The Devonshire Manuscript/Madame margeret

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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the sueden ghance ded mak me mves my ywtheffol days ar past
The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 68r

f. [68r]

Madame Madame d Madame margeret et madame de Richemont Ie vodroy bien quil fult1, 2

Notes & Glosses

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     1. This may be in Hand 7.
     2. The transcription of the last line is taken from Helen Baron, except for the "Ie/Je" where she has "se." An unverified translation is "I like well that he," "He would like to have been," or "he would really like if he were."[1]

Commentary

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H7 may have entered this line into the manuscript. "Madame margeret" may refer to Lady Margaret Douglas and "madame de Richemont" most likely refers to the Duchess of Richmond. There is a distinction between the generative, public and the "merely" private name in Renaissance aristocratic usage and theatrical practice, which is in opposition to interiority.[2] A woman's inheritance was considered "movable," and could "pass in a moment from hand to hand, body to body."[3] Mary Fitzroy, formerly Mary Howard, assumes her identity as the Duchess of Richmond. As evidenced here, annotations can reveal a great deal about gender identity, Renaissance practice, and courtly reality.

Works Cited

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