Manuscript Description USA, New York, NY, Pierpont Morgan Library & Museum MS M 125 | |
Title: | Confessio Amantis |
Author: | Gower |
Contents: | Gower, Confessio Amantis, version A; missing 341 lines at beginning of Prologue, probably 2 leaves |
Language: | English and Latin |
Date Range: | 1400-1425 (certainly decoration done after 1413 because of the green wash used) |
Scribal Hands: | Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms. |
Material: | Parchment |
No of Folios: | 1 marbled and 2 paper flyleaves at front + 180 + 1 paper and 1 marbled leaves at back foliated 181 and 182 |
Pagination: | Modern pencil in upper outer corners recto, 1-182 counting two flyleaves at back; modern quire signatures(?) every fourth leaf(?), letter with superscript 1, e.g. 'N(1)' on 67, 'O(1)' on 71, 'P(1)' on 75, 'q(1)' on 79, 'R(1)' on 83, 'S(1)' on 87. |
Quiring: | 1(12) 2-3(8) 4(6) 5-?? (e-z)4 aa-nn(4) oo(8) pp(6) : 180 leaves |
Catchwords: | None survive, probably cropped. |
Page Size: | 350 x 220 |
Frame: | 4 x vertical, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, no ruling for running titles; fine brown lines, very faint, no pricking survives. |
Writing Space: | 259 x 168 in 2 columns, 77 + 14 + 77 |
Incipits and Explicits: | On f180rb at bottom, rubric, 'Explicit liber qui vocatur Gower'. |
Marginal Headings: | Rubric Latin by scribe, in text column. |
Running Titles: | Running titles by scribe in rubric preceded by blue paraph with red flourishing, 'Liber' on verso sides and number, eg 'Quintus', on recto sides; Latin written in rubric. |
Borders: | Bar border of gold, pink, blue; floreated borders at beginning of each book (eg f119va begins 6th book), in gold, rose, orange, blue, and green. |
Illuminated Initials: | 5-line blue and pink initial with white highlighting forming incised pattern on gold ground; orange, blue, pink, green. |
Miniatures: | Miniature on f3v depicting the lover asking for instruction. |
Flourished Initials: | Smaller blue initials with red flourishing. |
Other Names (not owners): | Formerly owned by John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun (1705-1782) (bookplate inside front cover). Note f180 pasted to a new paper leaf so cannot see f180v, portion at top that is split away reveals writing on verso including 'ASI', 15th-16th century in black ink, not scribe's hand; verso of marbled leaf at front has 16th? century 'K. h' in brown ink in centre of page'possibly in royal library in 16th c? |
Miscellaneous Info: | Modern note verso of marbled paper at front, in pencil, shelf mark 'R' over '49' over 'A also 'M,125' and pencilled (modern) Gower / Confessio Amantis / English ' xv cent.' And by same hand, 'Harley 7334 has similar script'. Pencil note on f ii (after marbled which must be i), assigns the date 1395-6 because Henry was made Duke of Hereford in 1397 and the verse at end names him as Earl of Derby. |