It would seem that, either owing to corruption of his text or to misunderstanding, our author separated the name ‘Megasti’ from its connexion with Ptolemy and the Almagest, and made of it a book called ‘Megaster,’ which he attributes to Nembrot.
1461. Alfraganus was author of a book called in Latin Rudimenta Astronomica.
1576 f. out of herre ... entriketh, that is, ‘involves (this world) in perplexity, so that it is disordered.’
1579. coupe of hevene, see note on l. 534.
1595 ff. The discussion in the Roman Senate on the fate of the accomplices of Catiline is here taken as a model of rhetorical treatment. The idea is a happy one, but it is borrowed from the Trésor, where Latini, after laying down the rules of rhetoric, illustrates them (pp. 505-517) by a report and analysis of the speeches in this debate, as they are given by Sallust. The ‘Cillenus’ mentioned below is D. Junius Silanus, who as consul-designate gave his opinion first. It is tolerably evident in this passage, as it is obvious in iv. 2647 ff., that Gower did not identify Tullius with Cicero, though Latini actually says, ‘Marcus Tullius Cicero, cils meismes qui enseigne l’art de rectorique, estoit adonques consule de Rome.’
1615 ff. Cp. Trésor, p. 509, ‘mais Jules Cesar, qui autre chose pensoit, se torna as covertures et as moz dorez, porce que sa matiere estoit contraire,’ &c.
1623. after the lawe. It may be observed as a matter of fact that the law was on the side of Caesar, and that this was his chief argument against the death penalty.
1706. Fyf pointz. The Secretum Secretorum recommends to rulers the virtues of Liberality, Wisdom, Chastity, Mercy, Truth, and afterwards of Justice, but there is no very systematic arrangement there, nor in general does the treatment of the subject, except partly as regards Liberality, resemble Gower’s. It has been already observed that the treatment of Politics in the Trésor is altogether different from that which we have here.
1783 ff. This story comes originally from 3 Esdras, ch. iii, iv. The names, however, of Arpaghes and Manachaz are not found in the text of that book, and the story of Alcestis, which Zorobabel tells, is of course a later addition, made no doubt by our author.
1809. ‘Having his mind so disposed.’