This is a fragment from the first printed edition of John Gower’s poem, originally completed in 1390. Despite the Latin title, the Confessio Amantis (“The Lover’s Confession”) is written in the Middle English dialect of Kent/Suffolk area. Like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, it presents a frame story to justify the telling of shorter stories: in this case the protagonist Amans (literally meaning “lover” in Latin) invokes the goddess Venus, who summons her chaplain Genius (which in Latin refers to “psyche”) to hear his confession. Amans seeks spiritual guidance concerning the Seven Deadly Sins, and so Genius offers counsel on a range of issues including love, virtue, sin, and the role of Fortune through stories and allegories.

The stories in the Confessio largely echo Ovid’s Metamorphoses as well as classical mythology and biblical narratives. Gower composed the first version of the poem for Richard II, while a second version was completed about two years later and dedicated to Henry of Lancaster: the future Henry IV; a third followed in 1393. The text circulated widely following completion and was one of the first English texts to be printed. The fragment in the Royal Library consists of the first 12 pages of the edition printed by William Caxton. 

Binding description
Twentieth-century quarter-bound vellum and pink-orange paper. Covers decorated with gilt roll to separate leather from paper; white label with title in black on upper cover, framed by gilt border with star tools at the corners. Endpapers of modern plain paper.