The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English worksGower, John
General
The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works
Gower, John
Poetry
The translation was made from a copy of the first recension. So far
as I can judge by the extracts with which the Librarian has furnished
me, it is a tolerably close version. For example, Prol. 22 ff. ‘e
por que pocos escriven en lenguaje yngles yo entiendo de componer
en el un lybro a onrra del Rey rricardo cuyo sugebto yo so en todo
obedescimiento de mi coraçon, como dicho sugebto puede y deue a su
dicho señor,... asy fue que un tiempo acaescio como avía de ser que yo
yendo en un batel a rremos por el rrio de atenas que va a la cibdad
de noua troya ... y yo estonces falle por ventura a este mi señor e
luego como me vido mando que fuese a una barca en que el venia, y
entre otras cosas que me dixo,’ &c. And again viii. 2941 ff. (the
Chaucer greeting), ‘Saluda de mi parte a caucer mi disciplo e mi poeta,
quando con el topares, el qual por mi en la su mancibia fiso toda su
diligencia para componer y escreuir desyres e cantares de diversas
maneras de los quales toda la tierra es llena, por la qual cosa en
especial le soy mucho tenido mas que a ninguno de los otros. Por ende
dile que le enbio desir que tal esta en su postrimera hedad por dar fyn
a todas sus obras se travaje de faser su testamento de amor, asi como
tu has fecho agora en tu confision.’
EDITIONS. The _Confessio Amantis_ has been already six times printed,
viz. by Caxton, by Berthelette (twice), in Chalmers’ English Poets, by
Pauli, and by Prof. Henry Morley. All the later editions are dependent,
directly or indirectly, on Berthelette.
CAXTON printed the _Conf. Amantis_ in 1483. His text is a composite
one, taken from at least three MSS. At first he follows a copy of the
third recension, either the Magdalen MS. itself or one remarkably
like it, and he continues this for more than half the book, up to
about v. 4500. Then for a time he seems to follow a second recension
copy, either alone or in combination with the other, but from about
v. 6400 to the end he prints from a manuscript of the unrevised first
recension, inserting however the additional passages in the seventh
book and the conclusion (after the Chaucer greeting) from one of his
other MSS. The account of the books ‘Quia vnusquisque’ at the end is
from a first recension MS. The principle, no doubt, was to include as
much as possible, but two of the additional passages, v. 7015*-7036*
and 7086*-7210*, were omitted, probably by oversight, while a first
recension copy was being followed. The later form of epilogue was
perhaps printed rather than the other because it is longer. Caxton
prints the lines at the end of the Prologue, which are given only by
Δ, and there are some other indications that he had a MS. of this
type; but he had also one of the AdBT group, which alone contain vii.
2329*-2340* and 3149*-3180*.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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