The History of English Poetry from the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century

Author/Editor
Warton, Thomas

Title
The History of English Poetry from the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century

Published
Warton, Thomas. "The History of English Poetry from the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century." 3 vols. London: [Dodsley], 1774-1781. Variously expanded and reprinted.

Review
Warton's chapter on Gower occurs on pp. 1-31 of volume 2 (1778) of his classic work. Warton opens with a broad assessment of Gower's achievement: "If Chaucer had not existed, the compositions of John Gower, the next poet in succession, would alone have been sufficient to rescue the reigns of Edward the third and Richard the second from the imputation of barbarism" (1). After mention of Gower's reform of the English language, and a description of his three great works, Warton dwells briefly on Gower's biography. In particular, he argues that Gower's piety is demonstrated by his contributions to the Priory of St. Mary Overeys. The rest of the chapter enumerates the probable sources of the CA, and describes each in some detail. Warton suggests that Gower's immediate model for the CA was likely the Romance of the Rose. Gower, however, lacks Jean de Meun's warmth of personification. He "seldom attempted to imitate the picturesque imageries, and expressive personifications, of that exquisite allegory" (4). Instead, Gower rationally enumerates the qualities of his personifications (Avarice, Neglicence, etc.), borrowing additional maxims and narratives from his "common-place book" (4). Warton further praises Gower for his scientific knowledge (in Book 4 of the CA) and suggests that "Gower very probably conducted his associate Chaucer into these profound mysteries" (5). Next, Warton turns his attention to Book 7, which he criticizes for its lack of ornamentation. Perhaps the only exception is the description of the chariot and crown of the sun, from which Warton quotes at some length. Warton notes Book 7's indebtedness to the Secreta Secretorum, but argues that Gower's most important source for the CA's exempla is Godfrey of Viterbo's Pantheon. Gower also used the latter's Speculum Regum and borrowed extensively from other comprehensive medieval chronicles. Three additional sources that Warton mentions are Guido della Collone, the Romance of Sir Lancelot, and the Gesta Romanorum. Gower's use of the Gesta is clear from a number of references to the old "gestes." One of the tales Gower borrows from the Gesta Romanorum is the tale of the "Two Coffers" (CA 5.2273-2390). Warton relates this tale and its source to a similar incident in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Given Gower's extensive knowledge of literature and science, Warton is amused to find him make some mistakes: "It is pleasant to observe the strange mistakes which Gower, a man of great learning, and the most general scholar of his age, has committed in this poem, concerning books which he never saw, his violent anachronisms, and misrepresentations of the most common facts and characters" (20). Warton takes issue, for instance, with the names Gower mentions as examples of the first authors and chroniclers (4.2407-12) and with his telling of the story of the "Jew and the Pagan" in Book 7. After a series of other brief references to biblical, classical and medieval sources, Warton tries to situate the CA in relation to the work of Chaucer. He suggests that the CA must have been written after Chaucer's TC, because reference is made to reading the story of Troilus (CA 4.2795). The CA must also have been written after the Floure and the Leafe, which Warton ascribes to Chaucer. Gower's imitation of this work is most evident in the tale of "Rosiphelee," in Book 4 of the CA, although Gower makes reference to this courtly debate elsewhere as well. Finally, Warton believes that Gower's "affection of appearing learned" (31) is typical of the early poets. By contrast, Chaucer is the exception to this rule. His "original feelings were too strong to be suppressed by books" and his "learning was overbalanced by genius" (31). Gower instead strove too hard to be a scholar. Among his lengthy but unpaginated "Emendations and Additions" included after page 463 in volume II, Warton describes the contents of the Trentham MS (which he refers to as "a thin oblong manuscript on vellum" found in "lord Gower's library" and, later, "lord Gower's manuscript"), with particular attention to the CB, which Warton approves of highly, commending them as "tender, pathetic, and poetical," perhaps superior to "any even among the French poets." He tells us they "place our old poet Gower in a more advantageous light than that in which he has hitherto been usually seen," suggesting that they "were probably written when Gower was a young man, about the year 1350." He prints samples of CB for the first time: 20, 34, 36, and 43. His discussion of the manuscript and the printing of the four balades are incorporated in subsequent editions of Warton's "History" as a continuation of his discussion of CA; also, numerous references to Gower's works (too many to tally easily) appear in Warton, often as analogues to or influence on works by others, particularly Chaucer. Subsequent editions and reprints of this influential study (under titles that vary slightly) include additional notes and emendations by editors and various contributors; most notable are Richard Price's edition of 1824, Richard Taylor's of 1840, and William Hazlitt's of 1871. [CvD; rev. MA]

Date
1774-1781
1778 (volume 2)

Gower Subjects
Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
Style, Rhetoric, and Versification
Biography of Gower
Vox Clamantis
Confessio Amantis
Mirour de l'Omme (Speculum Meditantis)
Cinkante Balades
Manuscripts and Textual Studies