Collection ID: 0053 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

De confessione amantis manuscript, ca. mid-15th century.

Authors

• Gower, John, 1325?-1408, author.

Other related names

• Sergeant, Jane, active 17th century, former owner., former owner
• Towneley, John, 1731-1813, former owner., former owner
• Smedley, William T. (William Thomas), 1851-1934, former owner., former owner
• Phillipps, Thomas, Sir, 1792-1872, former owner., former owner
• Folger, Henry Clay, 1857-1930, former owner., former owner
• Folger, Emily C. J. (Emily Clara Jordan), 1858-1936, former owner., former owner

Call number

MS V.b.29
(Washington, DC, USA, Folger Shakespeare Library)

Alternate identifiers

• https://hamnet.folger.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=231291

Publisher

Folger Shakespeare Library

Language

Middle English (1100-1500); Latin

Origin

Place

England

Summary

A collection of around 100 tales and exempla on the treatment of courtly love written in Middle English verse by John Gower at the request of Richard II, King of England, who felt that not enough was being written in English. The collection appears to be, according to G.C. Macaulay's edition of Gower's work, the second rescension of the work; revised by Gower in 1392, replacing the dedication from Richard II to Henry of Lancaster (later King Henry IV). Also included on the initial paper flyleaves: an astrological table; various Latin verses (also on the vellum stub formerly part of binding); and a copy of a dictionary entry on Gower.

Notes

• Evidence of contemporary French manuscripts (writing in reverse) once pasted throughout manuscript at beginning and ending of parts.
   
• Title from verso of leaf preceding p. i, "Io Gower de confessione amantis."
   
• Verses on initial paper flyleaves listed in Folger index of first lines.
   
• text continuous between p. 87 and 88, and between p. 340 and 343
   
• text missing and 6 stubs between p. 276 and 289
   
• On recto of third paper fly leaf, "Jane Sergeant Heer Book God giue / Heer grace ther on to look & when she die / toll the bell tak this book & vse it well."
   
• Uniform title: [Confessio amantis]
   

Extent

Ii (new vellum) + ii (paper) + i (vellum stub) + i (paper) + 174 (paginated i-xii, 1-87, unnumbered, 88-89, 89-276, 289-340, 343-350) + ii (new vellum); 388 x 284 mm

Support

Parchment

Binding

Bound in 15th-century calf on boards with modern leather spine.

Layout

Written in 2 columns in 52 lines (dimensions of written space: 280 x 165 mm); ruling in crayon in places; prickings in outer margin; corrections and marginalia in an early modern hand.

Decoration

Initials in red ink; yellow and red highlighting of initial letters of lines of poem throughout.

Script

Written in Bastarda Bretagne (upright with heavy sloping f and s); hand on p. 38 same as Devonshire Chaucer (now in Japan).

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Jane Sergeant; Towneley (bookplate); Phillipps; Smedley (bookplate) MS; Purchased as part of the Smedley Collection in 1924 by Henry Clay Folger.
   

Related resources

• See G.C. Macaulay, Complete works of John Gower, vol. II, p. clxv for an account of this manuscript.
• Phillipps, T. Phillipps manuscripts, 8942
• Ricci, S. de. Census of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the United States and Canada, SM.1

Subjects topical

• Christian poetry, English (Middle) --Manuscripts
• Love poetry, English (Middle) --Manuscripts
• Christian ethics --Poetry --Early works to 1800 --Manuscripts
• Courtly love --Poetry --Early works to 1800 --Manuscripts
• Great Britain --England

Genres

• Manuscripts, Latin --England --15th century
• Manuscripts (documents) --England --15th century
• Poems --England --15th century --Manuscripts
• Annotations (Provenance)
• Manuscript waste (Binding)

Keywords

• 15th century
• English
• Fragment
• Binding
• England
• Literature -- Poetry

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Folger Shakespeare Library MS V.b.29: De confessione amantis manuscript, ca. mid-15th century. are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  To the extent possible under law, Folger Shakespeare Library has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this metadata about Folger Shakespeare Library MS V.b.29: De confessione amantis manuscript, ca. mid-15th century.. This work is published from: United States. For a summary of CC0, see https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. Legal code: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• Flyleaf 3 recto — Astrological chart
• Flyleaf 3 verso — Verses relating to astrological chart
• Flyleaf 4 recto — Later ownership and introductory notes
• i — Prologue; incipit: Of hem that writen vs tofore... (p. i); explicit: ...Which noon butt only god maye stiere. (p. 1)
• 1 — Book I; incipit: I may not streche vnto the heuene... (p. 1); explicit: ...Thou shalt the spices as thei stonde. (p. 38)
• 38 — Book II; incipit: Now after pride the seconde... (p. 38); explicit: ...Thou mi[gh]t thiself the beter auise. (p. 76)
• 77 — Book III; incipit: If thou the vices list to knowe... (p. 77); explicit: ...The pointez of Slouthe [tho]u shalt knowe. (p. 104)
• 104 — Book IV; incipit: Upon the vices to procede... (p. 104); explicit: ...The forme bothe & the matere. (p. 144)
• 144 — Book V; incipit: First whan [th]e high god began... (p. 144); explicit: ...With al my herte I you beseche. (p. 227)
• 227 — Book VI; incipit: The sinne gret originall... (p. 227); explicit: ...In this mater hou it hath ferde. (p. 252)
• 253 — Book VII; incipit: I Genius the prest of loue... (p. 253); explicit: ...I wol the telle and than hoo. (p. 314)
• 314 — Book VIII; incipit: The mi[gh]ti god vnbegonne... (p. 314); explicit: ...As Tullius somtyme wrot. (p. 350)

Decorations

• Inside front cover — Bookplate, John Towneley
• Inside front cover — Bookplate, W. T. Smedley
• i — Penwork initial O
• 1 — Penwork initial I
• 38 — Penwork initial N
• 77 — Penwork initial I
• 104 — Penwork initial U
• 144 — Penwork initial F
• 227 — Penwork initial T
• 253 — Penwork initial I
• 314 — Penwork initial T
• Inside back cover — Bookplate, The Folger Shakespeare Library