ys over England in pursuit of his
antiquarian studies. He _pub._ about 20 works, among which are _British
Topography_ (1768), _Sepulchral Monuments of Great Britain_ (1786-99), an
ed. of Camden's _Britannia_, a translation of _The Arabian Nights_
(1798), and various other treatises on archaeology, topography, and
numismatics.

GOWER, JOHN (1325?-1408).--Poet. Although few details of his life have
come down to us, he appears to have been a man of wealth and importance,
connected with Kent, well known at Court, and in possession of more than
one estate. He was the friend of Chaucer, who gives him the title of "the
moral Gower," which has clung to him ever since. His first principal work
was _Speculum Meditantis_ (the Mirror of one meditating) written in
French on the subject of married life. It was long believed to have been
lost. It was followed by _Vox Clamantis_ (the Voice of one crying)
written in Latin, giving an account of the peasants' revolt of 1381, and
attacking the misgovernment and social evils which had led to it. His
third, and only English poem, was _Confessio Amantis_ (Lover's
Confession), a work of 30,000 lines, consisting of tales and meditations
on love, written at the request of Richard II. It is the earliest large
collection of tales in the English tongue. In his old age G. became
blind. He had, when about 70, retired to the Priory of St. Mary Overies,
the chapel of which is now the Church of St. Saviour, Southwark, where he
spent his last years, and to which he was a liberal benefactor. G.
represented the serious and cultivated man of his time, in which he was
reckoned the equal of Chaucer, but as a poet he is heavy and prolix.

GRAFTON, RICHARD (_d._ 1572).--Printer and chronicler, printed various
ed. of the Bible and Prayer-book; also the Proclamation of the Accession
of Lady Jane Grey, for which he was cast into prison, where he compiled
an _Abridgement of the Chronicles of England_ (1563). To this he added in
1568 _A Chronicle at Large_. Neither holds a high place as authorities.

GRAHAME, JAMES (1765-1811).--Poet, _s._ of a lawyer, was _b._ and _ed._
in Glasgow. After spending some time in a law office in Edin., he was
called to the Scottish Bar. His health being delicate, and his
circumstances easy, he early retired from practice, and taking orders in
the Church of England in 1809, was appointed curate successively of
Shipton, Gloucestershire, and Sedgefield, Durham. He wrote several
pl