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. |