Manuscript Description Oxford, New College MS 326 | |
| Title: | Confessio Amantis |
| Author: | Gower |
| Contents: | Confessio Amantis (A version) |
| Language: | English and Latin |
| Date Range: | 1450-1475 |
| 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.                 |
| Dialect: | Hand 1: County; Worcs/Warwicks Hand 2: County; Gloucs/Herefords or S.Wilts |
| Material: | Parchment |
| No of Folios: | 1 paper flyleaf matches pastedown, plain and blank + 2 parchment flyleaves mostly blank (just 'Joh: Gower De Confessione Amantis' on verso of second) + 1-207 + 2 blank parchment flyleaves + 1 blank paper flyleaf matches pastedown. |
| Pagination: | Modern pencil in upper outer corners recto, 1-207. |
| Catchwords: | By scribe in usual places, centred in lower margin below second column on last leaf, verso, each quire, c. 2 words and enclosed in some sort of box or stylised scroll, with yellow-washed decorated sides and with yellow wash on first initial of catchword. |
| Page Size: | 351 x 244 |
| Frame: | 6 x vertical for 2 columns and a narrow column in outer margin as if for chapter numbers, 4 x horizontal, 2 ruling for running titles and one above, one below text, ruled within columns; all drawn in red ink; pricking survives along top edge only on some folios. |
| Writing Space: | 247 x 162 |
| Incipits and Explicits: | No explicit to the work, merely ends 'Oure Ioye mote be endeles Amen' on 207ra at bottom of column; between books, very large textura by scribe for 'Explicit liber ?? / Incipit Liber ??. |
| Title by Scribe: | Title on last flyleaf at front, as noted under number of folios above, by a much later hand (19th c?). |
| Flourished Initials: | On f1 4-line blue initial with red penwork and a gold lion rampant drawn inside the letter (O). 2-line blue initials with red penwork forming box around run through the manuscript. Elaborate decoration to extenders on top lines of every page, some forming faces. Yellow wash over initials each line. |
| Other Names (not owners): | On f207rb, sideways on the blank space since text ends 207ra, 'Thomas Salver' an early owner; 207v 'John Mompesson ex dono Egidii Mompesson equitis aurati 1650' and 'Tho. Mompesson Nov. Coll. socius [dedit?] 1705'. |
| Further Information: | Coxe p. 116. |