Speculum
- Speculum / Volume 90 / Issue 04 / October 2015, pp 925-959
- Copyright © The Medieval Academy of America 2015
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0038713415002316 (About DOI), Published online: 13 October 2015
Articles
Ecce patet tensus: The Trentham Manuscript, In Praise of Peace, and John Gower's Autograph Hand
Sebastian Sobecki
Sebastian Sobecki is Professor of Medieval English Literature and Culture in the Department of English, University of Groningen, Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26, 9712 EK Groningen, The Netherlands (e-mail: s.i.sobecki@rug.nl).
Among those witnesses of John Gower's works that are known to have been produced during his lifetime, the Trentham manuscript (London, British Library, Additional MS 59495) stands out for its remarkable design as a seemingly planned trilingual collection. The manuscript, usually dated to the first year of Henry IV's reign, exclusively contains Gower's poetry—showcasing his virtuosity in English, French, and Latin. A number of its poems are either addressed to or invoke Henry, yet nothing is known about the history of this manuscript before the seventeenth century. As a result, scholarship on the Trentham manuscript (henceforth Trentham) tends to foreground the question whether this compilation was ever presented to Henry. I will adduce fresh evidence to establish the early provenance of Trentham and show that the manuscript remained in Southwark until the middle of the sixteenth century. Second, I will offer a new context for the composition of Trentham by reading the collection against the background of Anglo-French relations during the first months of Henry's rule. Finally, I will argue for Gower's personal involvement in and continued ownership of this manuscript.
Footnotes
I would like to thank the two anonymous readers for their comments and suggestions. Bob Yeager, Kees Dekker, and Jonathan Hsy kindly offered their thoughts and corrections. I am particularly grateful to Linne Mooney for her generous advice.
