The Devonshire Manuscript/At most myscheffe

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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←The hart & servys to yow profferd

What menythe thys when I lye alone→

f. [12r]

1    and thys At most myscheffe
2    I suffer greffe
3    ffor off releffe
4    syns I have none
5    my lute & I
6    contynually
7    shall vs apply
8    to syghe & mone

9    Nowght may pre{p'}vayle
10    to wepe or wayle
11    pety dothe fayle
12    in yow Alas
13    mornyng or mone
14    complaynt or none
15    yt ys Alone
16    as in thys case

17    ffor cruelte
18    most that{{th}+t+} can be
19    hathe suffraynte
20    with{w+t+}in yo^r hart
21    Whyche makythe bare
22    all my welffare
23    nowght do ye care
24    How sore I smart

25    No tygres hart
26    ys so per{p+}vart ¹
27    with{w+t+}out Desart
28    to wreke hys yre
29    & you me kyll
30    ffor my good wyll
31    lo how I spyll
32    ffor my Desyre

33    Ther ys no love
34    that{{th}+t+} can ye move
35    & I can prove
36    none other way
37    Wherfor I must
38    Refrayn me lust
39    banysshe me trust
40    & welthe Awaye

41    thus in myscheffe
42    I suffer greffe
43    ffor off releffe
44    syns I have none
45    my lute & I
46    contynually
47    shall vs apply
48    to syghe & mone

ffynys quod{q+d+} Wyatts

Notes & Glosses

1. The expansion can also be to "parvart."^[1]

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt^[2] in the Devonshire Manuscript, this poem was entered by H2. Similar to other courtly poetry found in the Devonshire Manuscript, this poem describes a suffering lover and his cruel mistress.

This poem is one of seventeen entries where Margaret Douglas marks with “and thys.” Paul Remley has suggested that these annotations relate to another in-text annotation of hers, “lerne but to syng it” (81r), and may indicate a group of texts to be learned for entertaining.^[3]

Works Cited

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

DBLa04, LEge03

Collation

1 most] moste DBla04 moost LEge03 myscheffe] myschyef DBla04 myschief LEge03
2 suffer] suffre LEge03 greffe] gryeff DBla04 greif LEge03
3 ffor] for DBla04 LEge03 off releffe] of relyef DBla04 of relief LEge03
4 syns] sith DBla04 have] haue DBla04 none] noone DBla04
5 my] My DBla04 LEge03 &] and DBla04
6 contynually] continuelly LEge03
8 syghe] sigh LEge03 wele syth DBla04 &] or and DBla04 mone] mon DBla04
9 Nowght] Nought LEge03 Naught DBla04 may] doth DBla04 prevayle] prevaill LEge03
10 wepe] sighe DBla04 wayle] waill LEge03
11 pety] pitie LEge03 sens pety DBla04 dothe] Doth DBla04 doeth LEge03 fayle] faill LEge03
12 yow] you LEge03 DBla04 Alas] al DBla04
13 mornyng] Mornyng DBla04 Morning LEge03
14 complaynt] complaynte DBla04 complaint LEge03
15 yt] hit DBla04 yt ys Alone] it is all one LEge03 hit ys alone DBla04
16 thys] this DBla04 LEge03
17 cruelte] crueltye DBla04 crueltie LEge03
18 most] moste DBla04 moost LEge03 can] may DBla04
19 hathe] hath DBla04 LEge03 suffraynte] sufferaunte DBla04 soveraynte LEge03
20 yor] youre DBla04 your LEge03 hart] harte DBla04 hert LEge03
21 Whyche] Which LEge03 and DBla04 makythe] maketh LEge03 makith DBla04
22 welffare] welfare DBla04 LEge03
23 nowght] nought LEge03 nowght do ye] naught doo you DBla04
24 How] how DBla04 LEge03
25 No] Noo DBla04 No tygres hart] LEge03 tygres] tygurs DBla04
26 ys so pervart] LEge03 so] soo DBla04 pervart] pervarte DBla04
27 without Desart] LEge03 Desart] desarte DBla04
28 to wreke hys yre] LEge03 hys yre] his Ire DBla04
29 & you] And ye DBla04 & you me kyll] LEge03
30 ffor] for DBla04 ffor my good wyll] LEge03
31 lo] Lov DBla04 lo how I spyll] LEge03
32 ffor] for DBla04 ffor my Desyre] LEge03 Desyre] desyre DBla04
33 Ther] There DBla04 Ther ys no love] LEge03 no] noo DBla04
34 that can ye move] LEge03 ye] you DBla04
35 &] and DBla04 & I can prove] LEge03 can] cann DBla04
36 none] no DBla04 none other way] LEge03 other] nother DBla04
37 Wherfor] Wherfore DBla04 Wherfor I must] LEge03
38 Refrayn me] refrayne my DBla04 Refrayn me lust] LEge03 lust] luste DBla04
39 banysshe] banyshe DBla04 and banyshe DBla04 banysshe me trust] LEge03 me] DBla04
40 & welthe Awaye] frome me alway DBla04 LEge03
41 thus] Thus DBla04 thus in myscheffe] LEge03 myscheffe] myschyef & c / DBla04
42 I suffer greffe] DBla04 LEge03
43 ffor off releffe] DBla04 LEge03
44 syns I have none] DBla04 LEge03
45 my lute & I] DBla04 LEge03
46 contynually] DBla04 LEge03
47 shall vs apply] DBla04 LEge03
48 to syghe & mone] DBla04 LEge03

[1] See Anthony G. Petti, English Literary Hands from Chaucer to Dryden (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1977), 24.

[2] R.A. Rebholz, ed., Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems (London: Penguin, 1978), 160.

[3] Paul Remley, "Mary Shelton and Her Tudor Literary Milieu," in Rethinking the Henrician Era: Essays on Early Tudor Texts and Contexts, ed. Peter C. Herman (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994), 40-77.

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