before the reader is the
quaintly told and charming story of Petronella, from 'Liber Primus' of
the 'Confessio.' It may be evidence that all the malediction upon the
poet above quoted is not deserved.

The 'Confessio Amantis' has been edited and collated with the best
manuscripts by Dr. Reinhold Pauli (1857). The 'Vox Clamantis' was
printed for the first time in 1850, under the editorship of H. O. Coxe
and for the Roxburghe Club. The 'Balades and Other Poems' are also
included in the publication of the Roxburghe Club. Other sources of
information regarding Gower are 'Illustrations of the Lives and Writings
of Gower and Chaucer' by Henry J. Todd (1810); Henry Morley's reviews in
'English Writers'; and various short articles.

PETRONELLA

From the 'Confessio Amantis'

A king whilom was yonge and wise,
The which set of his wit great prise.
Of depe ymaginations
And straunge interpretations,
Problemes and demaundes eke
His wisedom was to finde and seke;
Wherof he wolde in sondry wise
Opposen hem that weren wise.
But none of hem it mighte bere
Upon his word to yive answere;[1]
Out taken one, which was a knight:
To him was every thing so light,
That also sone as he hem herde
The kinges wordes he answerde,
What thing the king him axe wolde,
Whereof anone the trouth he tolde.
The king somdele had an envie,
And thought he wolde his wittes plie
To sete some conclusion,
Which shulde be confusion
Unto this knight, so that the name
And of wisdom the highe fame
Toward him selfe he wolde winne.
And thus of all his wit withinne
This king began to studie and muse
What straunge mater he might use
The knightes wittes to confounde;
And ate last he hath it founde,
And for the knight anon he sente,
That he shall telle what he mente.
Upon three points stood the matere,
Of questions as thou shalte here.
The firste pointe of all thre
Was this: what thing in his degre
Of all this world hath nede lest,
And yet men helpe it allthermest.
The second is: what moste is worth
And of costage is lest put forth.
The thrid is: which is of most cost,
And lest is worth, and goth to lost.
The king these thre demaundes axeth.
To the knight this law he taxeth:
That he shall gone, and comen ayein
The thridde weke, and tell him pleine
To every point, what it amounteth.
And if so be that he miscounteth
To make in his answere a f