The Devonshire Manuscript/My herte I gave the not to do yt paine

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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To Rayle or geste ye kno I vse yt not The Ioye so short alas the paine so nere
The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 75v

f. [75v]

1    My herte I gave the not to do yt paine
2    but to pre{p'}serve / yt was to the takin
3    I ser{{s}8}uid the not to be forsakin
4    but that I shulde be rewardid againe
5    I was contente thy ser{{s}8}uante to remaine
6    but not to be paide vndre suche fasshion
7    now sins that{{th}+t+} in the is none other Raison
8    Displease the not if that I do restraine
9    vnsatiat of my woo . and thy desire
10    assurid bye crafte . texcuse to excuse  thye faute
11    ffarwell I saie parting from the fire
12    for he that beleuith bering in hande
13    plowithe in water and sowith in sande /

fs

Commentary edit

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H8 and based on Serafino Aquilano 's strambotti “El cor ti diedi che el tormentassi.”[2] The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “The louer forsaketh his vnkinde loue” (item 100).[3] H1 enters another version of this poem as "My harte I gave the not to do it paine" (3r). "My harte I gave the not to do it paine" (3r) omits line 10. Variations in word choice occur in both poems: a few examples include the differences between 3r's “slave” and 75v’s “servant” (line 3); 3r's “restraine” and 75v’s “reffreyne” (line 8); and 3r's “bering” and 75v’s “lernyng” (lines 11 and 12 respectively).

Works Cited edit