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Manuscript Description
London, British Library, MS Harley 7184
 
Title:Confessio Amantis
Author:Gower
Contents:Confessio Amantis incomplete, ending in Book VII.
Language:English and Latin
Date Range:1450-1475
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Dialect:County; Gowerian/colourless
Material:Parchment
No of Folios:134
Pagination:Modern pencil upper outer corners recto count folios.
Quiring:12s and at least one 14.
Signatures:No signatures.
Catchwords:By the scribe, centre lower margin, closer to text than to edge; early in volume introduced by gold paraph with purple sawtooth decor around it.
Page Size:545 x 380 ca.
Frame:4 x vertical enclosing two columns, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines; ladder inside columns only, not between; purplish ink, each column ruled within.
Writing Space:400 x 95 + 30 + 95 = 220
Incipits and Explicits:None other than usual in Confessio Amantis (but ends incomplete (in Book VII), so none of the usual at end).
Marginal Headings:Written in red with blue initials with red penwork postage-stamp squares around them.
Running Titles:Running titles of 'Liber Primus' etc with large blue initial 'L' with red penwork and large gold 'P' etc with purple penwork; sometimes gold penwork around gold letters instead of purple in text and running title.
Borders:On f1 3/4 border with foliage pattern in red, gold, green, blue.
Illuminated Initials:8-line illuminated initial on f1; 2-line gold initials with purple penwork in postage-stamp square, to very elaborate sawtooth and blue foliage pattern inside letters.
Other Names (not owners):None.
Miscellaneous Info:Possibly this scribe, writing at different time or slightly different style?
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP