Manuscript Description Oxford, Magdalen College MS Lat. 213 | |
Title: | Confessio Amantis |
Author: | Gower |
Contents: | Confessio Amantis (B version), pp. 1-3b (line 6), 5a-end |
Language: | English and Latin |
Date Range: | 1450-1475; given to Magdalen by Hunnis in 1608. |
Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. |
Dialect: | County; Gowerian/colourless |
Material: | Parchment |
No of Folios: | Two unnumbered parchment flyleaves at the front, + 377 numbered pages + 378-380 as unnumbered flyleaves at the back. |
Pagination: | Medieval pagination by the scribe in roman numerals in the top centre margins of both recto and verso pages, i-ccclxxvii. |
Quiring: | 8s |
Catchwords: | By the scribe in very elaborate scrolls with foliage patterns extending from them. All are in brown ink with shading to make them look 3-dimensional. |
Frame: | 4 x vertical enclosing two columns; 4 horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines. Ruling within columns in pale purple ink. |
Writing Space: | Two columns, comparable with other Gowers, with ca. 2 inches at the top and sides, 1 inch between columns, and 3 inches at the bottom. |
Incipits and Explicits: | Large black display script with document style decoration for explicits for the prologues and for each book. |
Marginal Headings: | Latin is written in red ink. No ruling or space for glosses. |
Table of Contents: | Table of Contents added on the flyleaves in a different hand which may still be 15th century or a very good imitation. |
Borders: | The illuminated letters are tied in to a solid border down the left side with sprays through top and bottom margins. |
Illuminated Initials: | On f1r and at the beginning of each book an 8-line blue and red parti-coloured initial with white cut-out on solid gold square ground with blue, green, pink and white foliage inside the letter. |
Flourished Initials: | 2-3-line initials alternating blue and red penwork decoration and gold with blue penwork with large saw-tooth extenders and plain tendrils. |
Other Names (not owners): | On f i which is the first flyleaf is 'Hunnys', 'This is Marchadyn Hunnis his boke and he that steles this booke shal....'. 16th century. 'By me Richard Thomas Servaunt vnto Mayster [erased] streat [?]. 15th century and could conceivably be by the scribe though in a different script. On f ii(v) 'Glabys blamyth blechyndon'. On the unnumbered page (380) 'henricus octauus dei gratia' and verses written in document-style script and decoration with other decoration also of the 16th century. 'Alexander Samsoun' in 16th century writing. 'Thomas' in 15th century script. 'Wrauthe' in 15-16th century writing.Inside the back cover is 'John Morigan is a very knave (16th century). |
Further Information: | Coxe, Henry O., 'Catalogus Codicum Manuscriptorum qui in Collegiis Aulisque Oxoniensis Hodie Adservantur'. 2 vols. Oxford, University Press, 1852. p. 94. |