The Portland daily press., 1879-11-15
pardon me if yet in vain
Thou art my Master and l fail to bring
Before mems eyes the image Of the thing

My heart is filed with.
1t is these lines which Mr.. Gilman has chos-
en- as the motto of his singularly complete and
admirable work. In a fashon--far different
as prose is from poetry unlike that OF Mr.
Norris; but with zeal not much less, he has set
about his task of giving to modern readers
clear idea Of the times, the life, the work of
Chaucer together with many valuable and prac-
teal notes upon the state Of the English Ian
guage in the poets day, the spelling, admix-
ture of Romance woods, etc, which greatly
aid the reader. In the main, MIR. Gilman has
followed the text of the manuscript owned by
Lord Ellesmere, and the arrangement OF the
volumes is according to that of the Chaucer
Society of London, an association founded ana
directed by Mr.. Frederick j. Furnival. Mi,
Gilman styles the century in which Chaucef
was born, the Age of Beginnings; and he
draws fine and striking picture OF the dark
ness which preceded the dawn of literature.
Dante morning star, faded into the shadows
just before the first brightness Of the new day
arose upon the borders of the SKY. Mr.. Gill
man makes minute and lifelike sketch Of
the social existence of the fourteenth century
His memoir of Chaucer is written with care
and fidelity and is full of interest. The three
volumes of which the work consists, include
the preliminary chapters by the editor; the
Canterbury Tales; Chaucer's Minor Poems
among which are the House of Fame, the
Legende of Goode Women, and some curious
specimens of the Ballade form. Poems at
tributed to Chaucer, among them the Romaunt
of the Rose, and the Flower and the Leaf, end
the volumes. A word must here be said for
the quaint and suggestive heading, often taken
from the page of which it forms the title,
which Mr.. Gilman gives as running eommen-
tary to the poems. No reader can in any wise
understand the beginning of the beauty and
the power of our English speech without some
familiarity with Chaucer's poetry; and the pub
lie owes cordial thanks to Mr. Gilman for an
edition as careful and complete as it is intelli-
gent and founded upon rare and appreciatlve
sympathy with this great poet, whose voice
cries as clear and sweet in our ears as it did to
the hearing of the men of his own century.
The Worlds Worship III Stone (Boston
Estes & Lauriat, Portland Dresser & McLel-
ian) is very elegant gift-book for the holidays
It's sumptuous binding and numerous fine Illus
JraIlOnS are, uOWSfSI, iOt uASpAoEc1tiOASU w
the value of its text, for it is fine and very
full monograph upon the wonders OF the archi-
lecture in which the peoples OF all times and
countries have expressed their alteration and
built lasting memorials Of their faith. The
descriptions are written by Mr.. NJ. Nj. RIPLEY,
who is well known as an effective and skilful
author. A hundred and fifty engrayings after
eminent artists depict the marvels of the build
ers art which exist in various countries.
Among these, the stone work of Egypt and OF
India are singularly grand and elaborate,
while the lace-like carvings of cathedrals, the
airy spires and marvellous masonry OF Euro
pean cities will be more familiar to the eyes OF
the reader
Chequer-Work. By Thomas G. Appleton
(Boston: Roberts Brothers; Portland: Loring,
Short s. Harmon) This isa volume made up
of number of sketches and stories, ingenious
and lively in manner, though not OF hfst
quality in literary point of view. The Artist
of Tanagra is graceful story, suggested by
the finding of the figurines at Tanagra. The
Love of the First-Rate is poem of Beacon
street, with a title not very fortunate, which
tends to prove that we have q modern Athens
among us, with the difference that 3iassachu-
setts has not one Minerva but many, and every
body is his own Palladium Una Replier is a
story Of delicate and picturesque quality. In
chapter upon the "Philistine," the author says
some fair things; but fails to understand Bo-
hemia at its best, Bohemia born in the purple,
that supplies with fine and delicate instincts
its lack of conventionalties, the paradise of de-
light in life at its fullest freedom of healthful,
unconscious activity OF all dreary and ex-
haustive lives-that of the advertised Bohemi-
an, who poses himself as such and constrains
himself to do unusual and uncivil things for
sake of his meter Of gipsey, is the least remuD-
erative. The Island of Bogussa is rather
heavy satire. A sketch Of AIRY Scheffer is in
teresting and picturesque. Mr.. Appleton's
work is lively and varied, and will pass an
hour agreeably for the reader.
Readers Handbook of the American Revo-
luton. By Justin Winsor Boston: Houghton
& Osgood; Portland: Loring, Short & Har-