The Handbook of Specimens of English Literature

32. John Gower, d. 1402. (Handbook, pars. 47, 100, 115.)

Called, from the grave and sententious turn of his poetry, the Moral Gower.' His chief work is in three parts, of which the last, the Confessio Amantis, is in English, and was written in 1392. The following is, in Warton's opinion, no bad specimen of Gower's most poetical manner.'

Rosiphele's Vision of Ladies.

Whan come was the moneth of Maie,
She wolde walke vpon a daie,
And that was er the sonne arist,a
Of women but a fewe it wist.
And forth she went priuely
Unto the parke was faste by,
All softe walkende b on the gras,
Tyll she came there the launde was,
Through whiche there ran a great
rivère.

And as she caste hir eie aboute,
She sigh clad in one sute a route J
Of ladies, where thei comen ride
A longe vnder the woodde side;
On fayre ambulende hors thei set,
That were all white, fayre, and great,
And euerichone ride on side.
The sadels were of suche a pride,
With perles and golde so well be-
gone; m

So riche sigh she neuer none:
In kirtels and in copes riche
They were clothed all aliche,
Departed P euen of white and blewe,
With all lustes, that she knewe
They were embroudered ouer all
Her bodies weren longe and smali,
The beautee of herb fayre face
There maie non erthly thynge deface.
Corownes on their heades thei bere,
As eche of hem a quene were;
That all the golde of Cresus hall,
The leaste coronall of all,
Might not haue boughte, after the
worth:

Thus comen thei ridend forth.
Confessio Amantis. Book iv.

33. Sir John Mandeville, fl. 1356. (Handbook, pars. 40, 299.)

The Dead Sea.

Two myle from Jerico is flom Jordan; and ye shall wete the dead sea departeth the lande of Jude and Araby, and the water of that sea is right bitter; and this water casteth out a thinge that men call Aspatum, as great pieces as an horse, and Hierusalem is cc furlonges from this sea, and so it is called the dead sea, for it runneth not, nor no man ne beast, that hath life, that is therein may lyue; and that hath bene proued many times, for they haue cast therein men that were judged to death; nor no man may drinke of that water, and if a man cast a fether therein it goeth to the grounde, and that is against kinde. And there about grow trees that beare fruite of faire colour and seme rype, but when a man breaketh them or cut them, he findeth nought in them but coales or asshes, in tokening that throughe the vengaunce of God, those cities were brent with the fyre of hell. The Voiage and Trauayle of Syr John Maundeuile. Lond., 1568.

Why the Mahometans never drink Wine.

And also Machomete loued wel a gode heremyte that duelled in the desertes, a myle from Mount Synay in the weye that men gon fro Arabye toward Caldee, and toward Ynde, o day iorney fro the See wher the Marchaunts of Venyse comen often for marchandize. And so often wente Machomete to his heremyte that all his men were wrothe, for he wolde gladly here this heremyte preche, and make his men wake all nyght, and therefore his men thoughten to putte the heremyte to deth, and so befell upon a nyght that Machomete was dronken of god wyn and he fell on slepe, and his men toke Machomete's swerd out of his schethe, whils he slepte, and there with thei slowgh this heremyte and putte his swerd al blody in his schethe azen, and at morwe whan he fond the heremyte ded, he was fully sory and wroth, and wolde haue don his men to deth, but thei all with on accord [said] that he him self had slayn him whan he was dronken, and schewed him his swerd all blody, and he trowed that thei hadden seyd soth. And than he cursed the wyn, and all tho that drynken it. And therfore Sarrazines that be deuout drynken neuer no wyn, but sum drynken it priuyly, for zif thei dronken it openly thei scholde ben reproued. But thei drynken

gode beuerage and swete and norysshynge that is made of Galamell, and that is that men maken sugr' of that is of right gode sauor, and it is gode for the breest.

The Voiage and Trauayle of Syr John Maundeuile.

34. Chevy Chase, 1400-1450. (Handbook, pars. 54, 104.) Supposed to have been written between 1400 and 1450, by Richard Sheale. The following is the old version of the ballad, and is probably the form that moved Sidney's heart as with a trumpet.' The more modern ballad, criticised by Addison in the Spectator, Nos. 70 and 74, may be seen in Percy's Reliques.