of establishing a general principle of impor- 
 tance in other places ; to this class belong a number of read- 
 ings which collectively vastly increase the number of places 
 where -<?- in -eth is syncopated. Some lines are introduced 
 to avoid a misunderstanding ; this is especially the case with 
 those where one word in Pauli is broken into two, or where 
 two words in Pauli are united ; a matter in which manuscript 
 evidence, in itself, is not of first-rate cogency. Some readings 
 are quoted simply as curiosities ; a few as a silent protest 
 against some enormity in Pauli or in such parts of Morley as I 
 have read. No doubt a discoverer is apt to overestimate the 
 value of trifles, and no doubt one studying with a view to 
 preparing a new text will permit his choice to be deter- 
 mined sometimes by the nature of his own studies. For 
 instance, I doubt much if Gower liked the syncopation of -e- 
 before final -e or -n ; but one's decision upon this point must 
 depend upon the comparison of more manuscripts than I have 
 seen, and yet some of the quotations relate to this point. The 
 question of the existence of a short liquid and a short nasal 
 vowel is involved in this matter. 
 
 I believe that in a good edition there will be few lines 
 incapable of mechanical scanning, although in what relates to 
 hiatus, -eth and some other things, his versification is not so 
 wooden as to treat in precisely the same way syllables stressed 
 and unstressed and in and out of cesura. Much of the gram- 
 mar will be changed, especially in matters relating to the 
 article, the pronouns, and the connection of tenses. The style 
 will be decidedly more vigorous and more poetical. The whole 
 book will also present much more dialect colouring ; I have 
 noted below only such cases as affect the rhyme. Finally a 
 
8 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 rational and consistent orthography can be attained; Pauli's 
 seems to have been the work of some frolicsome compositor. 
 
 A new edition may not materially alter the inflections, 
 except in the case of mute e and certain plurals. I quote a 
 few interesting genitives, to be read in place of those formed 
 by Pauli in -s : 
 
 fader j I, 154-24, 157-20, 214-3, 246-10, 249-5, 250-3, 285-29, 288-21, 
 345-9. 348-20, 368-24, II, 34-29, 43-28, 154-17, i59- 2 9. 259-18, III, 
 221-30, 264-30, 300-27, 305-10, 362-12. 
 
 moderj II, 354-21, III, 208-9, 320-7. 
 
 lady j I, 135-11, 177-17, 228-4, 309-6, 331-6, II, 39-2, 1 18-18, 
 213-29, 227-26, 309-6, 330-12, 331-6, 372-23, III, 27-4. 
 
 brother j I, 214-6. 
 
 In forming an opinion respecting the merits of Pauli's 
 edition, its date should be remembered, and, in addition, the 
 great mass of work to be done. No one need doubt that he 
 expended much labor in its preparation. Yet he most cer- 
 tainly failed to pay, in many places, due attention to the proper 
 sense of his author, and he seems to have neglected the proper 
 correction of his proofs ; only sheer carelessness can explain 
 much of the orthography and the fact that, in three places, he 
 left out a line. One runs the risk of producing as a varying 
 reading what is simply the correction of an obvious misprint. 
 He may have worked too unremittingly ; circumstances com- 
 pelled me to work in this way, and experience shows that one's 
 senses become blunted if the strain is too continuous. I am 
 making, it will be seen, a kind of apology for any errors of 
 omission of my own. 
 
 It will probably be asked why I have chosen to refer to 
 Pauli rather than to the much later edition of Henry Morley, 
 especially as some of my readings are anticipated by the latter. 1 
 
 1 Perhaps ten per cent, I should say, from a very careful reading of about half 
 the book. Why I have never finished it will be seen farther on. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 9 
 
 Morley's text is Pauli's, with some corrections, but Morley did 
 not take the question of text very seriously. What he did 
 seems to me to have been about this : in the 'two months' 
 time' allotted to each volume of the Carisbrooke Library, he 
 read the poem over with such care and attention as could be 
 given under the circumstances. Where a syllable was wanting, 
 he put in a mute -e, or changed wol to wolde, or altered a 
 monosyllabic conjunction or preposition to a dissyllabic phrase; 
 sometimes he altered the tense or changed the order. I have 
 not, as already said, seen all of the manuscripts, but he appears 
 to me to have made free use of conjecture, and some of his 
 conjectures were rather clever. Once in a while he seems to 
 have consulted a manuscript, but he certainly did not trouble 
 himself to compare them ; he probably held with Pauli that 
 Gower is 'not an author in whom extensive comparison of all 
 of the texts is required.' Wherever the subject matter put his 
 apparently somewhat weak nerves to the least strain, he left it 
 out, and thanked God he was rid of a knavish story. 
 
 His tolerance of emphasized mute -e and indifference to the 
 question of its etymological or grammatical propriety, is rather 
 remarkable, as also his readiness to accept any sort of stress. 
 Now I believe that Gower' s word stress will prove to be ab- 
 normal only within certain well defined and explicable limits ; 
 the manuscripts that I have consulted have set right so many 
 lines that I have full confidence that those as yet faulty will 
 yield before further investigation. Romance words, and some 
 proper names, vary of course ; so also English compound words 
 or words felt as compounds, — e.g. words in -skipe — the list 
 of these being longer in Gower' s time, but collation of every 
 existing manuscript, and, then, conjectural emendation, should 
 be resorted to before accepting some of the monstrosities that 
 disfigure Pauli's and Morley's text. As already said, the 
 random insertion of a mute -e should not be regarded as a 
 trifling matter ; our present knowledge of its use is far from 
 
IO READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 satisfactory, and if we are ever to attain to the slightest 
 delicacy in our treatment of this, and other matters connected 
 with the grammar, such for instance as the use of tenses", it 
 must be by such a thorough study of the taste of the author 
 as will enable us to detect the error in transcription of those 
 parts of the line which may seem at first sight perfectly 
 correct, and indeed may be so, so far as concerns inflection 
 and parsing. 
 
 Finally, had Morley's book been satisfactory in other respects, 
 and had it been an independent edition instead of a partly cor- 
 rected reprint, the extensive expurgations would have unfitted 
 it for my purpose. One may trust that the day will dawn 
 when the mutilation of a text, without full and distinct notice 
 of every omission, will at once altogether shut a book out of 
 the market. In the case of Gower, expurgation is specially 
 uncalled for. His taste in the treatment of the themes in 
 question is faultless, and his book is not going to fall into the 
 hands of children. 
 
 The great number of manuscripts still in existence show 
 that to the readers of the fifteenth century the interest of the 
 Confessio Amantis could not have been less than that which 
 they found in the poetry of his friend and contemporary 
 Chaucer, however well the relative rank of the two poets was 
 understood. We need not wonder at this. Gower's work 
 was richer in varied narrative than Chaucer's, and, together 
 with this, it was a vast storehouse of information, or 
 of what then passed for information, about a great variety 
 of themes. It is not a book that would be as extensively 
 imitated as was the case with Chaucer, but it must have 
 afforded a far more varied employment for the intellect of 
 its readers. 
 
 For us Gower is no longer a repertory of all that is known ; 
 we cannot help but measure him by the measure of his genius, 
 and he falls so far below his rival that the most sanguine editor 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. I I 
 
 may never venture to hope that his poetry will ever become 
 even well known to the public of our times. 
 
 Yet the Confessio Amantis is a book that no one who pro- 
 fesses to be a student of the greater poet can afford to neglect ; 
 through no other medium can we attain to so full a knowledge 
 of the intellectual acquisitions and mental resources of the 
 generation for which Chaucer wrote. 
 
 This may seem but faint praise when a poet is in ques- 
 tion, and perhaps does scant justice to the vividness and 
 interest of some of his narrative, and to his love for nature, 
 more rarely displayed than is the case with Chaucer, but 
 perhaps more genuine. Certainly we incur the risk of failing 
 to do full justice to the incomparable presentation of the 
 man himself. 
 
 Gower had nothing of the dramatic instinct of Chaucer ; he 
 could not, had he desired, have hidden himself behind his own 
 creations ; everywhere in the narrative as well as in the 
 didactic portion of his work, his own self is seen in the fullest 
 light of day. And it is to this that the Confessio Amantis 
 owes its greatest charm ; to this revelation, alike whether 
 purposed or unconscious, of a tender, warm-hearted personality ; 
 to the unveiling of a heart where Honor sat immovably 
 enthroned. He is, in the best sense of the much abused word, 
 a gentleman, and in this respect, has no superior in the whole 
 history of autobiography. No confession ever did more honor 
 to the soul. 
 
VOLUME I. 
 
 Matter specially affecting the sense, or otherwise more important is indicated by * ; that 
 bearing on the question of recensions by * * ; corrections affecting chiefly the metre by f ; 
 corrections of hiatus, or matter relating chiefly to the treatment of the word before initial h- 
 by % . I consider this last question, for some words, as unsettled. 
 
 The orthography is strictly that of the manuscript first quoted : I have avoided any 
 attempt to normalize. 
 
 I should have liked to make fuller citations of manuscript authorities, but have been 
 deterred by a reluctance to marshal such a formidable array of references, and so have 
 generally limited myself to quoting A and C, as representing the two "recensions." In 
 matters of any importance, I have quoted where I have found, in the manuscripts, a reading 
 tending against the correction suggested. 
 
 t Page I — line 7. these aide wise. AC. 
 
 z-10. Engelondes. (bok, however spelled, is one syllable.) CCx. (not in 
 
 A text). 
 *3~3. this tide. C (not in A text). 
 3-10. ye. C (not in A text). 
 3-27. preyseth. D. A = P (not in C text). 
 *3~2g. onkrong (not outwrong) A (not in C text). 
 4-7. how that it. C (not in A text). 
 5-20. what wysman. C (not in A text). 
 
 t6, sixth line from bottom, stod thanne in. BCD. A reads tho for thanne. 
 *7~9- P es which ryhtwissnesse. C. Which is often written wich, and *is very 
 
 much like c, which explains P. ADCx = P. 
 7-13. AD read world, B word, C world, but erases /. See remarks in preface. 
 t7— 16. was the vertu. AC. 
 9-1 5. wondren. A. 
 
 12-18. A omits make. C the for make. Cx = P. 
 ti4-S- chayer. ABCD. Cx = P. 
 *i4-24. fostred 'for soffred. ABCDG. Blotted in E. 
 
 ±16-7. trmothe. BCDE. A = P. 
 ti8— 11. alle vertu. AC. 
 19-10, 11. A alone reads they for yet, making torneth plural and it the accus. 
 
 object. 
 t20-5- ABCD omit can. 
 *Z4-I4- ACDE read the tharmes. B = P. (Pauli may not have taken th' for 
 the article.) 
 
1 4 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 26-1. seid how that is goddes. BCDE (line wanting in C). 
 1 26-1 6. gold, ferste. A. 
 t27~3- The hiatus perhaps obviated by reading hit ? A. I am well aware that 
 such a reading is questionable. 
 t27-i8. at the laste. A. ate for at. C. 
 SO-'S- (The variations in the use of the prepositions are endless, e.g., AC read 
 
 on for in.) 
 132-2. CA toune for citee. Cx omits al. C reads citl BDE = P. 
 33-12. toon. ABCDE. 
 34-21, 22. The only comma in the two lines should stand after sikenesse. BCDE 
 = P. A reads In s. of c. 
 35~ 2 - So may it. A. Questionable improvement. 
 t3S~9, 10. Omit and. ABCDE. -eth is to be expected where there is emphasis 
 and in caesura. 
 36-27. o parte for a. p. ABCDE. 
 **40. Caxton closes the prologue with the following lines : 
 
 So were it good at this tyde 
 That every man upon his syde 
 Besought and prayd for the pees 
 Which is the cause of al encrees 
 Of worship and of worldes welthe, 
 Of hertes reste and soules helthe. 
 Withoute pees stond nothyng good ; 
 For thy to cryst, which shed his blood, 
 For pees byseketh alle men. 
 Amen ! amen ! amen ! amen ! 
 
 (42-24. ben. A. 
 (43-21. proven. BC. 
 (43-22. selven. BCDE. 
 (47-3. ben. ACE. 
 (47-9. ben. C. be. ADE. 
 47-19. is for be. ACDE. is. DCx. 
 *48, three lines from bottom, thee for be. CAE. 
 **49-23, 24. ABDEH reverse the order of the lines. (C writes one in the 
 margin and the order cannot be determined.) 
 52-1. sholde me shrive. ADE. C = P. 
 *52-4- misdespended. AE. CD = P. 
 J53-23- gamen. AC. 
 
 **54-i4. And she for anger ther of swall. ADE. BC = P. 
 (54-17. taken. CD. 
 (55-12. Omit the before serpent. AC. 
 *S5— 13. bore for bothe. A. 
 
 57-3. sone and take. AC. This use and this position of and quite in Gower's 
 manner. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. IS 
 
 *58-6. thurgh for thus. AC. 
 {58-26. leyn. A. 
 *S9~l8. hym for hem (of the ear). A. 
 
 60-15. yhen. AC. 
 +60-24. giltiffiox gilty of. ACE. 
 t6i-4- god thamende. CE. As the might be considered emphatic the hint as 
 
 to scansion is worth noting. (A = P.) 
 62-10. (Put the comma after to.) 
 *62-i9. hid tor had. AC. 
 
 *62-25- simplesse. A. st is often written for ss in the MS. and may point to an 
 inorganic sound, the special favoring circumstance — I believe that 
 one is to be sought for, in all such inorganic sounds — being the 
 frequency of superlative endings. CDE write st. 
 164-2. AC scan tacompte. 
 *64~4- hym for hem. AC. 
 
 *d$-2. fforthwith tor for with. ACE. P probably a MS. reading. 
 *65-30. contenance. CECx. A = P. 
 *68-5- frele toifree. BCDE. A-foele (?). 
 t68-<). wolde. ACE (avoid whiche). 
 
 69-20. so that by. AC. (spake, felle, toke, bare, all in singular are objectionable.) 
 t7i-i6. syhen. CADE. 
 *74-i5. it for first 7. AC. 
 75— 11. herte, omit a. AC. 
 76-10. (In several places there ayein should be printed as one word. So C 
 
 here. MSS. generally unreliable on such points.) 
 76-19. For divisers, ABCDE read dinstres (diustres in one?). Cx reads 
 
 tuterers. 
 *77 _ 9- juise for divise. AC. 
 
 77-18. hath for had. AC. Many such cases, but here the connection of tenses 
 ' in P is unusually harsh. 
 t79-2i. wolde. AC. 
 179-24. musten. C. B = P. 
 183-8. ABCDE omit my. Gower generally gives fader dissyllabic value. P's 
 
 reading seems however better. 
 84-5. serve may he. C. The emphatic may can support a hiatus better than 
 the -e. But AB = P. 
 *84-6. badde for ledde. AC. 
 *84-28. Ffor though I wolde I myght not. A. The line does not contain either 
 of the "two pointes" in question. Wolde could stand in caesura, 
 although C reads myghte. 
 185-9. soffren. C. 
 
 86-7. telle. AC. (Corrects tone of dis.) 
 I87-8. unto for of. A. tochcnde to for t. v. C 
 *88-27. is for as. AC, 
 
i6 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 88-27. se and here. AC. 
 
 88-28. and for second or. A. C has or for of. 
 **89-i7 to 20 omitted; instead, EADFH read: 
 
 And, in ensample of this matiere, 
 A tale I fynde as thou schalt hicre. 
 
 B: 
 
 189-20. 
 
 #90-3. 
 
 *9i-i. 
 
 tgt-g. 
 
 192-7. 
 
 t92-8. 
 192-30. 
 
 +93-7- 
 t93-»7- 
 193-22. 
 
 +93-3°- 
 
 t95- z 4- 
 
 ♦97-26. 
 
 98-8. 
 
 98-28. 
 
 •99-9. 
 t99-24. 
 
 {IOO-I. 
 
 *ioi~9. 
 101-13. 
 tioi-29, 
 
 tl02-l, t. 
 
 A. 
 AC. 
 
 AC. 
 
 now is come to. BC. 
 
 maketh (scan makth). 
 
 saide home she wolde. 
 
 Omit ever. AC. 
 
 Wher as thou. most. 
 
 tipon for of. AC. 
 
 ne be kinde. A. C = P. 
 
 place there as. BCD. 
 
 Omit a. C. A = P. 
 
 Omit there. AC. 
 
 horse hed. DE. 
 
 I wol. AC. 
 
 be for by. AC. 
 
 Florent is o. h. a. g. A. But answer is quite possible. 
 
 that for her. A. C has the. 
 
 ben for by. C. A has be, which may mean "by" or "been." 
 
 And liveth as who seith deying. ABCDECx (liveth in caesura). 
 
 What hap so evere hym is befalle. AC. 
 
 hidde for had. AC. , 
 
 on to for unto. AC. 
 
 30. and of memoire. herte. CAB. AB have, however, -arte as suffix. 
 
 SoC. 
 
 But yit for strengthe of matrcmoync 
 He myghte make noon essoigne. 
 
 D. 
 
 102-9 
 t I 02-27 
 t:o3~i2 
 1 1 10-29. 
 
 111-18. 
 
 1 1 12-9, 
 ti 13-22 
 
 1 1 3-26. 
 *ii5~i7 
 
 t 1 16-7 
 *i 17-22 
 *i 17-30, 
 
 119-11 
 
 *I20~S 
 
 on for of. AC. 
 
 eghtetiene. C. A reads of before age. 
 
 herte. A (a genitive ?). 
 
 pilegrins. C. 
 
 here for their. AC. 
 
 day for wider. AC. 
 
 maken. C. 
 
 clepedwas. BC. 
 
 one (" only ") for on. AC. No doubt spelled on in some MSS. 
 
 how that it. AC. 
 
 I rede sithen that so is. AC. 
 
 The king hath with. AC. 
 
 amonges othre. C {there is in question). 
 
 fay for joj/. ACE. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 17 
 
 *I2I-I2 
 121-29. 
 *I22-7 
 I22-l6. 
 
 t 123-7 
 1 1 23-22 
 
 1 1 25-3. 
 
 1 1 25-5. 
 
 (125-6 
 (125-13 
 
 (127- 
 
 AC. 
 
 Cx. ne'er, except under emphasis, 
 
 t: 20-1 1. MSS. vary between ncrr and nere. 
 **I2I-I to 16. Omitted in E. 
 ( 1 21-6. Under the grave thci hym begrave. 
 As for and. AC. 
 wele for well. A. 
 /4j- for and. AC. 
 never couthe. ACDE. coude never. 
 
 seems more common. 
 tkankworth is thanne. CAE. 
 nouchc. AC. 
 corone. AC. 
 
 ay en diverse. A. diverse. C. 
 amonges. C. 
 
 hed (or /£<?/#) for jn««f is the usual orthography in the MSS. So also 
 I, 153-29, II, 359-25, III, 71-7, 121-1, 121-17, 122-6, 122-29, I2 3" 
 19, 124-20, 125-12, 126-9, 1 7 2—6, 249-22, 287-27, 288-28, 291-29, 
 312-26, 331-26, 345-21, 376 in the line "the heved planete.' n 
 abouten. AC. 
 129-16. a for and. AC. 
 (129-25. withoute. AC. 
 (130-29. held her righte. CE. ABD=P. 
 (131-12. lihtliche. C. (A has lighthithe ?) 
 
 133-10. wzarfe for ffz<?te. A. (C most.) 
 ** I 33 _2 3- A reads, and so, essentially DE : 
 
 So overgladde that purgatorie 
 Ne myght abregge his vcynglorie. 
 
 BCCx = P. 
 '3S _I 9- which'e is plural. ACE = P. 
 (135-24. wolde. AC. 
 
 136-8 (of English), his for this. AC. Many such cases. 
 (136-17. putte. CED. B = P (-e in caesura?). A has strcnght. putt, 
 took. upon. AC. 
 
 But ate roote let. B and essentially ADE. C blunders. 
 power for person. AC. 
 thi for Mu. AC. 
 
 r 37-3- 
 
 138-2. 
 
 *i39-26. 
 
 *i40-i. 
 (140-13. 
 
 143-11. 
 (143-14. 
 
 144-11. 
 
 (147-8. 
 147-27, 28 
 
 abiden. AC. 
 for perrie for of p. 
 with ful woful. C . 
 prayth for braieth. 
 And to the knight. 
 
 C. A — the. 
 AB = P (-<?'in caesura). 
 A. C = P. 
 AC. 
 
 hath to hym take. AC. 
 That all gladshipp he hath forsake. A. 
 
i8 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 tl48-25. and for ne to. A. C omits to before my. 
 
 ti49-io. Insert his before flesshe. ACE. 
 
 149-29. answere unto. C. 
 
 *i 50-19. And thoghte ther was reson inne. C. 
 
 *i 50-25. in certeyn. ACE. 
 
 150-29. come. AC. 
 
 1 1 52-10. Insert and before birde. AC. 
 
 {152-17. is the most. AC. 
 
 *i 52-18. men moste for most men. A. C = P. 
 
 153-21. gret a cost. C. 
 
 155-29. »«fer. A. 
 
 A kinges word it mot ben holde. C. 
 
 **i 57-16. And it is alle wey debonaire. A. C = P (if etc.). 
 1 1 57-24. upon for on. AC. (C writes humbleste.) 
 
 157-30. thenke. C. 
 
 160-23. sotie iorfoly. ACE. 
 } 1 60-30. sorwe is thanne. CE. sorowe than is. A. 
 
 •162-4. further for father. AC (explains any more, next line). 
 **i62-I7, 18. D reads, and so essentially A : 
 
 And may hymselve not availe, 
 Ye, thou] another schulde faile. 
 
 E has for line 18 (line 17 = D) : 
 
 He thought another sckoide faile. 
 
 B (and Cx essentially) : 
 
 He wold anothir shuld faile, 
 And may himselvcn nou^t availe. 
 
 CF = P. These variations are interesting, since it is difficult to 
 suppose that they originate with the scriveners. 
 *i62-2 5. To geten love and for envie. AC. 
 164-26. liche for as. AC. 
 165-7. Acis whom that he thoghte grieve. CB. A omits that altogether, making 
 a very imperfect line, but I consider that initial words were those 
 least likely to be neglected by the copyist. On the other hand, 
 initial sounds, being left for the illuminator to put in afterwards, are 
 often forgotten. 
 165-11, 12. fell : hell. C. 
 *i65~i6. into for by. AC. 
 1165-19. with alle his. AC. 
 1 165-23. withoutcn. AC. 
 167-8 (of English), arist for arise. AC. 
 167-13. thyngior thinges. AC (a plural). 
 168-10. leseth. A. lest. C. (C might be left) 
 
READINGS IN GOVVER. 
 
 19 
 
 169-2. 
 {169-9. 
 169-15. 
 
 170-26. 
 171-19. 
 
 *i72-6. 
 
 *I72-I2. 
 
 *i73-3- 
 i73- 2 7- 
 
 174-22. 
 
 *i7S-i2. 
 
 I7S-J7- 
 
 '7S-23- 
 
 {176-3. 
 1 1 77-20. 
 
 178-16. 
 
 178-23. 
 
 179-10. 
 
 189-29. 
 ti8i-n. 
 
 182-23. 
 
 183-24. 
 185-1. 
 
 185-21. 
 
 185-28. 
 
 ti86-g. 
 
 186-20. 
 
 186-25. 
 
 186-29. 
 
 187-16. 
 
 189-n. 
 *i 89-20. 
 190-4, 5. 
 
 *I90~9. 
 *i 90-28. 
 
 191-13. 
 
 192-13. 
 I192-16. 
 
 192-27. 
 '93-3' 
 
 (It is curious that JuWter is very 
 
 ACx have to for into. CDE = P. 
 lesen. CDE. to lesen. A. Cx = P. 
 Of Jubiter thus finde I write. AC. 
 
 frequent.) 
 (A writes the tother.) 
 of lot on. AC. So C in 171-24. 
 It myghte iox I might. ACDE. 
 evermore for ev. A. 
 
 owher for where. AEC. (C spells awher.) 
 sprat. AC. 
 sitte. AC. 
 
 pressen iox pursue. CA. 
 unknowe unkest : fest. C. 
 It is perhaps of little consequence, but the words had I are written 
 
 haddy AB, hadde D. These traces of colloquial forms may seem to 
 
 others infinitely less interesting than to me. 
 Behinden. CA. 
 Omit to before lacke. AC. 
 Thy lady. AC. 
 Omit be. AC. 
 secheth. CA. 
 this for thus. AC. 
 Omit to. AC. 
 fals covine. AC. 
 thyng. AC. 
 and hit fell. A. 
 bisne for blinde. ACE. 
 moste for mo. C. mote. A. 
 thider upon such. C. 
 a$ein. CEA. 
 so. C. Were there any good reason for reading soth, the prevailing 
 
 weakness of the front palatals would permit such conjecture. 
 (BC scan tabate.) 
 Omit to. AB. 
 the for thy. AC. 
 Omit he. Read seconde. AC. 
 hihte : almyghte. DC. 
 hath for he. AC. 
 goth. AC. 
 
 A and C spell messagere, here and elsewhere. 
 thou iox you. AC. 
 boren. CA. 
 
 wiste nothing. AC. (nothing is possible enough.) 
 hem for him. C. ADE = P. 
 
20 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 193-20. (Put comma before aslepe. and is often enclitic in Gower.) 
 
 *I94-13- put hem bothe. A. ButCEDCx = P. 
 
 1 1 95-20. Read a before great. AC. 
 
 195-23. (AC write tendresse.) 
 
 196-25. AI3CDE also read unknowe. Put a comma after lay and omit it after 
 unknawe. 
 
 tl97-4. att the porte. AC. 
 
 1197-13. A wynd. CA. 
 
 i'97-3 - g° n - AC - 
 
 ti99-i4. ofalthilk. EC. AB = P. 
 
 1199-23. thilke for that ilke. ACE. 
 
 {200-7. Omit her. AC. 
 
 *200-i7. The line rhyming to this is (AC) : 
 
 Title twelve yeres were agone. 
 
 200-24. herke howe thilke. AC. 
 {201-8. seen so worthi. AC. 
 201-16. axede. C (gets rid of non-emphatic -eth). 
 201-20. This awkward line stands thus in ABCDE. 
 204-3. th° stands after which. AC. 
 206-6. wolde god it. A. C = P. wolde that it. D. (A final e in the subj. 
 
 were is in question.) 
 207-4. herte. A. hertes. C. 
 208-22. As for that. CA. 
 **2og-i2. ADE read : 
 
 With due reverence as he ouhte (reverence ?). 
 
 B = P. C has lordschipe, correcting the metre of P. 
 t209-27. sihen. AC. 
 209-30. she for /. AC. 
 211-28. lyfeforto. AC. 
 *2i3~7. wellemenyng for whel meving. BE = P. (A reading whel for wel 
 
 might be expected, whas occurs for was.) 
 {215-7. towardes. ACDE. 
 {216-15. Scan jugge. (E reads maad for made.) 
 *2i6-3o. regne and expectant. ABC. 
 t2l7-io. of the regalie. ABCE. 
 
 218-12. alle thyng hath. AC. B reads thynges. 
 *2i8-i6. sodeinliche as he aros. C. sodeynliche right as he ros. E. 
 {218-18. it so for so it. AC. 
 
 218-28. after was for w. u. AC. 
 *224-i2. ley for lith. AC. 
 224-19. wol prate. C. AB have wol. (Noted to avoid tone on -e in wolde. 
 But there are scores of places not quoted in this paper, interchanging 
 wol, or wole, and wolde.) 
 
**225~io, II. A reads: 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 2t 
 
 There is no, etc. 
 
 May be hclyd so wcl as myn. 
 
 *225-i9- me for tie. A. BCDECx = P. 
 
 226-20. toucke on eny. AC (not -eth). 
 
 *227~3. ouht for of. AC. 
 
 1227-29. alle weye. "A. C = P. 
 
 228-2. /eigne. CA. 
 
 1228-13. to for unto. ABC. Variations in the use of prepositions are noted 
 here generally only where the metre is concerned. 
 
 229-4. ere. AC. 
 
 229-13. be well for woll be. AC. 
 
 229-18. which as wol nought. AC. 
 
 {230-4. ben. AC. 
 
 1230-23. special/. AC. 
 
 {232-26. bothe. AC (no -eth and better stress). 
 
 233-1. his for this. AC. 
 
 233-27. unto that for her to that. CA. 
 
 234-14. A inserts tho, C and, after Deianire. 
 
 235-12. Omit on. AC. 
 
 236-25. strenth alle of. A. strengthe of al. C. (The spelling strenth is frequent, 
 
 and indicates a colloquial assimilation.) 
 
 236-29. thing came al through. AC. al is added with a caret in A, indicating 
 
 care in copying. 
 
 237-7. oghte yve. CA. 
 238—25, 26. avaleth : up he halcth. C. 
 
 {239-20. subtilite. AC. 
 
 {239-29. ofthedede. AC. P is good. 
 
 {240-19. withouten. BC. 
 
 240-28. Omit a. AC. 
 
 *24i-i2. For there ACx read dar, CD Mar. 
 
 *24i~30. ««-<? dales for 0. w. AC. 
 
 242-6. of tor for. AC. 
 
 244-2. thoghte and omit /$««. DACE. 
 
 {244-6. insert 0/" before to. AC. 
 
 {245-7. /otftfV. ADE. 
 
 *245-28. «i certain ("reliable"). AC. (MS. evidence on such points as the 
 
 division of words is, however, not always reliable.) 
 
 *246-2i. avanceth for avaunteth. AC. 
 
 247-26. above. AC. 
 
 248-4. sodenly that tike throwc. AC. 
 
 250-1. trete. C. 
 
 251-15. as for how. AC. 
 
 *252-24. and tor of. AC. 
 
22 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 *2S6-2I. hedde. CD. hidde. B (for hadde). 
 *2S7-8. he for fe. ADECx. C bethought. 
 t259-2i. and with entredite. AC. 
 259-24. baronage. AC. 
 259-28. •»»/<&. AC. 
 259-29. (AC spell spirital.) 
 $260-3. stonden. C. 
 $261-7. ladden. AC. 
 262-1. fo cleped. AC. 
 265-3. The accent j/»W/ is the MS. reading. 
 $267-26. saiden. ACD. 
 268-27. hath stands after kinde. AC. 
 {272-22. lordcs. AC. 
 274-26. thei shal receyve on of the two. A. 
 275-24, 25. 
 
 Till ther -was no thyng hym be lefte 
 Of all his greie. 
 
 A. The emphasis nothing is quite possible in Gower, but the MS. 
 readings remove most of the cases. 
 276-28. C spells spirital. 
 277-22. while for why. ADE. C has why. 
 277-28. the is the pronoun. C spells thee. 
 $281-14. Omit second so. AC. 
 *28i-23. Omit/*«-. AC. B = P. 
 
 *28l-27- 
 
 Mc thcnkth is ay the leng the fcrre. A. 
 Me thenkcth ay the lenge the ferre. C. 
 
 A is preferable as thenkth is not stressed. 
 *28l-28. herre for erre. CA. 
 $282-15. ben. AC. 
 
 283-3. overgladed. C. over gladde. A. 
 283-22. of for on. AC. 
 284-15, 16. C, oddly enough, erases comun wotie : wone and inserts tendre age: 
 
 rage. ADECx = P. 
 $284-19. Into for in. 
 
 285-10. kepth for kepe. CA. 
 *287~30. so as she wot wherto it shall. BC. 
 $288-26. myn before hele. AC. 
 
 288-27, 28. 
 
 O my -wanhope and alle my triste, 
 O my dishcse and alle my liste. 
 
 So A. C essentially same. 
 289-12. stant. A. 
 290-11. what iox that. BCDE. where. A. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 23 
 
 291-4. ouhte be. ABC. 
 292-6. angres. AC. 
 
 292-21. wolde no lif. AC. 
 293-8. ///£ wraththe which that I now bere. E. 
 
 294-18. .$fe« oughten welle suche oon to doute. A. 
 295-2. thee for thou. CA. 
 
 295-12. tell me, sone. AC. 
 
 {296-17. forewarde. AD. 
 *299-io. A7/ for fc// (no comma). AC. 
 
 t30I-I. Socrates tho dede. AC. 
 *303~i8. it if iox if that (no comma after cscheue). AC. 
 
 {304-5. upon for ok. AC. 
 
 305-13. CA read lest. 
 
 308-18. knowende. AC. There are parallels to P., however. 
 
 {309-18. often. AC. The verb have had, however, a full h- often. 
 {309-23. Title that I. ACE. 
 
 {310-10. sen for se. CA. (In 309-23 the -e h- stands.) 
 
 310-15. finde for have. AC. 
 
 311-10. frendlikede. CA. 
 
 *3i2-i. o/for a. AC. 
 
 {313-6. king the which. C. AB = P. 
 
 *3I4-I4- ^«» for fe«. AC. 
 
 315-5. The londe was thanne sone weyved. AC. 
 
 *3i5-n. here of for wherof AC. 
 
 {315-13. amonges. AC. 
 
 31 5-14. Both A and C write scriven. 
 
 316-22. or swerde or k. AC. 
 
 {317-10. Insert «j before of. AC. 
 
 317-11. never was. C. 
 
 *3i7-28. <z# ^o»z« s«itf oute. ACE. 
 
 t3 r 7-3°- *f»- AC. 
 
 *3i8-9. self the werre (no comma). AC. 
 
 319-8. therayin. C (one word). 
 
 3I9~:2. such a nede. AC. 
 
 319-15. his iox this. AE. Q. this. 
 
 319-24. thee iox there. C. A writes M^ (" thee ") for £fo?r Afo. 
 
 319-26. scholde ever be. C. a«7/£ schiclde be. E. 
 
 320-12. self so as. AC. 
 
 320-13. 7*0 to^ Ate> ««</ ji?, etc. CA. 
 
 *320-i8. w/g/« for j-ofc ACD. 
 
 *320-2o. As iox a,. A. 
 
 320-24. ridende. C (scan/?/ B). 
 
 321-7. hadde. BC (scan /£)>«£• A). 
 
 {322-7. If thafthou. AC. 
 
24 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 J322-I9 
 t3 2 3"7 
 323-H 
 
 t323-3° 
 
 324-15 
 
 32S-9 
 
 t325-23 
 326-17 
 
 {326-21 
 
 328-4 
 
 328-13 
 
 t3 2 9-2 
 
 *32g-i7 
 
 329-21, 22 
 
 t33i-i3- 
 {332-25- 
 
 333-8- 
 
 333-J3- 
 
 {334-3 
 335-3° 
 337-19 
 
 {337-23 
 338-19 
 339-6 
 {340-9 
 342-27 
 *343-8 
 343-9 
 {345-5 
 345-3° 
 {349-4- 
 
 {349-13 
 350-11 
 
 ben. C. 
 
 the which men. CAE. 
 
 thing that thou. AC. 
 
 noon for no. AC. 
 
 above. AC. 
 
 CA spell lis(se). 
 
 ■whom that he. AC. 
 
 wiche that he fonde out. AC. 
 
 to for unto. AC. 
 
 self he spilte. AC. 
 
 swonynge. A. sownende. C (not ded'e at any rate). 
 
 maden. AC. (suche thing is a possible plural.) 
 
 myght hit nowht. AC. (asterte not absolute.) 
 
 And thus bothe on swerd bledende, 
 They were founde ded liggende. 
 
 BCA. (But A omits bothe, with its usual carelessness.) 
 
 I fynde. AC. 
 
 Omit/or. AC. 
 A (and, essentially, BDECx) reads : 
 
 And thus daunger my fortune ladde. 
 E has chaunce for fortune. CF = P. 
 
 Were worthi thanne to be blamed. C. A omits she. B = P (worthi is 
 quite admissible). 
 
 AD insert a before destresse. C inserts in before such. The line is 
 quoted for the purpose of illustrating Gower's habit of giving a 
 different treatment to the same word when it occurs in two suc- 
 cessive lines ; here ever, evr (if not e'er). AD seem to me correct 
 
 Omit and. AC. 
 
 and that I. AC. 
 
 halt. AC. 
 
 serven. AC. 
 
 places. AC. 
 
 gete. AC. 
 
 wolden. B. yf that they. A. 
 
 myghten. AC. 
 
 where for were. AEC. (were is a probable writing.) 
 
 BCDE read ferre. A reads ffirste. 
 
 venge. AC. 
 
 in herte. AC. 
 
 Omit be. AD. C is torn. 
 
 Omit the. AC. 
 
 some men seyn. AC. (some sayn might stand, but see remark on 
 333-'3) 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 2$ 
 
 *35<3— 1 5. iu for is. ABCE. 
 {352-11. this for it. AC. 
 {352-24. Wichforto. ACD. 
 {352-27. thou^ that non. CA. 
 *353-2, 3. mordre thrice for modre. BC. 
 *353~22. sleen for seen. AE. 
 354-25. witte recheth. A. witles recheth. E. (My note on C illegible.) 
 356-22. howe that hit. AC (not never). 
 357-23. therayin. C. 
 
 358-2. BCD write world for word. See Preface. A = P. 
 359-13. the for thy. AC. 
 *36o-i to 5. ACDE read seen for sain. I regret that my notes are defective 
 on the passage. I incline to punctuate with a stop after pouer, and 
 after seen, omitting the stop after richesse, thus treating recover as 
 an object of seen. 
 t36o-2I. of o condicion. ACDE. 
 
 360-1. wille. A. will. CED. As wille is emphasized, I incline to A ; 
 g&vernth is not more harsh than usual. 
 364-12. slant for is. AC. 
 {364-18. ABCDECx have stonden. ABED omit in. C adds in with a caret. 
 Morley's conjecture "stonde in" seems probable enough, ABED 
 having taken in for the suffix -en. 
 366-4. Insert it after kinde. A. 
 366-7. men ne scholde. CA (not menne). 
 *3^7 — 3' wiche whan he. AC. (See next.) 
 
 *3^7-4- he for and. A. C=P. (MS§. present a great variety of readings of 
 this line, but the metrical demands of line 3 establish the reading. 
 The position of the and in P is perhaps to be paralleled.) 
 367-13. As usual the last two words form one. C. 
 *368~3- and for I. AC. 
 {369-14. hadde gode menioire. AC. 
 {371-16. moche. AC. 
 371-28. wol nothing. AC. 
 
26 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 VOLUME II. 
 
 *2-28. mowe for now. ACE. 
 
 3-22. slouthe o/w/i. CA. 
 
 3-14. hire lot her. Omit a. CA. 
 
 {4-17. she -mas. AC. 
 
 7-3. thing. AC. 
 
 {7-9. &». D. 
 
 7-10. ACDE essentially = P. 
 
 7-15. mihte. CA. 
 
 tg-l6. Omit the; read hed. AC. 
 
 9-22. /«-jj rta/ he. AC. 
 
 10-26. If Hot and I. AC. 
 
 13-8. 7i j^'* for M.y speken. AC. 
 
 14-18. /«>v for it. AC. 
 
 tl5-S- into chambre. C. 
 
 ti 5—7. in his bed. AC. 
 
 ti5-20. continuance. CAE. 
 
 16-22. soleyn for solempne. ACDE. 
 
 •17-13. jo tor for. C. 
 
 *i8-i2. he tor be. AC. 
 
 1 9-1. fer as I my. (Note of authority lost; probably C.) 
 
 •ig-iS. »j for to. AC. 
 
 t2o-3- »'« M? for in. AC. 
 
 21-2. behelde (subj.). AC. 
 
 22-6. godlihede. CA. 
 
 22-9. Ha for ^4. AC. 
 
 •22-17. /for /'«. AC. 
 
 23-19. ryng bar. AC. (Scan oblivion, of course.) 
 
 123-28. »'« A/'j histoire. ABC. 
 
 23-30. thilke for /A«* tike. A. DCE = P. (There are general questions 
 relating to never, which make the readings important.) 
 
 t24~i6. sometime it is. AC. 
 
 26-16. Omit that. Read Ligurgius. C. 
 
 26-18. sojournande. AC. 
 
 •27-17. infortune (one word). AC. 
 
 27-19. al tor as. A. C omits or. 
 
 27-23. Omit a«rf. AC. 
 
 28-25. sende. C. The MSS. are always quite careful in writing this word. 
 
 32-13. Omit to. AC. 
 
 32-29. that for M*. AC. 
 
 J33-8. cowthe I. CA. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 2^ 
 
 J33-9- fynden. E. 
 +33 -I 4- certeynliche. AC. 
 
 34-30. bright for light. A. 
 t35-i4- up for upon. ABC. 
 
 38-18. whether. AC. 
 +3§-2l. ate. C. 
 
 +38—31! line from bottom. Omit 2d by. AC. 
 +39-11. Insert my after £>>. AC. 
 +39-28. Omit to. AC. 
 +41-11. Omit of before embr. AC. 
 +42-18. seide. ABCD (in caesura). 
 
 44-12. howeioxof. ACDE. 
 
 45-26. fatte ioi/aire. AC. 
 
 45-27. Insert they before ride. ACE. 
 **46-7, 8. ADE read: 
 
 The beaute of here faces short 
 Welle brighter than the cristall ston. 
 
 BCF = P essentially. 
 
 46-16. ABCDECx abasshet (much variation in spelling). 
 
 46-20. were. AC. 
 
 +46-20. Omit to. AC. 
 
 +46-28. up for upon. DCE. AB = P. 
 
 46-30. on for upon. ACDE. 
 
 *47~5- he (the horse) for she. AC. 
 
 47-10. A inserts of before pretious. C = P. (-e is dubious.) 
 
 **47-i7, 18. ADEFread: 
 
 The woman was right fair of face, 
 Alle thouh here lakked other grace. LCCx = P. 
 
 +47-26. now riden here. AC. 
 
 +48-17. nowe sofeble. AC. 
 
 49-17, 18. AC spell war : ar. 
 
 +50-28. be welle ware. AC. 
 
 +50-30. so that it. ACE. 
 
 51-23. time lore. ACDECx. 
 
 +52-4. Omit that. AC. 
 
 52-22. A normalized text should spell wher. CE. Where (A) is frequent enough. 
 
 52-27. forth where that he. AC. 
 
 55-30. place. AC. 
 
 +58-18. As for to travaile and to ride. AC. 
 
 58-21. herde it tell. A. 
 
 59-9. bidde for bide. AC. 
 
 59-16. helpeth hit a man. AC. 
 
 60-23. Omit that. AC. 
 
28 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 {61-9. An execrable line. BCx = P. ACD omit of. E reads: 
 My son, I herd thy matere. 
 
 To alter E to herde would correct metre and spoil connection of 
 tenses. Pve ? 
 *6i-i6. dees for dedes. ABCD. 
 *64~i6. likyng is in sinne. A. BCDECx = P. 
 65-2. As in line I, 319-8. 
 66-22. ACE write cowardie. 
 66-23. Scan Saiil not lunge of course. 
 
 67-7. wol. AC. 
 {68-30. slen. C . 
 69-10. cam to the. AC. 
 {70-14. under his pes. AC. 
 {73-26. and as men. ACDECx. 
 {73-29. To Phil. AC. 
 *75~ri. dar for bar. ACDCx. 
 {76-22. Omit the in both places. AC. 
 
 76-24. no more hath for. AC. 
 {78-30. Omit the. AC. 
 {81-3. to the men. AC. 
 *82-i. so for to. A. 
 {82-5. croniqes. AC. 
 {82-18. Omit and. AC. 
 82-28. fond. CA. 
 {85-2. fourthe. BCDE. 
 83-20. labourer (omitting for). AC. 
 
 84-28. whiche. DE. This line and the next, whether whiche or miz'f A is read, 
 illustrate something which occurs so frequently as to constitute a 
 marked characteristic of Gower's verse, the repetition of a word in 
 successive lines with varying accent. 
 87-22. and to receyve (not vertue). AC. 
 {88-15. uponioxup. AC. 
 *90-i8, 19. ABCDE read : 
 
 Was Tullius with Cicero 
 That -writen upon. 
 
 The mistake was easily made in Gower's time. 
 
 {93-2. Whan that he. AC. Pauli seems to have of ten taken ee (= e) for e'e. 
 
 {93-25. Omit a. AC. 
 
 94-6. such a si. AC. 
 
 95-12. wel therby for all forthy. AC. 
 
 {96-24. eftsones. AC. 
 
 {96-27. departen. BC. 
 
 {100-30. al the h. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 2 9 
 
 *IOI-I2. 
 JlOI-28. 
 
 *io3-3o. 
 
 ioS-3- 
 
 105-5. 
 
 106-24. 
 
 1 106-26. 
 
 {106-28. 
 
 107-28. 
 
 108-14. 
 
 1110-25. 
 
 1 1 4-z. 
 
 1 14-13. 
 
 1 14-16. 
 
 *Il6-2. 
 JII7-I2. 
 
 118-21. 
 
 tl2I-I2. 
 
 121-27. 
 
 tl2I-29. 
 
 I22-4. 
 
 I22-I8. 
 
 **i28-i6. 
 
 bede for hede. AC. 
 
 and as she. AC. 
 
 cAfr* for chest. AC. 
 
 ^/;a/ for as. AC. (Many such places not noted here.) 
 
 whan that she. AC. 
 
 the for «». A. C = P. 
 
 Omit the. ACD. 
 
 liff that into. ABCE. 
 
 ofte. brood. DC. 
 
 AC read thar for ifer. 
 
 •wolde. A. 
 
 yhe mihte. CA. 
 
 ar for and. AC. 
 
 A«<£ for ^oAZ. A. 
 
 happe for /*o/V. AC. 
 
 after longe for /. «. AC. 
 ffor for Ma/. AC. 
 And yit you. AC. 
 Omit /. ACE. 
 wher for wheder. AC. 
 A reads # for j^A C = P. 
 
 A reads wepyng, a matter of little importance in this MS., but CD 
 insert and after it. 
 ADE read instead : 
 
 Where inne it moste nedes dwelle. 
 
 CFCx = P. B has lost the folio. 
 1 1 28-1 7. therinne. AC. 
 ••129-3, 4. D reads (and so AE nearly) : 
 
 Ffor he therof his part ne tath, 
 But bereth to another that he hath. 
 
 C = P. B has lost folio. 
 129-11. And as a subgit. A (to settle -eth). CE read as for a. 
 **i3c-8. ADE read: 
 
 To holde hir while my liff may laste. 
 
 
 CCx = P. B has lost folio 
 
 130-29. 
 
 seche for fele. AC. 
 
 '131-17. 
 
 liynde for finde. AC. 
 
 13.-18. 
 
 man for men. AC. 
 
 •132-8. 
 
 this for his. ADE. C = P. 
 
 134-25- 
 
 point hym thouhte for. AC. 
 
 135-8- 
 
 it for he. AC. 
 
 (I am not sure that I understand.) 
 
30 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 '36-' 4- wheruppon. AC (many such cases not noted here). 
 **i 36-20. A (and essentially DE) read: 
 
 He touchith alle that by him lay. BCCx = P. 
 
 1136-27. Him tok so that he moste nede. ABC. 
 
 137-11. his for second this. AC. 
 **i 39-24. ADE read : 
 
 And for no drede nowe wole I wondc. BCx = P. 
 
 ** 1 40-20. AE read : 
 
 The more he hath tlie more he gredith. 
 D = E, except dredith. BC FCx = P. 
 
 *l4l-28. unto no reson. ACED. 
 
 1 142-5. Omit a. A. C = P. 
 
 J 142-20. ben. CE. 
 
 143-29. It is difficult to determine whether BCD write gestes or geftes. E writes 
 gistes. A, giftes (?). 
 
 *I45~I2. as doth for and as. AC. 
 
 } 146-10. wolde it noght allowe. C (not A). 
 
 *I46-i8. Omit no (finde is subj.). AC. 
 
 1146-27. fynden. AC. 
 
 147-27. attioxof. AC. 
 
 148-10. (as in line I, 319-8). 
 
 149-5. a ^ e f° r as - A. as. C. 
 
 *i50-3- sly hit tor slightly. CA. 
 
 153-12. (inp. is imp. in most of the texts). 
 
 153-27. Caldens. ACD. 
 
 ti54-2i, and 155-1. Egipcienes. E. MostMSS. = P. 
 
 155-9. ther, upon. AC. 
 
 + 155-22. made here sacr. AC. 
 
 158-9. (AC. spell helles.) 
 
 158-19. after sholde. AC. 
 
 1 58-26. ther beth for be the. A. 
 
 + 160-4. open to the. C. 
 
 160-9. tho for they. C. A = P. 
 
 1 1 60-1 9. lies al a boute. AC. 
 
 161-9. Nonarigne. ADE. Cx. Novertyne. BC = P. 
 
 161-14. Omit may. AC. > 
 
 + 161-19. Omit of. AC. 
 
 162-5. for for of. AC. 
 
 *i62-io. hath tor was. AC. 
 
 *i63-6. AC read was for wist. The inversion is not objectionable. 
 
 + 164-29. Jubiteres. D. 
 
 165-8. hadden. AC (Grek's occurs elsewhere). 
 
READINGS IN GOWEK, 3 1 
 
 *i6s-I7. The folk payene honoure. CAE. P. followed B (praien). 
 
 167-30. Omit a. AC. 
 
 169-13,14. fledde : hedde. AC. 
 
 {170-3. AC write hike, helles is the prevailing spelling. 
 
 {171-8. in the w. C. for the w. A. 
 1 72-1. beth (A) sometimes occurs for ben. 
 1 1 74-2 5. AC omit his. 
 *i74-2g. whi for which. AC. 
 {175-15,16. Neabole : Regole. AC. 
 
 176-3. Bragmas or Bragmans. MSS. 
 *i76-2g. Fforth with. ACE. (The omission of a final front palatal is very 
 common in MSS. See Preface.) 
 
 176-30. Omit to. AC. 
 {177-14. wich that they. AC. 
 
 177-29. toioro. AC. 
 {180-22. and of C. AC. 
 
 181-23. se ' e ^ or •""'<'■ A. 
 {181-30. only that men. C. 
 
 {185-6. C omits a. A reads the. 
 
 186-13. Omit he. AC. 
 
 186-17. thilke CE. A z'/fo. 
 **i87-7, 8. ABCDECx read : 
 
 To gete hym paradys ayeyn, 
 Bot this beleve is so certeyn. 
 
 ♦189-1 1, distresseth. ACE (cesseth in 12). 
 
 *I9I-ii. shall for to. AC. 
 
 *igi-i9. where for which. AC. 
 
 *i9i-23- Afo for ne. AC. 
 
 *i 91-30. hedde iox hadde. C. 
 
 *I92-I5, 16. such ease as. AC. 
 
 *i92-26. Omit oj. AC. 
 
 {197-26. &». A. 
 
 198-10. a for atf. AC. 
 
 200-17. AC spell helle. 
 
 202-21. (As in line I, 319-8.) 
 
 *203~3. a J aire for after. AC. 
 
 {204-1. ate iox at. CA. 
 
 t206-n. " 7Xa/ /» whatyssu. Cx. ACDE = P. 
 
 {206-20. upon that oon. AC. (C adds Ma/ with a caret.) 
 
 209-20. A reads «- for _y*. 
 
 {210-5. 0mrt <*• AC - 
 
 210-16. to iox of. AC. 
 
 t2ii-i. thus iox so. AC. 
 
32 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 211-17. these. CA. 
 
 t2i4-i8. is the pure. AC. 
 
 *2i7-27. thought for though. AC. 
 
 {219-21. A inserts £to (after what) with a caret. CE have hire for ^«". 
 
 219-26. The strong pret. sleep in EC (C spells step) is interesting, but A has 
 the weak, and the omission of the front palatal is a frequent error. 
 
 t22o-8. bede that she. AC. 
 
 220—20. gone his weie. AC. 
 
 221-6. Wher should be the spelling here. AC. Many clear cases are not 
 noticed here. 
 
 {221-15. ben. C. 
 
 223-28. and tax of. AC. 
 
 t225-22. savely for saufty. ACDE. 
 
 225-27. never for ever. AC. 
 
 *226-2. ofiaxfor. AC. 
 
 t22&-7. on this trowthe. AC. 
 
 {226-19. suche. CE. 
 
 228-4. H for ■*'■ ACE. 
 
 *229~I3. this for his. AC. 
 
 229-30. (As in line I, 319-8.) 
 
 {230-21. this for his. AC. 
 
 1 230-26. after for 0/ '. AC. 
 
 1231-2. ate for 0A AC. 
 
 231-17. ^<zrt to/& for he toke. AC. 
 
 231-22. to for <&. AC. 
 
 231-29. even for mwy (whatever the meaning). ACD. E spells coole. 
 
 234-17. thei for he. CA. 
 
 1234-24. gy& for beg. AC. 
 
 {234-26. Omit than. AC. 
 
 {235-15. parjure. AD. C = P. 
 
 236-1. dede to for did unto. ACE. 
 
 {236-22. I the telle. AC. 
 
 239-14. (The MS. spelling is lith. ABC.) 
 
 {240-1. preche hym and. ACD. 
 
 241-13. sleep (not a subj.). AC. 
 
 {243-24. ben. AC. 
 
 {244-5. Omit the. AC. 
 
 {244-14. scholden. CA. (A also has foM<? after hem.) 
 
 {244-20. armed up at alle. CD. uppon tor at. A. 
 
 *246-27. fojfc for ^j-fc. AC. 
 
 246-28. ?««</ for ywa</. ACDE. 
 
 {247-28. fastnen. C. 
 
 248-25. ««/<& for shulde. AC. 
 
 {248-18. saufliche. C. 
 
READINGS IN GOWEfc. 33 
 
 249-17. For uppe DE read up tho. A reads upon. 
 
 *250-l2. that for than. AC. 
 
 251-15. ne for and. AC. 
 
 252—27. A lorde, that he ne were a londe. AC. 
 
 t253~22. of tales for tcllen. to talen. BCDE. 
 
 **254-i, 2. Cx reads : 
 
 And every man gan prcce in, 
 For well was hym that myght win. 
 
 ABCDE have no such reading. 
 
 254-16. BCE read she for he. A = P. 
 
 255-10. of all so glad. A. 
 
 255-13. some man seide othir. AC (one is in question). 
 
 257-22. that for the. AC. 
 
 259-26. Omit great. ABC. 
 
 261-2. bothe for by. CA. 
 
 *26l-4- and for in. AC. 
 
 261-6. rt<«, «/<>«. C. 
 
 1261-30. with grete peyne. AC. 
 
 *263-i7- jo //;a* w;VA spellinge of hir charmes. BC (and nearly so in A). 
 
 264-16. this for the. AC. 
 
 264-17. bothioxso. A. C = P. 
 
 1264-22. </otz Afo menne. AC. B = P. 
 
 *264-25- fay iox fair e. ABC. 
 
 *265-27. //i£T for -for. AC. 
 
 266-8. ./for. CA. 
 
 266-22. Omit second of. AC. 
 
 1267-18. corone. AC. 
 
 268-2. (The MSS. write one word, kingcsriche. AC.) 
 
 269-7. tw/f. A. wolde. C (a question of caesura). 
 
 271-21. fo»2 hadde. AC. 
 
 2 75-S- Omit a. A. C = P. 
 
 *275-i7. and continuance for of c . CAB. 
 
 276-18. to for so. A. BCE so. 
 
 276-26. M«- for Mnf. ABC. 
 
 277-18. BCE doth for do. A do. 
 
 277-24. usure. BC. 
 
 278-9. compcncc for r«. ABCDE. (Aw<?' is regular.) 
 
 278-11. (No period at close of line.) 
 
 {278-29. I beyc. A. 
 
 279-15. ABC read M_j/k. ^«rte and omit j^f. BC. 
 
 t28l-i. «'k on a. AC. 
 
 281-6. o«V^ of Iox the which. AC. 
 
 1281-19. Omit it. ABC. 
 
34 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 {282-11. myn. CE. 
 
 282-21. C spells kend. 
 {285-29-30. Omit of. ABC. (Octavien is treated as an adj.) 
 
 t287-8. while that I. A (not C). 
 
 287-1 1. axe of me. Omit have. AC. 
 
 $287-13. seye. ABC. 
 
 296-26. avarices pr. AC. 
 
 292-8. forytt. C. 
 
 292-12. C has lifiish. 
 
 *292— 5. »0K/£ fl for >$07C<? 0«. A. 
 
 293-22. a/Ao for whom. ADE. 
 
 293-23. ^flflfote ko liflode. AC. 
 
 294-2. /fa f or o. BAC. 
 
 * 2 9S _I 3- but yit iox that he. AC. 
 
 {296-10. Ktf« for no. AC. 
 
 {298-28. oki/ £; so. A. 
 
 {299-19. ji'zvk. C. A = P. 
 
 300-10. wherofiox where. AC. 
 
 {300-15. thynioxthy. AC. 
 
 {300-26. aftir sone. AC. 
 
 300-27. Many such forms as seistow not noted here. AC. 
 
 301-21. but iox by. AC. 
 
 301-23. wole for iwtf. A. 
 
 302-21. be welle ware. ABC. 
 
 {305-28. to for unto. AC. 
 
 306-13. he iox she. AC. 
 
 {307-3. Omit a«</. AC. 
 
 {308-26. her his leve. ABCE. 
 
 309-10. foryte the goodshipe. CA. 
 
 311-22. and iox as. AC. 
 
 312-16. strengthe what iox st. a. t. CA. 
 
 313-14. ABCE read fcmilyne (or j 'emetine'). 
 
 *3i3-i6. and for a. AC. 
 
 314-24. /$*• /<y. AC. 
 
 {315-2. and with his. BC. A = P. 
 {315-10,11. weren in both lines. AC. 
 
 315-23. Omit that. AC. 
 
 316-4. Omit /«.?. AC. 
 
 {316-9. my moder. AC. 
 
 318-1. bonde there both. ABC. 
 
 319-3. of that iox because. AC. 
 
 {320-9. few. AC. 
 
 321-4. (Scan privcly takth. C.) 
 
 {326-8. Insert Afo before heven. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 35 
 
 **326-lo. Alle sodeinly that men it sihe. A. C = P. 
 
 326-13. Omit a. AC (i.e., torned). 
 
 327-12. Avril and March. CA. 
 
 328-6. diverse. AC. 
 
 *328-i4- Told all that ever I wold mene. BC (not A). 
 
 {329-14. amonges. C. 
 
 329-28. he was for of. AC. 
 
 329-30. the for a. AC. 
 
 330-7 . E reads : 
 
 My fader, nay, god it forbede : fortrede. 
 
 (The MSS. vary much.) 
 
 332-21. whan that he. AC. 
 
 *335- The line rhyming to 28, and following 27, is : 
 
 Alle day befalle in sondry wise. AC. 
 
 337-13. As they that nothing. A. 
 
 337-20. AECx read touche. C has altered touche to couche. 
 
 (337-27. and fro the. AC. 
 
 338-12. and for of . AC. 
 
 338-17. AC read avow. 
 
 {338-21. thyn. AC. 
 
 339-4. sche for he. CA. 
 
 339-22. so for two. AC (also : so is a good rhyme). 
 
 340-5. AC read se for here. 
 
 t343-22. Omit of. AC. 
 
 {344-30. Omit the. AC. 
 
 345-1. tyme in sfecialle. AC. 
 
 348-17. As for, for and for. ABC. 
 
 {348-28. ,rf<tf<?«. AC. 
 
 {349-14. ben. AC. 
 
 351-21. stele y wot. ABCE. 
 
 352-8. taketh for tofo. ACE. 
 
 352-17. to for a«<Z. ABC. 
 
 355-20. Omit she. AC. mayden. A. 
 
 356-1. C spells pet. 
 
 {357-3. fel tor befell. AC. 
 
 357-23. »V thoghte hym. AC. 
 
 357-3°- BC s P e 'l ^^ 
 
 *358-i7. A? for it. ABC. 
 
 {358-21. C he waiteth. A omits ^<?. 
 
 359-7. to for A4*. A. 
 
 359-15. bede for bad. ACE. 
 
 359-16. to for shulde. ACE. 
 
 359-27. heled. AC. Ailed. E. hylled. Cx. 
 
36 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 359-28 
 361-10 
 361-13 
 t362-4 
 
 365-16 
 370-26. 
 
 370-3° 
 371-3 
 37i-7 
 
 *372-5 
 
 *373- r 4 
 * 373 _ 22 
 
 *374-3 
 374-25 
 
 375-25 
 t376-i6 
 
 t377-25 
 t 37 8-i 9 
 *378-2 4 
 378-27 
 t378-3o 
 379-1 
 
 379-6 
 
 380-4. 
 
 380-20 
 
 t38o-23 
 
 **38i-i 
 
 387-20 
 
 t387-2 4 
 
 389-1 
 
 389-7. 8 
 
 t38g-9- 
 t 3 8g- 
 t390-i6 
 
 t 392-6 
 
 *392-2I, 
 
 393-'°. 
 1 393-27 ■ 
 
 394-"- 
 *394-2i. 
 
 395-27. 
 
 had of nothing d. AC. 
 
 CA omit there, (alle is required.) 
 
 he for it. AC. 
 
 My sone. A. 
 
 Is, of course, in AC. P is careless in these matters. 
 
 a nouche. B is not clearly written. 
 
 the for he. ABC. 
 
 ofiox a. ABC. 
 
 yhe nawher. ACE. 
 
 so to for for so. ABC. 
 
 lecste for last. AC. 
 
 it for /. ABC. 
 
 cny for haly. BC. (A has ony.) 
 
 telle as yit. ABC. 
 
 that for the. C. 
 
 maken. C. 
 
 axe. AC. (C has csionam.) 
 
 Omit his. AC. 
 
 devysed. A. 
 
 A reads sight for ight. 
 
 Of sones. AC. 
 
 A reads too (" two ") for hem. The position of and is possible with the 
 
 present reading. 
 att thilke for that Hie. AC. 
 eschewc for shewe. A. C has shewe. 
 this for thus. AC. 
 
 Omit //«. C. A reads ffalle it to best, f alle it to wcrste. 
 . A reads : 
 
 This wrong and shame in better forme. 
 
 BAC read token for tolden. 
 
 Wherof that he. AC. 
 
 what for the. ABC. 
 
 parjure : usure. AC. 
 
 Omit of. AC. • 
 
 C omits second of. AC = P. 
 
 Slant in contraire. AC. 
 
 hetobothe. AC. (B bothe partis.) 
 
 What man hath hors, men yve hym hors, 
 
 And who non hath of him no fors. CAB. 
 
 11. thi for the, 1. 10, and 2d the, 1. 11. AE. 
 Bot whan. AC. 
 who for he. AC. 
 no for »k. AC. 
 despended. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 37 
 
 VOLUME III. 
 
 2-26. hym for he. AC. 
 
 3-4. andioTas. AC. 
 
 3-17. a man for for to. AC. 
 
 3-20. (A spells f« tsa ?) 
 
 J4-21. an for a. AC. 
 
 8-12. Jfor welle is me that I have leve. A? 
 
 *8-25- /«to for hertes. 
 
 t9-i8. £fe which. CA. 
 
 9-21. alleioxat. A. 
 
 **n-6. ACDEread: 
 
 £0 «»z I eke for faute of drynke. 
 
 12-1. ABC read lisseth. (Scan therefore time, joie.j 
 
 *i 2-10. <y Maif rt«- m rf. AC . 
 
 12-24. maken. AC. 
 
 ti3-9- moche. ACD. 
 
 *i 3-20. r&r for cher. 
 
 }i3-28. C reads drunken. AE drunke. 
 
 *I4-I. bitter for better. AC. 
 
 14-12. d. that they. AC. 
 
 •14-23. /««/j> ««//« (welle is a noun). AC. 
 
 15-12. nor for ne. C. 
 
 J15-21. fe«. AC. 
 
 18-10. (begete in two words.) 
 
 18-18. hem for ^/m. ABC. 
 18-25, 26. jz'/foK ; j//ifH. Many passages prove that Pauli took ee (= e) for ee. 
 
 19-16. reherce. C. Gower does not like the syncopation of -e- before final -n 
 
 119-29. him sliulde. AC. 
 
 20-19. fool lor foul. AC. 
 
 t2i-9. thei the lasse. AC. 
 
 *22-io. faast of payndemeigne. DABC. 
 
 22, five lines from bottom, make for take. AC. 
 **23-27, 28. Omitted in ACDECx. 
 
 {23-30. Usaunce it is. Cx. (And Cx cares nothing about metre.) 
 
 24-10. well thei that so. AC. B = P. 
 
 *2(5-4. I say noght, I am. C. (A noght am I.) 
 
 27-26. thing withoute. CA. 
 
 {31-6. weren. AC. 
 
 31-12. drawe. AC. 
 
3^ READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 31-14. AE have essentially the same reading as P, but C has erased ate last 
 
 and written in with a caste. 
 32-25. Omit you. AC. 
 t33~6. thenke and here. AC. 
 34-2. AC write holy. So also 35-16. 
 34-13. A (not C) has the interesting form wangelie for thev. 
 t34-26. furpre. AC. 
 135—13. hungred. AC. 
 *38-i. I drie for they deie. ACD. 
 38-15. Here, and in other places not quoted here, the orthography be war (C) 
 
 is preferable. 
 38-24. A reads the for no. CE no. 
 t39-20. nouches. AC. 
 39-25. C writes ett. drinkth. 
 **40, between 4 and 5. ACDECx read : 
 
 Als welle be reason as by kynae, 
 Of olde cnsample as men may fynde. 
 
 40-5. What for first that. AC. 
 
 J40-18. to fore no man herde. A. 
 
 *4i-25- doth taken for did done take. AC. 
 
 {42-7. above for of. ACE. 
 
 *42-27. and for all. A. 
 
 43-10. no for the. AC. 
 
 43-19. of the god. AC. 
 
 43-23. hevene and erth. AC. An essential part of this reading is hevene, 
 however unimportant this may seem at first sight. 
 
 t45~i6. alle an othir wente. ABC. 
 
 *45-23. with for which. AC. 
 
 *46-5- with for to. AC. 
 
 t4<5-27. houres. AC. 
 
 47-6. bede for bidde. AB. 
 
 t47~26. man the which. AC. 
 
 *47~28. nabith for ne bicth. AC. 
 
 50-12. hem no thyng. AC. 
 
 52-20. And thought for as though. A. CDE = P. 
 
 52-28. mannyssh. C. 
 
 54-21. Alioras. CA. 
 
 **55 -r2 - A. He charaged hem that sholde hardc. 
 E. He charged hem they schulde warde. 
 
 DCx = E nearly, but read harde for warde. B = P. 
 t57-27. CE read ofte for of. A has of. 
 
 59-4. Helas. AC. 
 61-21. many a wonder. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 39 
 
 61-22. sliden. AC (Undir is of course possible, so also an inorganic e in suff.). 
 21 and 22 are reversed in A. 
 *63~28. withdraws for witholde. A. 
 64-19. alle for jo. AC. 
 64-23. lete for /ȣ. CA. 
 64-25. is, he wolde. AC. 
 67-5. himselve tok. C. A also has toke. 
 t7 1—6. and of riche. AC. 
 73-1. ftigh. AC (used in rhyme elsewhere). 
 73-19. tho for so. AC. 
 +74-3. siier. AC. 
 76-11. it tor he. AC. 
 80-5. ft> for/or. ACE. 
 (8o-io. ben. AC. 
 *8o-i6. /tare for him. AC. 
 *82-i7. aia/ for but. AC. 
 {83-9. ^n^ /. AC. 
 184-5. Insert to before the. ACE. 
 *85-i5- thre for the. CE. 
 86-16. herkne. ACE. 
 t87-n. and eke of . AC. 
 +88-8. M<f ^-oflT for He. ACDE. 
 88-15. To god, to hem and alle. This extraordinary case of the enclitic use 
 
 of and is the reading of ACDE. 
 88-25. som f° r one - ACD. 
 189-2. of hih aprise. CA. 
 *89~i2. circumstaunce for substaunee. ACDE. 
 tgo-ig. thilke for the. AC. 
 90-23. Contrcveden for c. in. AC. 
 *9i-2. hath yit for above. AC. (Cf. 90-16.) 
 92-7. alle for ^«. A (not C). 
 *g2-20. C = P. Cx omits ne. D reads erthe, E reads therthe, AD rtc «•*&£ 
 for there. (The question concerns there.) 
 92-24. Is -a?/5 (E) or the erthe (ADC) the more probable? Of course a text 
 may have written the and pronounced th\ Cx reads It vyroncth 
 ther withoute, which I quote as a fair sample of much in his text. 
 193-5. welle for wel (a noun not an adverb) . AC. 
 {93-15. withouten. A. 
 93-22. is set tor it. C. (A writes it sett.) 
 *93~29- As for and. AC. 
 94-12. I am not sure that I understand. CDE have P's reading. A has on 
 
 for and. 
 94-22. up is for is up. ACCx. 
 {95-14. partie. AC. 
 
40 
 
 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 96-4. 
 
 •98-25. 
 
 *99~3- 
 
 99-5. < 
 
 1 100-20. 
 
 tioi-18. 
 
 t 1 02-7. 
 
 *I04-2I. 
 
 IOS-13. 
 
 tno-13. 
 
 112-30. 
 
 t"5-3°- 
 117-16. 
 
 *i 20-13. 
 121-19. 
 
 1 1 22-10. 
 
 *I23-II. 
 
 *i23-i8. 
 1 1 24-4. 
 127-17. 
 132-19. 
 132-24. 
 132-25. 
 1136-7. 
 136-12. 
 137-28. 
 138-8. 
 {140-1. 
 142. 
 1 143-2. 
 j 44-24. 
 *i46-3- 
 149-24. 
 
 t'55- 10 - 
 160-24. 
 162-26. 
 164-20. 
 164-21. 
 165-22. 
 165-25. 
 1 166-8. 
 166-22. 
 
 in for of. AC. 
 his for this. AC. 
 fyr tor first. AC. 
 
 Invert order of these lines. A. 
 And to. AC. 
 towardes. AC. 
 omit that. AC. 
 haleth for lacketh. AC. 
 elements alle so. ACD. 
 Bot yit with. AC. 
 dendides for v. A. 
 noon for no. AC. 
 as for and. ACD. 
 ben bore for before. AC. 
 overmo for evermo. AC. 
 whiche. CDE. 
 
 7%£ nynthe. nombre for Novembre. CA. 
 i«r for /»«. C. 
 plowes. A. (plowed. CD.) 
 AC omits «/". A reads Constantyn noble ! 
 D aristologie. ACE — P. 
 o« for 0^ A. 
 clepeth. AC. 
 £rrf for worthy. ACDE. 
 touchende. C. 
 word. CA. 
 
 whan for 70^0 0«. AC. 
 retoriqes. Omit </;<?. AC. 
 last line but one. bchoveth for belongeth. AC. 
 /or »/■ Au. AC. 
 »j is placed after stones. AC. 
 A* for be. AC. 
 A4z'.r for //fc«.r. C. 
 149-29, 30. A reverses the' order of these lines. 
 150-15. Insert and before whan. AC. 
 lawes. BC. (A = P.) 
 to take for and taketh. AC. 
 wolt for k/o/. ABC. 
 thar for ///<?r. ADE. 
 hym for ^<?m. ACDE. 
 nobles. AC. 
 
 thonk for token. AC. chivalerie. C. 
 
 /foz« «07» ok. C. (A has //;««, evidently a slip of the scrivener.) 
 telle. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 41 
 
 *i6j-2&. was for hath. A. But CE = P. 
 
 167-30. Jlatour is the usual MS. reading. 
 
 168-24. sitte for sit the. AC. 
 
 {168-25. bothen. C. 
 
 170-28. flatere. A. (See remarks on this class of cases elsewhere.) 
 
 171-13. thanne (not hinge). EC. 
 
 {171-28. point that it. AC. 
 
 {172-10. homes. AC. 
 
 {173-22. ben. AC. 
 
 .173-26. belongeth. AC. 
 
 174-9. *&'■* f° r My- AC. 
 
 175-4. C spells hell. 
 
 *i82-27. tew /« &^4r. ACD. 
 
 *i83-i. JVeiorhe. AC. 
 
 184-22. him for A*. AC. 
 
 185-3. witen for woten. CE. (weten in A.) 
 
 *i85~27. aj for <zk<£ AC. 
 
 {186-5. ^*- A - 
 
 187-13. Insert the before lawes. ACE. (Not Jirste as adverb.) 
 
 188-14. Scan thebreus (C), Mo'ises. 
 
 189-12. so was obscured, (upsodoune A), paving the way to a later confusion 
 
 between so and jzV.?. 
 
 {192-1. unto for //«■. Cx. The lines 191-n to 192-14 are in Cx, but not in 
 
 ABCDE. 
 
 200-19. (j^for on. AC. 
 
 201-4. longe for bothe. AC. 
 
 203-21. putten. AC. 
 
 205-10. hadde be for fo ^#rt. Only A. 
 
 206-1. natures. AC. 
 
 207-5. pouer the which. Only C. 
 
 210-15. that the god. AC. (So in 207-24 ACD have the for till.) 
 
 {211-15. though that it. BC. 
 
 21 1-18. ABC read hell. 
 
 214-2. Judee. C. 
 
 *2I4-I3. /fe for hem. AC. 
 
 *2i7-n. <?« for one. AC. 
 
 {217-12. y&« torjlee. AC. 
 
 218-26. &/#fe. CD. 
 
 219-4. (Here and in some other places here for /An>. AC.) 
 
 {220-19. *"»• A. 
 
 220-26. Omit a. AC. 
 
 224-27. happeth. ACE. 
 
 228-17. aw/^ for wi//. AC. 
 
 229-11. strenger. AC. 
 
4 2 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 229-17. thenkesi to take. AC. 
 
 230-8. of grace for and grace. AC. 
 230-30. er for or. AC. 
 231-25. »«z> for one. AD. C = P. 
 232-17. That lever. AC. (=levr'im.) 
 
 233, last line, good iox at home. ACDE. (Cx reads gretegood for gere a.h.) 
 {234-29. of so high. AC. 
 
 {235-z. natiorne. D. nassote for ne a. C. A = P. (namely?) 
 1235-25. o/<j/<? zV «02\ ACDECx. 
 {236-25. <^fe. &». C. 
 236-30. Hot men. ACDECx. 
 23S-16. o/for oft. AC. 
 {239-20. ito&«. AC. 
 
 241-1. Put a stop after take. 
 
 242-12. atff. AC. 
 
 242-13. this tor kis. C. 
 
 242-22. cassed (A? Cx) and tassed (CDE) are easily read for each other. 
 
 *243-28. he for fe. AC. 
 
 *245~i. the for ^e. AC. 
 
 245-8. No MS. that I have seen puts e after writ. 
 
 246-15. sones hadde. AC. 
 
 247-1. This for thus. AC. 
 247-14. This for a«</. AC. 
 
 247-15. Botior and. AC. 
 
 248-8. have for to/i. AC. 
 
 {248-9. helpen. C. 
 
 {249-11. fe«. AC. 
 
 251-5. therthe for l£;r; fe. C. 
 
 252-6. souper for suppe. AC- 
 
 252-18. Therof 'for wherof. AC 
 
 252-20. rti'w. C. 
 
 252—30. chambre and out. AC. 
 
 {253-23. of zVfo j. C. 
 
 254-5,6. pet : unknet. C. 
 
 {255-29. yelowe. AB. 
 
 256-5. z'« rt« (&<zV. AC. 
 
 256-10. myhte. som. C. 
 
 {256-26. /zoy.rtf fo£. EC. 
 
 *257-2. /4j for 1^ AC. 
 
 257-7. moste. AC. 
 
 *258-i4. /4j for ««</. AC. 
 
 258-30. sodenlich. AC. 
 
 {260-2. jtf?». AC. 
 
 {261-23. </»«. AC. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 43 
 
 t26l-29. unto. AC. 
 
 262-16. Omit and. housebonde. C. 
 
 265-4. Omit the. ACD. chivalerie. C. 
 **266-24. ADECx read : 
 
 And thoitghte to be ther therefore. 
 C=P. 
 
 268-4. th* s '<s>orde for thus. AC. 
 
 26S-12. for tor of. C. ADE = P. 
 
 269-3. ® r f° r m '^- AC. 
 
 271-5. of tor in. AC. 
 
 271-13. offorfor. AC. 
 
 {271-27. few. AC. 
 
 272-26. Only C reads honestete. 
 
 *273-26. ay ne for ayeine. ACE. 
 
 {273-30. Lef aland. C. 
 
 {277-23, suster for to. AC. 
 
 {279-19. A/>£. fo'/5fe. AC. 
 
 {280-7. Amonges. AC. 
 
 281-4. of tor in. AC. 
 
 {286-18. onliche. C. 
 
 {287-i:. Omit a. AC. 
 
 288-19. <:/«-£ ,fo'»z couthe. CE. A = P. 
 
 289-17. i/w question hath. AC. 
 
 {290-12. maken. C. 
 
 290-4. fo^ra for taking. AC. 
 
 291-7. Omit wzrt. AC. 
 
 {291-10. tellen. C. 
 
 292—2. sodeinliche. C. 
 
 292-22. a//e for a// M^. C. 
 
 292-23. he tor they. CE. and tor they. A. 
 
 {293-2. tolden. AC. 
 
 294-30. telle for no. AC. 
 
 296-22. /«'/« «»e (ACDE) for alone. 
 
 299-20. .ra£ CA. 
 
 300-3. fonde. AC. 
 
 300-18. ronne by (for nz« down). AC. 
 
 {300-20. ««. C. 
 
 300-28. chaier. C. (A dissyllable in other places.) 
 
 302-28. amorwe light. AC. 
 
 303-7. of citole and of rote. A. 
 
 *303~20. afo/f. C. A = P. 
 
 {307-17. withinnen. C. 
 
 *307-23- jouste. C. 
 
 310-24. ded for deide. AC. 
 
44 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 31 1-9. and in such crye. AC. 
 
 31 1-14. Ffor ever for was ever. C. ADECx = P. 
 312-21, 22. encloued: besowed. AC. 
 
 *3i3-i. Do for doth. AC. 
 
 313-5. happeth. AC. 
 
 314-11. aioxand. AC. 
 
 314-22. is into ckanibre. C. 
 
 4:317-4. tale hir herde. AC. 
 
 317-20. be for ztvr;. AC. 
 
 319-1. berd. likinge. CE. (A = P.) 
 
 320-13. Omit was. ACE. 
 
 *32i-i2. cherlysch. AE. (C = P.) 
 
 321-14. Omit comma after sholde. AC confirm P. 
 
 323-13. A = P. C, there noght come. (Question of there.) 
 
 325-14. untoioito. AC. 
 
 326-5. lyhen. CE. leyn. A. 
 
 328—13. so as for as to. A. C has as to. 
 
 328-19. Sailyng towardes. A. (A always has -ing ; question of accent of 
 toward.) 
 
 *339 _2 9- The seile. ACDECx. (Gower was evidently "well up" in nautical 
 matters, and some care is needed in editing his sea-terms.) 
 
 341-29. hath for have. AC. 
 
 342-15. A omits he. (hadde gully has "h aspirate.") 
 
 1342-23. ariste. CEA. 
 
 344-3. leng. CE. ADCx = P. 
 
 345-14. sett for sith. C. 
 
 *346-io. att for all. A. 
 
 *347-t4. ACDE read : 
 
 / may nouht, thouh I wolde, asterte. 
 
 348-24. love of no. AC. 
 349-2. recorden for accorden. AC. 
 
 IN THE STANZAS. 
 
 1st stanza, 3d line, in for with. A. 
 
 }4th. or I travaile. C. 
 
 2d St. 5th. Hath yit of kynde love. A. C hath a love. 
 
 6th. desire of wich. ACDEFG. 
 
 3d St. 2d. ADEG techeth. CF teche. 
 
 3d. sche no certein. F. 
 
 4th. howe 1 ' shalle. AC. 
 
 5th. wher for if AFCx. C. if. 
 
 4th st. 1st. is thilke for this Hie. ACDEG. 
 
 5th st. 5th. sitte. CE. 
 
 6th. Omit of (before any). ACDEG. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 45 
 
 7th st. 2d. loude and nowe. ACDE. 
 
 J3d. seen. ACDEFG. 
 
 *7th. wol not ch. CADFGCx. 
 
 8th st. 4th. under his g. AFGCx. 
 
 6th. ther for where. CDEFG. 
 
 7th. querele. E. 
 
 gth St. *ist. perforne. CDEF. 
 
 3d. takth hir c. CDCx. 
 
 10th st.$4th. love, as I. ACDE. 
 
 *5th. infortune for fortune. ACDEF. 
 
 nth St. 1st. lord tor god. D. (Alliteration.) 
 
 1 2th st. 3d. aliche. CG. liche (i.e., ever). DE. 
 Throughout the stanzas, Cx displays a wonderful indifference to sense and metre. 
 
 +3S3-8- J° hn - c - 
 I354-15. ben. AC. 
 
 **354 _2 4- Pfor thee and for such olde sieke. C. ADECx = P. 
 J356-20. Bettre is to make a beau. ACE. 
 
 357-7. if thou be wel bethoght. C. DECx = P. A inserts the before beth. in 
 P's line. 
 359-30. king Lamenedon. AC. 
 {360-19. ben for be. C. 
 1364-14. Wich to Seyx. AC. 
 *364-28. /for he. AC. 
 
 365-1 1. -musette for musique. AC. 
 1 365-28. Juesses. C. 
 365-30. if tor where. AC. (wher. E.) 
 *366~5- a for no. AC. 
 366-10. so for also. AC. 
 1367—15. Omit first and. AC. 
 +368-27. while so it. AC. 
 t37°-7- taken. C. 
 372-6. Madame, saide I. (Note caesura.) 
 372-9. forth tor for. ACDE. 
 *37 Z_I 3- for the laste. AC. 
 373-18. ACDECx omit in. 
 
 374, seven lines from bottom. ADE read cauht for sought. 
 *375- The line rhyming to In mannes soule resonable is : 
 
 Enspired to hym self scmblable. E. 
 t375- Next line Enspired &c, insert of his before feture. GE. 
 +375. Next line, read Above al erthely. DE. 
 {375. Five lines below, read fortunes. ADEG. 
 *37 5, two lines from bottom. And (DE) or all (G) for as. A as. 
 376—3- (Read one word, withal. C.) 
 
 377, six lines from bottom As for first and. G, 
 
46 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 A closes with the last line on p. 377, J have it, etc. Some owner of the MS. 
 wrote in the following : 
 
 Chaucer by writinge purchas'd fame, 
 And Gower gatt a worthy name, 
 Sweet Surrey suckt Parnassus springs, 
 And Wiatt wrote of woundrous things. 
 
 **378, fifth line from bottom is, in D, 
 
 Bnspired to hymself semblable. 
 
 (Cf. p. 375-) 
 t379~3o- ^«- c. 
 *38o-26. For secke in read seche Cx, or sechin. C. 
 
 ** In the pages at the close of the volume, C suddenly adopts the spelling 
 lokyn, lawisy sechin, stodyn, londis, worcfis, etc., for loken., etc., an important matter 
 in the study of the recensions. 
 
 ** DEG contain the matter of the King Richard copy to the bottom of p. 377, 
 and then finish the poem as follows. (Cf. P, 382-11 on.) 
 
 Which axe for to ben excused 
 That I no rethorique have used 
 Upon the forme of eloquence, 
 Ffor that is not of my science. 
 But I have doo my trewe peyne, 
 With rude wordes and with pleyne, 
 To speke of thing I have tolde. 
 But now that I am feble and olde, 
 And to the worshipe of my kyng, 
 Alone above all other thing,* 
 That I this book have made and write, 
 My muse doth me for to wite 
 That it is to me for the beste 
 Ffro * this day forth to take reste, 
 That I no more of love make ; 
 But he which hath of love his make, 
 It sitte hym wel to synge and dunce 
 And do to love his entendaunce, 
 In songes bothe and in seyenges 
 Aftir the lust of his pleienges. 
 Ffor he hath that he wolde have. 
 But where a man shal love crave 
 And faile, it stant al other wise. 
 In this proverbe seith the wise, 
 Whan game is best is best » to leve. 
 
 1 In G, In love abovt all othre thing. 
 
 2 ff in these MSS. has decidedly the function of a capital letter, for the most part. 
 
 3 G reads tyme for second best. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 47 
 
 And thus forthi my final leeve, 
 Withoute makynge eny more, 
 I take now for evermore 
 Of love and of his dedly hele, 
 Whiche no phisicien can hele. 
 Ffor his nature is so dyvers 
 That it hath ever some travcrs, 
 Or of to moche or of to lite : 
 That fully may no man delite, 
 But if hym lacke or that or this. 
 But thilke love, which that is l 
 Withynne a mannes herte affirmed l 
 And stant of charite confirmed, l 
 That love is of no repentaile, 
 Ffor it 2 bereth no contretaile, 
 Which may the conscience charge ; 
 But it is rather of descharge 
 And medeful here and overal. 
 Fforthi this love in special 
 Is good for every man to holde, 
 And, who that reson wol byholde, 
 Al other love is good to dante, 
 Whiche thing the hihe god us grante, 
 Fforth with the remenaunt of grace, 8 
 So that of hevene, in thilke place 
 Where resteth love and all 4 pees, 
 Our joye may been endeles. 
 
 E is much blurred and I may have misread it in places. 
 
 The corrections that follow have been placed by themselves, because the value 
 of manuscript authority with reference to the insertion or omission of a mute -e 
 will be considered questionable by any one who knows the condition of the texts. 
 I myself, however, consider them as valuable as any others ; so far as the evidence 
 of the particular manuscripts consulted goes, they prove that the imperfection of 
 the line is due to the lack of mute -e, and to nothing else. Tut it that they con- 
 firm a perfectly natural conjecture I Here, as above, I have made no attempt to 
 normalize the orthography. 
 
 aboute, I, 137-23. 
 
 Alceone, II, 100-3. 
 
 alle, I, 52-7, 92-5, 98-12, 154-2 ; II. 195-1 1, 308-9; III, 74-17- 
 
 anguishe, III, 262-19. 
 
 atte, III, 242-12. 
 
 baldemoine, I, 99-18. 
 
 1 The spelling in these lines is P. I have not the full notes from my MSS. 
 
 2 it ne bereth. G. 3 P's spelling in this line. *alle. E. 
 
48 READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 baneres, I, 221-3. 
 
 beclipte, III, 102-14. 
 
 beddefere, II, 229-26. 
 
 beste, II, n-15. 
 
 betidde, I, 242-15. 
 
 bidde, I, 94-20. 
 
 bledende, I, 328-27. 
 
 bote, I, 240-4. 
 
 bowe, II, 339-15. 
 
 buiste, II, 247-24. 
 
 Carmente, II, 90-7. 
 
 caste, I, 334-10. 
 
 caughte, I, 328-19. 
 
 certeinete, I, 43-8. 
 
 chaier, III, 125-22. 
 
 chivalerie, I, 28-12, 68-16, 108-30, 125-4, 220-24; H, 52-26, 65-6, 237-25; 
 
 III, 202-26. 
 chivalerous, I, 244-9. 
 couthe, I, 39-29, 186-7 > H> 47-22. 
 Custe, I, 205-12. 
 daye, I, 284-14. 
 deide, I, 261-11. 
 dethe, I, 91-2. 
 dide, I, 276-13. 
 dreinte, II, 36-12. 
 emperoures, I, 267-27. 
 faierie, I, 192-4, 213-1. 
 faireste, III, 24-5. 
 false, I, 173-6. 
 ferthe, II, 86-25. 
 
 firste, I, 83-11, 86-3, 191-15; II, 178-14, 3'3- 2 3- 
 fode, II, 183-15. 
 
 gode, I, 20-11, 84-17, 88-1, 148-17; II, 280-10, 391-29. 
 grete, I, 29-4, 41-5, 85-29, 1 19-17, 126-20, 164-11, 179-1S, 192-28, 314-8, 362- 
 
 30; II, 370-16; III, 287-8. However, grete is very often written where 
 
 no final -e is demanded by grammar or metre, 
 hadde, I, 127-12, 148-2, 354-14, 357-14; H, 9-28, 94-1, 296-25. 
 hangende, I, 98-25. 
 hatte, I, 206-19. 
 herte, I, 263-21. 
 highe, I, 152-26, 195-8. 
 highte, II, 314-3. 
 himselve, II, 189-19. 
 hirselve, I, 352-19. 
 
READINGS IN GOWER. 49 
 
 hire, I, 54-13,71-14,98-11,149-9,161-27, 282-30, 331-26; II, 20-22, 39-17, 
 59-10, 98-11, 109-23, 122-25, r 55- IO > 166-28, 314-13, 333-15, 335-5, 
 34I-S. 344-26, 349-12, 352-19; III, 7-30, 18-26, 262-12, 340-29. Its 
 grammatical propriety sometimes questionable. 
 
 honeste, III, 188-3. 
 
 honestely, I, 70-15 ; III, 262-13. 
 
 horse, I, 209-25. 
 
 houres, III, 46-27. 
 
 housebond, I, 70-29, 74-21, 185-7, 301-26; II, 104-13, 144-3, 150-24, 221-22, 
 2S1-20, 329-4 ; III, 260-8, 260-23, 261-19, 263-2, 271-15. 
 
 insighte, III, 19-6. 
 
 jangeler, II, 144-25. 
 
 kutte, III, 202-7, 8. 
 
 laste, I, 31-22. 
 
 lecherouse, III, 259-22. 
 
 lefte, I, 301-1. 
 
 leste, II, 143-12. 
 
 lothlieste, I, 98-20. 
 
 loste, I, 287-8. 
 
 makende, I, 183-13. 
 
 maydenes, II, 10-5. 
 
 mighte, I, 54-8, 71-24, 84-9, 92-19, 120-20, 156-n, 176-30, 179-11, 218-24, 
 218-25, 332-9, 336-27, 350-16; II, 110-24, 251-20, 205-20; III, 28-12, 
 42-26. 
 
 mightieste, II, 176-25. 
 
 moste, I, 52-13 ; II, 164-25, 231-13, 231-15 ; III, 4-8, 207-8. 
 
 muste, I, 23-6, 50-21, 150-4, 190-23, 296-2; II, 78-17, 203-18. 
 
 nigh te, I, 249-23; 11,9-27; III, 216-12. 
 
 ofte, I, 52-19. 
 
 openliche, I, 76-26. 
 
 oughte, I, 178-9, 297-24 ; II, 184-12, 238-4; III, 211-13. 
 
 oute, I, 328-11 ; III, 62-21. 
 
 plainte, I, 297-26. 
 
 preie, I, 69-6. 
 
 rede, I, 173-12. 
 
 rememberaunce, I, 246-3. 
 
 ridende, I, 214-24. 
 
 righte, I, 15-21, 191-17 ; II, 138-2. 
 
 rollende, III, 216-21. 
 
 roughte, I, 240-15. 
 
 sailende, II, 26-1 1. 
 
 seide, I, 49-24, 94-5; II, 207-23. 
 
 seie, II, 18-30, 352-27. 
 
 sekerliche, I, 99-28, 1 14-13. 
 
5° READINGS IN GOWER. 
 
 sende, II, 65-28. The MSS. are very careful in writing sende, whatever the 
 
 character of the line, 
 shippe, I, 200-10. 
 shulde, II, 291-8. 
 sighte, I, 56-23. 
 sinne, I, 347-21- 
 slepende, II, 309-17. 
 sothe, I, 207-9. 
 sovereinete, I, 1 04-11. 
 spraulende, II, 5-1 1. 
 stinte, I, 197-22. 
 suche, I, 99-13. 
 surquiderie, I, 105-11, 106-19, 107-5, 108-29, I0 9 _I 7. 2 6, 110-9, 11 1-7, 112-25, 
 
 113-16, 22, 116-26, 117-1, 16, 1 18-12 (and -it', a thing of very frequent 
 
 occurrence in Gower), 142-40. 
 taughte, I, 15-29, 185-4. 
 thenkende, I, 181-20, 185-17. 
 therinne, II, 139-23. 
 thoughte, I, 24-23, 1 13-4, 147-29, 189-25, 192-24, 244-3; JI > 2_l8 > 3 2 0-8» 385- 
 
 13 ; III, 261-26. 
 touchende, III, 383-7. 
 unkinde, I, 128-17 > H> 284-27. 
 unkindeship, II, 301-29, 31 1-7. 
 veyne gloire, I, 132, nine lines from bottom and nine from top, 134-3, 136-3, and 
 
 eight lines from bottom, 140-3, 141-3, 142-2, 6, 144-3, I 44~ 2I > 22 - 
 veynglorie, I, 141-26. 
 wakende, III, 69-21. 
 walkende, I, 291-20; II, 293-19. 
 weie, I, 1 00-9. 
 welthe, I, 87-27. 
 wente, I, 93-16, 202-1 
 whiche, I, 324-14. 
 wille, I, 319-26. 
 wiste, I, 1 48-1 1. 
 wite, I, 93-19, 94-3. 
 
 withoute, I, 317-12 ; II, 131-30, 324-30. 
 worlde, I, 43-20, 302-10. 
 worse, I, 25-14. 
 worste, I, 145-n. 
 
 wroghte, I, 255-10; III, 50-3, 246-14. 
 ydropesie, II, 135-29. 
 youre, I, 316-1; II, 226-11. 
 
publications of ttye diversity of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Series of Philology, Literature, and Archaeology. 
 
 ,' Volume I. 
 
 i. Poetic and Verse Criticism of the Reign of Elizabeth. 
 
 By Felix E, Schelling, Professor of English Literature. JSi.oo. 
 
 2. A Fragment of the Babylonian '' Dibbarra " Epic. 
 
 By Morris Jastrovv, Jr., Professor of Arabic. 60 cents. 
 
 3. a. Ilpis.with the Accusative, b. "' Mote on a Passage in the Antigone. 
 
 By William A. Lamberton, Professor of the Greek Language and Literature. 50 cents. 
 
 4. The Gambling Games of the Chinese in America : Fin fan and Pik k6p piii. 
 
 By Stewart Culin, Secretary of the Museum of Archaeology and Palaeontology. 40 cents. 
 
 Volume II. 
 
 i. Recent Archaeological Explorations in the Valley of the Delaware River-. 
 
 By Charles C. Abbott, Curator of the Museum of American Archaeology. 75 cents. 
 
 2. The Terrace at Persepolis. , 
 
 By Morton W. EastOn, Professor of Comparative Philology., 25 cents. "' 
 
 3. On the Articular Infinitive in Demosthenes. 
 
 By William A. Lamberton,, Professor of the Greek Language and Literature. 
 
 '' 1 (In. preparation?) 
 
 4. The- Life and Writings of George Gascoigne. 
 
 By Felix E. Schelling, Professor of English Literature. $1.00. 
 
 Volume III. 
 
 1.. Assynaca. 
 
 By Herman V. Hilprecht, Professor of Assyrian and Curator of Babylonian Antiquities. 
 
 ■■,.-.' ; ■ rji.50, 
 
 2. A Primer of Mayan Hieroglyphics. ,j .'.s 
 
 By D,aniel G. Brinton, Professor of American Archaeology and Linguistics. JS1-.20. 
 
 Volume IV. 
 
 1. The Rhymes of Gower's Confessio Amantis. 
 
 By Morton W. Easton, Professor of English and Comparative Philology. 
 
 To be followed by : — 
 
 Social Changes in the Sixteenth Century as Reflected in Contemporary Literature. 
 
 By Edward P. Cheyney, Assistant Professor of History, , 
 
 a A Re-examination of the Trenton Gravels. 
 By Charles C. Abbott, M.D. ? 
 
 b Paleolithic Man oh the Delaware. 
 
 By Henry C. Mercer, of the Museum of American Archaeology. 
 
 The Building Operations of Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon. 
 
 By Morris Jastrow, Jr., Professor of Semitic Languages. 
 
 Plutarch as a Philologian. 
 
 Cy Alfred Gudeman, Associate Professor of Classical Philology.' 
 
 Two Plays of Miguel Sanchez, ," El Di'vino." 
 
 By Hugo A.'Rennert, Professor of; Romance Languages and Literatures. 
 
 AGENTS FOR UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND ENGLAND, 
 
 GINN & COMPANY, 
 
 7-13 Tremont Place, Hosto.v, U.S.A. 
 
 i 
 
 *