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Manuscript Description
London, British Library MS Harley 6291
 
Title:Vox Clamantis, Chronica Tripertita
Author:Gower
Contents:Vox Clamantis, ff 1-134v; Latin work(s) by Gower ff134v-161.
Language:English and Latin
Date Range:1390-1415
Scribal Hands:
Examples of the hand. Click on the link above for full details and images of individual letter forms.
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:4 new paper flyleaves (to fourth attached paper slip with references to editions (Macaulay) + parchment folios 1-164 + 4 new paper flyleaves
Pagination:Modern black ink in upper outer corners recto, foliating.
Quiring:8s
Signatures:Signatures survive on many leaves, letter plus roman numerals j through iiij; at front of volume in faded or erased crayon, is 'd ij' on f18, 'E j' on f24, 'h j' on f40, then just roman numerals, 'j'-'iij' on ff56-58, then 'e j' on f62, 'f j' on f78; but at end of volume apparently begins again since in ink 'd j' on f158.
Catchwords:By the scribe near lower edge of page, running up to right frame line, with inclusive brackets either side and lines connecting them across top and bottom thus surrounding catchwords.
Page Size:230 x 150 now attached to stubs, one quire per stub
Frame:2 x vertical, 4 x horizontal enclosing top and bottom lines, ruled within; pricking survives on only a few leaves, notably the whole first quire.
Writing Space:178 x 96 in a single column
Marginal Headings:By scribe in same black ink as text (except first letter one-line red) but larger, bolder, more formal script. Same textura-like script for chapter numbers written into margins.
Running Titles:Running titles on verso and recto, 'liber' on verso and written out number on recto, for example 'quartus'. In each case they are in the same black ink as text and in the textura-like script, with markings like two short slashes, or 'n' on either side of these titles.
Table of Contents:Near end of text on f158 the Latin 'Orat pro anima Johannis Gower '' and previous page (157v) lists his three principal works with brief description of each; 'Explicit libellus qui intitulatur Vox Clamantis' on f134r.
Illuminated Initials:Books begin with 5-line gold initial on parti-coloured red and blue ground with white highlighting, formalised foliage pattern inside letter in white highlighting, ground follows shape of letter somewhat, and short awkward sprays from corners into margin have small opposing curls and pink daisy-buds at ends of sprays (f23).
Flourished Initials:Sub-headings blue lombard initials with red penwork of higher quality than illuminated initials, forming postage stamp around letter with foliage pattern inside. Each stanza begins one-line red or blue initial, red wash on first initials each line on some folios, not all. Second work begins f134v with 4-line gold initial with purple penwork in same style as the red elsewhere in volume, and text begins with one-line red and blue alternating initials for each stanza.
Miscellaneous Info:A note in 16-17th century hand top f161v: 'Joh Gower tres edidit libros / Speculum Meditantis Gallice / Vocem clamantis Latine & metrice / Confessionem amantis Anglice' Signature contemporary with writing 'Johannes' on f163v. f164 recto has 3 Latin verse texts, possibly by three hands of 15th c. (third may be main scribe), 1) Presul ouile regis vbi morbus adest maclarum' (7 lines); 2) Dicunt Scripture memorare nonissuus rite' (8 Lines); 3) Cultor in ecclesia qui deficiente sophia' (12 lines) otherwise leaves at back of volume are blank. A 15th century hand writes gloss on f40; 'Nota hic de bello Cleri tempere Regis Ricardi in fflandria quia tunc non solum seculares sed eciam Regulares presbiteri guerris ibidem mortalibus quasi laici insisterunt'
Further Information:One hand (A) for the text; Hand B copies the glosses for ff134-149, 155v-157; Hand C copies a single gloss on f40 which reads 'Nota hic de bello Cleri tempere Regis Ricardi in fflandria quia tunc non solum seculares sed eciam Regulares presbiteri guerris ibidem mortalibus quasi laici insistent’.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP