. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . ion existed beforepriutiug multiplied thepossession of works ofamusement. The Frenchromances were the courtlyreading, before Chaucerand Gower came with their more attractive English. Gower, themoral Gower, was far inferior in genius to Chaucer. In him that greatattribute of genius, humour, was wholly wanting. His Coufessio Amantis,full indeed of aftectations, the pedantry of love, contains many interestingnarratives and wise disquisitions. The early writers of fiction
. The popular history of England : an illustrated history of society and government from the earliest period to our own times . ion existed beforepriutiug multiplied thepossession of works ofamusement. The Frenchromances were the courtlyreading, before Chaucerand Gower came with their more attractive English. Gower, themoral Gower, was far inferior in genius to Chaucer. In him that greatattribute of genius, humour, was wholly wanting. His Coufessio Amantis,full indeed of aftectations, the pedantry of love, contains many interestingnarratives and wise disquisitions. The early writers of fiction, without thecreative power which has made Chaucer universal and enduring, used theirstories as the vehicle for imparting the most recondite knowledge—and Gowerwas of this class. But in him we may trace the large range of inquiry thatbelonged to his time, destitute of scientific exactness, but leading into wideregions of speculation. The demand for poetry and fiction is strikinglyexemi)lificd by an incident connected with (Jowers Coufessio , the luxurious king, is in his barge on tlie Tliames. He sees the. Gowors Monument in the church of St. Mary Ovories. Wills from the Registers of Bury : Camden Society. 1385.] STATUTES OF WAGES—LABOURERS. 1<» poet in a boat, and inviting him to come ou board, desires him to booksome new thing. When Froissart came to England, in 1394, he brought aFrench romance to Richard, which he laid ready on the liings bed. Wlienthe king opened it, it pleased him well, for it was fair enlumiued and written.* * * Then the king demanded me whereof it treated, and I shewed himhow it treated matters of love ; whereof the king was glad, and looked in it, andread it in many places, for he could speak and read French very commendation of the kings French shows that English was nowcommonly read and spoken ; and that Chaucer and Gower had adapted thein-selvea to that change which has carried our tongue to the ends of the eart
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade188, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear1883
