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Manuscript Description
Oxford, Bodleian Library MS Laud misc. 609
 
MS Appellation:SC 2875
Title:Confessio Amantis
Author:Gower
Contents:Confessio Amantis (A version)
Language:English and Latin
Date Range:1400-1425
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:Gowerian/colourless
Material:Parchment
No of Folios:Marbled flyleaves match pastedowns; besides them, one heavy paper leaf each front and back (both blank), + 170 original parchment leaves
Pagination:Modern pencil foliation in large and fancy letters in upper outer recto corners, i and 1-172.
Quiring:8s
Signatures:No signatures visible.
Catchwords:By the scribe, usual place, with faint very fine-line box around.
Page Size:412 x 265
Frame:4 x vertical enclosing two columns; 3 x horizontal one at top and two enclosing bottom line, all extending to edge of page; ladders inside columns; top line of text inside frame; fine black lines.
Writing Space:275 x ca. 170 or two columns 275 x ca. 68 with space between
Incipits and Explicits:'Explicit Liber Primus. Incipit liber secundus... in red ink.
Marginal Headings:Latin text in red ink. Red lettering in margins to indicate speaker.
Running Titles:Red running 'titles' to say which book.
Borders:Full solid borders with regular intervals of leaves or roundels of leaves, and some solid sprays into margins, all in blue, purplish-red and gold, with white highlights.
Illuminated Initials:Purplish-red and blue initials with white highlighting on solid gold square with blue and red foliage patterns inside letter and extending from corners.
Paragraph Marks: Running titles introduced by blue paraph with red penwork design.
Flourished Initials:Smaller 2-3-line blue lombard initials and red pen-work flourishing, alternating with gold initials with purple flourishing; one-line initials alternating blue with red penwork and gold with purple penwork.
Other Names (not owners):'Elizabeth Mabwesham' (???) f170v; Thomas elrinton (???), f170v; Laud's usual full signature with his title on f1.
Further Information:Coxe, H. O. Bodleian Library Quarto Catalogues, II, Laudian Manuscripts. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1858-85, reproduced with corrections and additions, and an historical introduction by R. W. Hunt, 1973. cols. 431-432.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP