2CG 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE LANGUAGE OF GOWERS COXPES3IO A.MAXH3. 



Gov, 



TOY 



samo 



language, I have thought it well to see what light could be got from Gower. 

 was a contemporary, who lived in the same part of England and in much the 

 society, and would therefore be likely to use nearly or quite the same dialect. The only 

 objection to using Grower's language in illustration of Chaucer's is that he composed a 

 good deal in French. That his language was somewhat affected by this circumstance 

 may be seen by his un-English use of the 

 truth, for truth : the man, for man : the mi 



1 



the speech, for speech ; the 



kind, for mankind : th 



gold, for gold, 



He 



says the God. We observe, also, in his style a poverty of expression and a want of 

 which were probably caused in part by his using foreign languages so much as he 



did. Nevertheless, the p 



forms and 



of words as will cmo/3 all doubt of the 



G 



The Confv 



;e Chaucer. 



Amantis is, excepting* a few trifles, G 



of employ 



En 



It 



poem of about 3-1,000 



8 (or 9) 



but aa this poem never could have had 



Many 



popularity to be compared with that of 



Canterbury Tales, the presumption is that it has suffered less from repeated coin 



A 



faithful p 



;• 





of 



best 



pts would therefore be extremely 



sirable. Instead of this, Messrs. Bell cc Daloy, the successors of Pickering 

 year-, ago a magnificent book, edited by Dr. einhold Pauli. mnt^'^cr » 



* restored," and 



by Dr. Reinhold Pauli, containing a text founded 

 f a printed edition by Berthelette bearing the date 1532, with the orthography 



f MS. IJarl. 7184 



of which, we aic told, "had be 

 The restoring and regulating were done 



ami 



f 



phy of 



What constitutes a judicious orthography 



under emid- 



o 



>r to be judicious 



not informed, nor 



the right form of 



does it seem to have struck the editor that all quest 



* * nt of ease i, a mild phrase. In a complex sentence he is soon out of his depth, and flounders about 

 Bee a « bore! clerk » indeed. For example, tbongb the case is a strong one : 



The wortlu knight Protlie day, 

 on his pai • where he lay, 

 towardes Troie thilke siege, 

 she which was all his owue liege 

 Laodomie, hia lusty wife, 



which for his love was pensife 



as he which e all her herte hadde, 



upon a thing wherof she dradde, 



a letter for to make him dwelle 



fro Troie, send him thus to telle, etc., ii. Go. 



t The restored or tography is at any rate not consistent 



UIGHT. 



the more he earn the Well high. i. 120, 



bo mm she to him pm\'ly, L 148. 



wi:o:cg. 



that Christ that came this world to pave, i. 180. 



came for to preien Ulixes, ii. 62. 



