Retrospect of Domestic Literature—M iscellanies. 
tontains two documents of ‘no trifling 
importance; the Will of Gower, and the 
copy of a Deed, dated in 1346, which 
appears to prove that he was of the 
house of Gower of Stitenham; copied 
from the original m the library of the 
marquis of Stafford, The third division 
of the Iiflustrations contains “* An Account 
of some valuable Manuscripts of Gower 
and Chaucer,” which Mr. Todd has had 
an opportunity of examining, Thefourth 
exhibits ‘* Extracts from Gower’s Con- 
fessio Amantis.” The fifth contains 
Chaucer’s Prologue to the ‘* Canterbury 
Tales,” and ‘“* The Floure and the Leafe;” 
accompanied by numerous Notes. The 
sixth presents us with ‘ Some Poems 
supposed to be written by Chaucer du- 
ring his Imprisonment;” found at the 
beginning of lord Statfurd’s Manuscript 
“of the Canterbury Tales, ch two leaves 
before the prologue. To strengthen his 
opinion that they are the composition 
of Chaucer, Mr. Todd has selected se- 
veral parallel passages from the genuine 
writings of the poet. The first of these 
poems opens: 
*¢ Flalfe in dede sclepe, not fully revyved, 
Rudely my sylfe as I lay alone, 
With troubled dremes sore was I mevyd, 
All worldly joy passed and overgone: | 
‘Me semyd full sore I made my mone ; 
Mynde, thought, resonable wythe had I none ; 
Thus I lay sclomberyng a owre to my dome. 
As thusI lay avexed full sore 
In such thynges,: as of right by the agayne 
nature, 
I herdea voyce seyyng,Sclepe thow no more. 
Aryse and wake to thy besy cure ; 
Thy mynde, thy hert, thy body thow alure 
To such that wyll fall next, thothy mynde 5 
Take thy penne in thy hand, stedfaste and 
sure 5 
“ Awake, awake, of comfort full blynde.” 
On the tenth of these verses, Mr. Todd 
observes, “© The Commentators on 
Shakespeare will be delighted with this 
poem, if it be only for the sake of placing 
the exclamation in this line under that 
of Macbeth: 
¢* Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no 
more ! 
Macbeth has murder’d sleep.” 
The conclusion of the second poem is 
not less deserving the reader’s perusal : 
s¢ Go lytell balade, full of rude composicion, 
Softe and mekely no thynge to bolde ; 
Pray all, that of the shall have inspexion, 
Thy derke ignoraunce that they pardon wolde; 
Sey that thow were made in a pryson colde, 
Thy makir standyng in dysese and grevaunce, 
Which cawsed hym the so symply to 
avaunce !”* 
Monrury Mac, No, 201, 
*, 
At the end of all is a valuable glossary of 
eighty pages. In placing Gower before 
Chaucer, both in what relates to the 
manuscripts of his poetry, and in the. 
extracts made from his works, Mr. Vodd 
has merely consulted chronological: pros: 
priety. Prefixed to the title 1s a full- 
length portrait of Chaucer, from lord 
Stafford’s manuscript. In another part, 
of the work aré aceurate engravings of 
the tombs of both poets. 
Another valuable work, though of a 
humbler description in the miscellaneous 
class, will be found in Mr. MorrimeEn’s 
‘““ Grammar, illustrating the Principles 
and Practice of Trade and. Comixerce 3 
jor the Use of Young Persons intended 
Jor Business.” 
It opens with a few ge= 
neral definitions, followed by an enume- 
ration of the prineipal branclres of trade 
and manufacture in Great Britain and 
Ireland. ‘An alphabetical list of mers 
chantable commodities is next intro- 
duced; followed by a collection of coms 
mercial towns, usages, and institutions; 
a list of the principal ports of every tra- 
ding nation throughout the world, with 
the branches of commerce peculiar to 
each; a list of the canals of Great Bri- 
tain and Ireland; an account of all the 
real and imaginary monies in the world, 
with their’ values in British sterling; a 
table of the agreement which the weights 
of the principal places in Europe have 
with each other; commercial marks and 
characters; a commercial nomenclature 
of the denominations of the chief arti- 
cles of trade, in twelve different lane 
guages; maxims of esperience, and ques= 
tions. 
Here also we shall give a place to 
Major Cuampertin’s “ Practical In- 
structions to, Young Officers, relutive to 
the interior Discipline ofa Regiment of 
Fost.” They appear principally de- 
signed for officers commanding local 
militia and volunteers, and for. young 
officers in general, whose opportunities 
of becoming acquainted with the interior 
economy of a battalion have been tew. 
In the miscellaneous class also, as it 
has no companion to accompany it in its , 
own class, we shall place Dr. Dicxson’s 
“ Grammar of the First Principles of 
Agriculiure;” furnishing a means by 
« which to instil usefal and important facts 
into the minds of young persons, who are 
likely to pass thcir lives in rural occu 
pations, whether as country gentiemen, 
or practical fariners. 
glossary of terms. 
Mr. ALexanper Cuarmers’s “ Hise. 
tory of the Univer ty of Oxford, includ- 
: AN : 
Lk rig 
637 
At the end is a’ 
a 
a 
