Chapter L: LAUD 609, Bodleian Library (Bern. Cat. 754). Confessio Amantis

with ‘Explicit’ (four lines), ‘Quam cinxere’ and ‘Quia vnusquisque.’ Parchment, ff. 170, 16 × 10¾ in., in quires of 8 with catchwords: double column, first of 40 lines, then about 44, and after f. 16 of 51: well written, first quarter fifteenth cent. Latin in the text (red). Floreated border of first page and half borders at the beginning of books, well executed. Two miniatures, on f. 5 v^o the Image of the dream, and on f. 10 the Confession, both much like those in C and B₂, but damaged.

After f. 109 one leaf is lost (v. 5550-5739), one after f. 111 (v. 6140-6325), and eight (quire 16) after f. 118 (v. 7676-vi. 1373).

The names Symon and Thomas Elrington (sixteenth cent.) occur in the book, ff. 89, 170, and ‘Liber Guilielmi Laud Archiepiscopi Cantuar. et Cancellarii Vniuersitatis Oxon. 1633’ on f. 1.

In correctness of text and spelling the text is decidedly
inferior to the foregoing MSS. We may note apparently good
readings in the following passages, Prol. 159, i. 3023, v.
1072, vii. 374, 3040, 3639, viii. 358, 483.

B₂. BODLEY 693, Bodleian Library (Bern. Cat. 2875). _Confessio Amantis_ with ‘Explicit’ (six lines), ‘Quam cinxere’ and ‘Quia vnusquisque.’ Parchment (gilt edged), ff. 196, 15 × 10 in., in eights with catchwords. Well written, first quarter fifteenth cent., in double column of 46 lines. Latin in text (red). Floreated border of first page and half borders at beginning of books (also on f. 8 v^o), well executed: two small miniatures, f. 4 v^o the Image of the dream, f. 8 v^o (within an initial T) the Confession, like those in C and L, but smaller.

At the end we have ‘ffrauncois Halle A^o MV^cVI’ (i.e. 1506), ‘Garde le ffine.’ In the initial on f. 1 a coat of arms is painted surrounded by the Garter and its motto. The arms are those of Charles Brandon duke of Suffolk (Brandon with quartering of Bruyn and Rokeley, see Doyle, _Official Baronage_, iii. 443), and on the same page is painted the Brandon crest (lion’s head erased, crowned per pale gules and arg., langued az.). These must have been painted in later than the date of the MS. The binding is deeply stamped with the arms of Great Britain and Ireland in colours, and the letters I. R., showing that the book belonged to James I. It was presented to the Bodleian by Dr. John King, who was Dean of Ch. Ch. 1605-1611. We must suppose that James gave it to Dr. King.

The fineness of the vellum and the general style of the book
seems to indicate that it was written for some distinguished
person. The text is very typical of its class. In correctness
and spelling it is less good than L, oftener dropping final _e_
and having less regard for the metre.

Sn. ARCH. SELD. B. II, Bodleian Library (Bern. Cat. 3357). _Confessio Amantis_ with ‘Explicit’ (four lines), ‘Quam cinxere’ and ‘Quia vnusquisque.’ Paper (with some leaves of parchment), ff. 169, 14½ × 10¾ in. Quires with varying number of leaves, usually 12 or 16, signatures and catchwords. (No written leaves lost, but blanks cut away in quires nine and ten.) Written in double column of 44-65 lines (no ruling), in a small hand, middle fifteenth cent. Latin in text. Red and blue initials, but no other decoration.

The book has the name ‘Edwarde Smythe’ (sixteenth cent.) as the owner. It came into the Bodleian among John Selden’s books.

The text is a poor one with a good many corruptions, from the
first line of the Prologue (‘To hem’ for ‘Of hem’) onwards,
many of them absurd, as ‘who thoghte’ for ‘we the while’ (v.
6752), ‘homicides’ for ‘houndes’ (vii. 5256), and some arising
from confusion between _þ_, _ȝ_, and _y_. Thus the scribe (who
usually has _th_ for _þ_ and _y_ for _ȝ_) is capable of writing
‘aþen’ or ‘athen’ for ‘aȝein,’ ‘yer of’ for ‘þer of,’ ‘yeff’
for ‘þef,’ ‘biþete’ for ‘biȝete.’ There are many mistakes in
the coloured initials, e.g. ii. 2501, iii. 2033, 2439. Some
northern forms, as ‘gude,’ iii. 1073, ‘Qwhat,’ iii. 2439. Note
agreement with B in some places, as i. 365, 1479, iii. 1222, v.
2417, 6296, and a few more.