EXTRACTS

FROM THE

CONFESSIO AMANTIS

OF

GOWER.

The Dedication and Preface from Berthelet's edition of the Poem in 1532.

To the moste victorious and our moste gracious soueraigne lorde kynge Henry the viij. kynge of Englande and of France, defender of the feyth, and lorde of Irelande, etc.

Plutarke wryteth, whan Alexander had discomfyte Darius the kynge of Perse, among other iewels of the sayde kynges there was founde a curyous lyttell cheste of great value, which the noble kynge Alexander beholdynge sayde, This same shall serve for Homere. Whiche is noted for the greate loue and fauour that Alexander had vnto lernynge. But this I thynke veryly, that his loue and fauour therto was not so great as your gracis: which caused me, moost victorious and

moste redoubted soueraigne lorde, after I had printed THIS WARKE, to deuyse with my selfe, whether I myght be so bolde to presente your hyghnesse with one of them, and so in your gracis name putte them forthe. Your moste hygh and moste princely maieste abasshed and cleane discouraged me so to do, both bicause the present (as concernynge the value) was farre tosymple, (as me thought,) and bycause it was other wyse my acte but as I toke some peyne to prynte it more correctly than it was before. And though I shulde saye, that it was not moche greatter peyne to that excellent clerke, THE MORALL IOHN GOWER, to compyle the same noble warke, than it was to me to prynt it; no man will beleve it, without conferringe both the printis, the olde and myn together. And as I stode in this basshement, I remembred your incomparable clemency, the whiche, as I haue my selfe sometyme sene, moste graciously accepteth the sklender gyftes of small value, whiche your highnes perceyued were offred with great and louynge affection; and that, not onely of the nobuls and great estates, but also of your meane subiectes: The whiche so moche boldeth me agayne, that though I of all other am your moste humble subiecte and seruaunte, yet my harte gyveth me, that your hyghnes, as ye are accustomed to do, woll of your moste benigne nature consider that I wold with as good wyl, if it were as wel in my power, gyve vnto your grace the most goodliest and largest

cite of all the worlde. And this moreouer I very wel knowe, that both the nobuls and commons of this your noble royalme shall the soner accepte THIS BOKE, the gladlyer rede it, and be the more diligent to marke and beare awey the morall doctrines of the same, whanne they shall se it come forthe vnder your gracis name, whom they with all their very hartes so truely loue and drede, whom they knowe so excellently well lerned, whom they euer fynde so good, so iuste, and so gracious a prince.

And whosoeuer, in redynge of THIS WARKE, doth consyder it well, shall fynde that it is plentifully stuffed and fournysshed with many folde eloquent reasons, sharpe and quicke argumentes, and examples of great auctoritee, perswadynge vnto vertue, not onely taken out of the poetes, oratours, historywriters, and philosophers, but also out of the holy scripture. There is, to my dome, no man but that he may, bi reading of THIS WARKE, get right great knowlege, as wel for the vnderstandyng of many and diuers autors, whose resons, sayenges, and histories are translated in to THIS WARKE, as for the plenty of englishe wordes and vulgars, besyde the furtheraunce of the lyfe to vertue. Whiche olde englysshe wordes and vulgars no wyse man, bycause of theyr antiquitee, wyll throw a syde. For the wryters of later dayes, the whiche beganne to loth and hate these olde vulgars, whan they them selfe wolde wryte in our englysshe tonge, were constrayned to brynge in, in their

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writynges, newe termes (as some call them) whiche they borowed out of latyne, frenche, and other languages; whiche caused that they, that vnderstode not those langages from whens these newe vulgars are fette, coude not perceyue their wrytynges. And though our most allowed olde autors dydde otherwhyle vse to borowe of other langages, eyther by cause of theyr metre or elles for lack of a feete englysshe worde, yet that ought not to be a president to vs to heape them in, where as nedeth not, and where as we haue allredy wordes approued, and receyued, of the same effecte and strength. The whiche if any man wante, let hym resorte to THIS WORTHY OLDE WRYTER JOHN GOWER, that shal, as a lanterne, gyve hym lyghte to wryte counnyngly, and to garnysshe his sentencis in our vulgar tonge. THE WHICH NOBLE AUTOUR I prostrate at your gracis feete, most lowly present, and beseche your hyghnes, that it may go forthe vnder your gracis fauour. And I shal ever praie, God, that is Almyghtye, preserue your royal maieste in mooste longe continuance of all welthe, honour, glorye, and grace infinite. Amen.

To the reder.

In tyme past whanne THIS WARKE was prynted, I can not very well coniecte what was the cause therof, the Prologue before was cleane altered. And by that mene it wold seme, that Gower dydde compyle it at the requeste of the noble