GOWER. John Gower, c. 1330-1408, was Chaucer's contemporary and friend. He was an avid land purchaser, and by the end of 1369 two of his real estate transactions were involved in court action. He was known at the royal court, and his most famous poem, Confessio Amantis, was written at Richard II's request between 1382 and 1386, the same period as Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Troilus and Criseyde. His other works are Speculum meditantis or Mirour de l'omme, written in French and completed before 1377, and Vox Clamantis, written in Latin and completed between 1385 and 1399, when Chaucer was writing The Legend of Good Women and The Canterbury Tales. These three poems, each in a different language--English, French, and Latin--indicate that fourteenth-century poets, writers, intellectuals, and those who desired success at court had to be proficient in three languages. Chaucer appointed Gower as his attorney before he set out on his mission to Italy in 1378, a testimony to their friendship.

The Man of Law criticizes tales of incest such as stories of Canacee and Apollonius of Tyre, MLI 77-85, both of which tales appear in Confessio Amantis III.143-360 and VIII.271-2008. The first recension of Confessio Amantis contains a tribute to Chaucer, VIII.2941-2957, which is omitted in the second recension, persuading some scholars that this omission indicates a coolness between Chaucer and Gower. John Fisher shows that this is not the case. Chaucer dedicates Troilus and Criseyde to "moral Gower," Tr V.1856. Chaucer links "moral" and "virtue" to mean excellence of conduct; thus the dedication shows how much he valued Gower's friendship.