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.                 |
| 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. |