Manuscript Description Scotland, Glasgow, Glasgow University Library MS Hunter 59 (T.2.17) | |
Title: | Vox Clamantis; Chronica Tripertita; Caetera Carmina Minora; Traite |
Author: | Gower |
Contents: | Vox Clamantis; Chronica Tripertita; Caetera Carmina Minora; Traite |
Language: | Latin and French |
Date Range: | 1385-1410 |
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. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Material: | Parchment |
No of Folios: | ii new parchment flyleaves + 1-131 + i original parchment flyleaf + ii new parchment flyleaves |
Pagination: | Modern pencil foliation in upper outer corners recto. |
Quiring: | 8s |
Signatures: | Mostly removed by cropping. |
Catchwords: | Catchwords regularly in the hand of the scribe at the bottom right of the folio; catchwords contained in box with bracket ends. |
Page Size: | 300 x 190 |
Frame: | 2 x vertical; 4 x horizontal ruled in fine grey plummet with double ruling top and bottom to contain first and last lines of text; ruled within; pricking survives throughout. |
Writing Space: | 234 x 108 |
Incipits and Explicits: | Summaries for each book presented in the display script of the scribe as a form of incipit. 'Explicit libellus qui intitulatur Vox Clamantis' on f108v. |
Marginal Headings: | Chapter numbers in the ink of the text in the margins of Vox. Heavy marginal glossing by the scribe in the ink of the text in Chronica and Carmina. |
Running Titles: | 'Liber' on versos with 'primus' etc on rectos for Vox. 'Prima', 'Secunda', 'Tercia' on versos and 'Pars' on rectos for Chronica. |
Table of Contents: | At the beginning of the manuscript, on ff1-5v, the contents of every chapter of each Book of 'Vox' is summarised. |
Borders: | 4-sided border in gold, blue and pink; trios of acorn-like motifs, leaf motifs on the left side with gold balls flourished along the right hand border; 8-line initial tied in to border. |
Illuminated Initials: | 5-line gold initial on quartered ground of pink and blue to begin Prologue on f7; 8-line blue initial with pink on gold ground with intricate patterning to begin chapter 1; thereafter similar illuminated initials begin books 3, 5 and 7. Gold 4-line initial with purple pen flourishing begins Chronica. Gold initial with purple flourishing begins Traite. |
Paragraph Marks: | Very occasional paraphs in red and blue. |
Flourished Initials: | Blue initials with red penwork flourishing 2 or 3-line to introduce chapters; small blue and occasionally red lombard capitals within text and to introduce summaries in Vox. Red and blue single-line yet flourished initials begin lines in Chronica and Carmina. Gold initial with purple flourishing begins Traite. |
Other Names (not owners): | On f1r 'Ex libris A. de. Valckeni Junioris' upper margin 17th c. hand? On the same folio, the date 1387; on f114v the date 1397; on f94v the date '1518 pridie aprilis'. |
Further Information: | From the University of Glasgow website a description of the picture on f6v which may be of Gower himself as an archer aiming at a globe and on f129r, a coat of arms and a tomb: see http://special.lib.gla.ac.uk/manuscripts/search/detaild.cfm?DID=32488; John Young and P.H. Aitken, 'A Catalogue of the manuscripts in the Library of the Hunterian Museum in the University of Glasgow', (Glasgow 1908), pp.64-68. |