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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.
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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.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP