The famous John Ball is here referred to, the apostle of the revolt, who died quartered. See below, p. 413. [619] Est sibi crassus equus, restatque scientia macra ... Ad latus et cornu sufflans gerit, unde redundant Mons, nemus, unde lepus visa pericla fugit.... Clamor in ore canum, dum vociferantur in unum, Est sibi campana psallitur unde Deo. Stat sibi missa brevis devotio longaque campis, Quo sibi cantores deputat esse canes. (p. 176.) [620] Conficit ex vitris gemma oculo pretiosas. (p. 275.) [621] Rex es, regina satis est, tibi sufficit una. (p. 316.) [622] "Confessio Amantis." There exists of it no satisfactory edition, and it is to be hoped the Early English Text Society, that has already rendered so many services, will soon render this greatly needed one, Pauli's edition, London, 1857, 3 vols. 8vo, is very faulty; H. Morley's edition (Carisbrooke Library, London, 1889, 8vo) is expurgated. Gower wrote in English some minor poems, in especial "The Praise of Peace" (in the "Political Poems," of Wright, Rolls). The "Confessio" is written in octo-syllabic couplets, with four accents. This poem should be compared with French compilations of the same sort, and especially with the "Castoiement d'un pere a son fils," thirteenth century, a series of tales in verse, told by the father to castigate and edify the son, text in Barbazan and Meon, "Fabliaux," Paris, 1808, 4 vols. 8vo, vol. ii. [623] "Confessio," Pauli's ed., p. 2. [624] Gower wrote two successive versions of his poem: the first about 1384, the second about 1393. In this last one, having openly taken the side of the future Henry IV. (which was very bold of him), he suppressed all allusions to Richard. In the first version, instead of, A boke for Englondes sake, he had written: A boke for King Richardes sake. [625] Vol. i. pp. 89 ff. In Chaucer, the story is told by the Wife of Bath. [626] Beginning of Book i. [627] Already had been seen in the "Roman": Comment Nature la deesse A son pretre se confesse ... "Genius, dit-elle, beau pretre, D'une folie que j'ai faite, A vous m'en vuel faire confesse;" and under pretence of confessing herself, she explains the various systems of the universe at great length. [628] In Mrs. Egerton, 1991, fol. 7, in the British Museum, reproduced in my "Piers Plowman," p. 11. CHAPTER IV. _WILLIAM LANGLAND AND HIS VISIONS._ Gower's books were made out of books. Chaucer's friend carries us in imagination to the paradise of Eros, or to a Patmos of his own invention, from whence he foretells the end of the world; but whatever he does or says we are always perfectly aware of where we are: we are in his library.