lacke of a feete Englishe worde, yet this ought not to be a presidente to us, to heape them in, where as nedeth not, and where as we have all redie wordes approved and received, of the same effecte and strength. The whiche if any man wante, let hym resorte to this worthy olde writer Johan Gower, that shal as a lanterne give him lighte to write cunningly, and to garnishe his sentences in our vulgare tonge. The whiche noble auctour I prostrate at your graces feete, most lowly present and beseche your highnes, that it maie go forth under your graces favour. And I shall ever praie God that is almightie, preserve your roiall majestee in most longe continuance of all welthe, honour, glorie, and grace infinite. Amen."

"To the Reader.

"In time past whan this warke was printed, I can not conjecte, what was the cause therof, the prologue before was cleane altered. And by that mene it wolde seme, that Gower did compile it at the requeste of the noble Duke Henry of Lancastre. And although the bookes that be written, be contrarie, yet I have folowed therin the print copie, for as muche as it maie serve both waies, and because moste copies of the same warke are in printe: but yet I thought it good to warne the reder that the written copies do not agree with the printed. Therfore I have printed here those same lines that I fynde in the written copies. The whiche alteracion ye shall perceive began at the xxiii line in the prologue, and goth forth on, as ye se here folowyng.

"In our Englishe I thinke make
A boke for kynge Richardes sake,
To whom belongeth my ligeance
With all my hertes obeisance,
In all that ever a liege man
Unto his kynge maie done or can,
So far forth I me recommunde

To hym, whiche all me maie commande,
Pritende unto the high reigne,

Whiche causeth every kynge to reigne,
That his corone longe stonde.

I thinke & have it understonde,
As it befill upon a tide,

As thynge, whiche shulde tho betide,
Under the towne of newe Troie,
Whiche toke of Brute his firste joye,
In Themse, whan it was flowende,
As I by bote came rowende:
So as fortune hir tyme sette,
My liege lorde perchance I mette.
And so befelle as I cam nigh,
Out of my bote, whan he me sigh,
He bad me come into his barge;
And whan I was with him at large,
Amonges other thynges seyde,
He hath this charge upon me leyde,
And bad me do my businesse,
That to his high worthinesse
Some newe thynge I shulde boke,

That he hym selfe it might loke,
After the forme of my writynge,
And this upon his commandyng
Myn herte is well the more glad
To write so as he me bad.

And eke my feare is well the lasse,
That none envie shall compasse,
Without a reasonable wite

To feige & blame that I write.
A gentill herte his tonge stilleth,
That it malice none distilleth,

But preiseth, that is to be preised:
But he that hath his worde unpeised
And handleth with ronge any thynge,
I praie unto the heven kynge,
Fro suche tonges he me shilde.
And netheles this worlde is wilde.
Of such jangling & what befall,
My kynges heste shall not falle,

That I in hope to deserve

His thonke, me shall his will observe,

And els were I nought excused.

For that thyng maie nought be refused,

What that a kynge hym selfe bit.

For thy the simplest of my wit

I thynke if that it maie availe,
In his service to travaile,

Though I sickenes have upon honde,

And longe have had, yet woll I fonde,
So as I made my beheste,

To make a boke after his heste,

And write in such a maner wise,

Which maie be wisedome to the wise,

And plaie to hem that list to plaie.

But in proverbe I have herde saie,

That who that well his warke beginneth,

The rather a good ende he winneth.
And thus the prologue of my boke,
After the worlde, that whilom toke,

And eke som dele after the newe,

I woll begyn for to mewe.

And thus I saie for these lxx lynes, there be as many other printed, that be cleane contrarie unto these both in sentence and in meanyng. Furthermore there were lefte out in divers places of the worke lines and columes, ye and some tyme holle padges, whiche caused, that this moste pleasant and easy auctour coude not well be perceived: for that and chaungeyng of wordes, and misordrynge of sentences, wolde have mased his mynde in redyng that had ben very well lerned: and what can be a greater blemishe unto a noble auctour? And for to preise worthily unto you the great lernyng of this auctour, I knowe my selfe right much unable, ye shall your selfe now deeme, whan ye shall see hym (as nere as I can) set forth in his own shappe and likenes. And this the mene tyme I may be bolde to saie, that if we shulde never have sene his connyng warkes, the whiche even at the full do witnesse, what a clarke he was, the wordes of the moste famous and excellente Geffraie Chaucer, that he wrote in the ende of his most special warke, that is intitled Troilus and Creseide, do sufficiently testifie the same, where he saith:

O morall Gower, this boke I directe
To the, & to the philosophicall Strode,
To vouchsafe, ther nede is, to correcte
Of your benignitees & zeles good.

By the whiche wordes of Chaucer, we maie also understande, that he and Gower were both of one

selfe, tyme, both excellently lerned, both great frendes together, and both a like endeavoured themselves, and imploied their tyme so well and so vertuously, that thei did not onely passe forth their lifes here right honorably, but also for their so doyenge, so longe (of likelyhode) as letters shall endure and continue, this noble royalme shall be the better, over and beside their honest fame and renowme. And thus whan thei had gone their journey, the one of them, that is to say, John Gower prepared for his bones a restyng place in the monasterie of Saynt Marie Overes, where somewhat after the olde facion he lieth right sumptuousely buried, with a garlande on his head, in token that he in his life daies flourished freshely in literature and science. And the same monumente, in remembrance of hym erected, is on the north side of the foresaid churche, in the chapell of Sainte John, where he hath of his owne foundacion a masse daily songe. And moreover he hath an obite yerely, done for hym within the same churche, on Fridaie after the feaste of the blessed pope Saynte Gregorie.

"Beside on the wall where he lieth, there be peinted three virgins, with crownes on their heades, one of the which is written Charitie, and she holdeth this divise in hir honde

En toy qui es fitz de dieu le pere

Sauve soit, qui gist souz cest piere.

The second is written Mercie, which holdeth in hir hande this divise :

O bone Jesu, fait ta mercie

Al alme, dont le corps gist icy.