The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Name: The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works
Author: Gower, John

Gower, John

Poetry

In thing which he hath forto done.
  Of Adamant is that perrie
  In which he worcheth his maistrie;
  Thilke herbe also which him befalleth,
  Cicorea the bok it calleth.[1036]                               1400
      [Sidenote: Duodecima stella vocatur Alpheta, cuius lapis
      Topazion[1037] et herba Rosa marina est.]
    Alpheta in the nombre sit,
  And is the twelfthe sterre yit;
  Of Scorpio which is governed,
  And takth his kinde, as I am lerned;
  And hath his vertu in the Ston
  Which cleped is Topazion:[1038]
  His herbe propre is Rosmarine,
  Which schapen is for his covine.
      [Sidenote: Terciadecima stella vocatur Cor Scorpionis,
      cuius lapis Sardis et herba Aristologia[1039] est.]
    Of these sterres, whiche I mene,
  Cor Scorpionis is thritiene;                                    1410
  The whos nature Mart and Jove
  Have yoven unto his behove.
  His herbe is Aristologie,[1040]
  Which folweth his Astronomie:
  The Ston which that this sterre alloweth,
  Is Sardis, which unto him boweth.
      [Sidenote: Quartadecima stella vocatur Botercadent, cuius
      lapis Crisolitus et herba Satureia est.]
    The sterre which stant next the laste,
  Nature on him this name caste
  And clepeth him Botercadent;
  Which of his kinde obedient                                     1420
  Is to Mercurie and to Venus.
  His Ston is seid Crisolitus,
  His herbe is cleped Satureie,
  So as these olde bokes seie.
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 133=]
      [Sidenote: Quintadecima stella vocatur Cauda Scorpionis,
      cuius lapis Calcedonia et herba Maiorana est.]
    Bot nou the laste sterre of alle
  The tail of Scorpio men calle,
  Which to Mercurie and to Satorne
  Be weie of kinde mot retorne
  After the preparacion
  Of due constellacion.                                           1430
  The Calcedoine unto him longeth,
  Which for his Ston he underfongeth;
  Of Majorane his herbe is grounded.
  Thus have I seid hou thei be founded,
  Of every sterre in special,
  Which hath his herbe and Ston withal,
  As Hermes in his bokes olde
  Witnesse berth of that I tolde.
                    [Sidenote: [AUTHORS OF THE SCIENCE OF ASTRONOMY.]]
    The science of Astronomie,
  Which principal is of clergie                                   1440
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Auctoribus illis, qui ad Astronomie
      scienciam pre ceteris studiosius intendentes libros super
      hoc distinctis nominibus composuerunt.]
  To dieme betwen wo and wel
  In thinges that be naturel,
  Thei hadde a gret travail on honde[1041]
  That made it ferst ben understonde;
  And thei also which overmore
  Here studie sette upon this lore,
  Thei weren gracious and wys
  And worthi forto bere a pris.
  And whom it liketh forto wite
  Of hem that this science write,                                 1450
  On of the ferste which it wrot
  After Noë, it was Nembrot,
  To his disciple Ychonithon
  And made a bok forth therupon

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English worksGower, John

History

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Gower, John

Poetry

In thing which he hath forto done.
  Of Adamant is that perrie
  In which he worcheth his maistrie;
  Thilke herbe also which him befalleth,
  Cicorea the bok it calleth.[1036]                               1400
      [Sidenote: Duodecima stella vocatur Alpheta, cuius lapis
      Topazion[1037] et herba Rosa marina est.]
    Alpheta in the nombre sit,
  And is the twelfthe sterre yit;
  Of Scorpio which is governed,
  And takth his kinde, as I am lerned;
  And hath his vertu in the Ston
  Which cleped is Topazion:[1038]
  His herbe propre is Rosmarine,
  Which schapen is for his covine.
      [Sidenote: Terciadecima stella vocatur Cor Scorpionis,
      cuius lapis Sardis et herba Aristologia[1039] est.]
    Of these sterres, whiche I mene,
  Cor Scorpionis is thritiene;                                    1410
  The whos nature Mart and Jove
  Have yoven unto his behove.
  His herbe is Aristologie,[1040]
  Which folweth his Astronomie:
  The Ston which that this sterre alloweth,
  Is Sardis, which unto him boweth.
      [Sidenote: Quartadecima stella vocatur Botercadent, cuius
      lapis Crisolitus et herba Satureia est.]
    The sterre which stant next the laste,
  Nature on him this name caste
  And clepeth him Botercadent;
  Which of his kinde obedient                                     1420
  Is to Mercurie and to Venus.
  His Ston is seid Crisolitus,
  His herbe is cleped Satureie,
  So as these olde bokes seie.
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 133=]
      [Sidenote: Quintadecima stella vocatur Cauda Scorpionis,
      cuius lapis Calcedonia et herba Maiorana est.]
    Bot nou the laste sterre of alle
  The tail of Scorpio men calle,
  Which to Mercurie and to Satorne
  Be weie of kinde mot retorne
  After the preparacion
  Of due constellacion.                                           1430
  The Calcedoine unto him longeth,
  Which for his Ston he underfongeth;
  Of Majorane his herbe is grounded.
  Thus have I seid hou thei be founded,
  Of every sterre in special,
  Which hath his herbe and Ston withal,
  As Hermes in his bokes olde
  Witnesse berth of that I tolde.
                    [Sidenote: [AUTHORS OF THE SCIENCE OF ASTRONOMY.]]
    The science of Astronomie,
  Which principal is of clergie                                   1440
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Auctoribus illis, qui ad Astronomie
      scienciam pre ceteris studiosius intendentes libros super
      hoc distinctis nominibus composuerunt.]
  To dieme betwen wo and wel
  In thinges that be naturel,
  Thei hadde a gret travail on honde[1041]
  That made it ferst ben understonde;
  And thei also which overmore
  Here studie sette upon this lore,
  Thei weren gracious and wys
  And worthi forto bere a pris.
  And whom it liketh forto wite
  Of hem that this science write,                                 1450
  On of the ferste which it wrot
  After Noë, it was Nembrot,
  To his disciple Ychonithon
  And made a bok forth therupon

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

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