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Manuscript Description
USA, Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Library, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections MS Garrett 136
 
MS Appellation:olim Phillipps 2298
Title:Confessio Amantis
Author:Gower
Contents:Gower, Confessio Amantis, version A, ff1-191
Language:English and Latin
Date Range:1390-1415
Scribal Hands:
1: one hand throughout, though variable in size and formality, not a professional book hand.
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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Dialect:County; N Warwicks
Material:Parchment
No of Folios:2 heavy paper flyleaves (modern, originally blank) + 1-191 + 2 heavy paper flyleaves
Pagination:Modern pencil in upper outer corner recto, 1-191.
Quiring:Difficult to tell as so tightly bound; probably 8s.
Catchwords:None
Page Size:232 x 160
Frame:4 x vertical; 2 x horizontal with top line having tops of minims along top frame line; no pricking since not ruled, fine brown-grey lines.
Writing Space:186 x 126 in 2 columns, 58 + 10 + 58
Incipits and Explicits:Incipits for each book in space of 3-4 lines left for them, written by scribe as he went along in same ink as text, with blue paraph preceding, no red flourishing; no rubric text anywhere in MS.
Marginal Headings:
Flourished Initials:On f1 an 8-line blue initial with red flourishing all down left side, much damaged; 1-3-line blue initials with red pen-work flourishing.
Other Names (not owners):Note on f ii (second paper flyleaf) 'This MS is presumed to be contemporaneous with / the Author, and written probably about the / year 1400, as the 'Confessio Amantis' was / probably finished in 1393.'[erasure] / Note from LONGMAN. 'It is highly probable that / this is a contemporary MS. As the writing abounds / with Saxon characters and abbreviations.' (by first hand writing in font like print); then a second hand adds, writing cursive modern, 'This [sic] the handwriting of / Revd Henry I['.]y of Harmon / or at least the same occurs in all of / the MSS I believe that belonged to him.'
Miscellaneous Info:NOTE except at beginning of each book, eg top 12 lines of f1ra for prologue, 8 lines top of f8vb for Liber Primus, etc. the Latin portions missing, just English. Ends f191rb 'Oure Ioy may be endeles / ' Amen Amen Amen / ' Explicit iste liber'.
Further Information:de Ricci.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP