The Devonshire Manuscript/Nature that gave the bee so fete agrace

←I have sought long with stedfastnesse

to wishe and wante and not obtaine→

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 71v

f. [71v]

1    Nature that gave the bee so swte^fete agra{gA}ce¹
2    to gett honnye of so wonderous fasshion
3    hath taught the spidre out of the same place
4    to fetche poysons bye str^aunge alteration
5    tho this be straunge it is a str^aunger{g'} case
6    with{w+t+} on kisse bye secrete operation
7    both theis at ons yn those yo^r lippes to finde
8    yn change whereof I leve my herte²

fs

Notes & Glosses

     1. The lines of this poem protrude into the poem on the lower right, whose lines are fitted in around it, therefore it is not the last one on the page.
     2. The poem above was entered first, then the poem on the opposite side was entered, overwriting part of this one.

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The speaker finds both honey and poison in the lady’s kiss and, interestingly, ascribes to her mystical powers due to her “secrete operation” in which she can incite both pleasure and pain. "Nature that gave the bee so fete agrace" also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “How by a kisse he found both his life and death” (item 88).

H8 entered this poem with a lighter, thinner pen nib than the poem above and the one on the upper left-hand side. Additionally, H8 recorded "Nature that gave the bee so fete agrace" as the third entry on the page.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge25, STC13860_18, DBLa13, LHar78_1

Collation

1 Nature] Nature, LEge25 NAture STC_13860_18 that gave] that'gaue STC_13860_18 gave] gaue DBla13 favce gave LEge25 bee] Bee STC_13860_18 swtefete] fayre DBla13 feet LEge25 fatt LHar78_1 feat STC_13860_18 agrace] a grase,/ LEge25 a grace LHar78_1 STC_13860_18
2 to] To DBla13 STC_13860_18 gett] featch DBla13 getfynd LEge25 fynde LHar78_1 finde STC_13860_18 honnye] honye DBla13 LHar78_1 hony LEge25 STC_13860_18 of] aftre DBla13 wonderous] strange a DBla13 wonderous fashion:/ LEge25 wondrous STC_13860_18 fasshion] fasion DBla13 fashion:/ LEge25 fascion LHar78_1 fashion: STC_13860_18
3 hath] hathe LHar78_1 Hath STC_13860_18 spidre] speydre DBla13 spider LEge25 LHar78_1 STC_13860_18 out] owte LEge25 owt LHar78_1 the same] thesame LEge25 place] place DBla13 plasce, LEge25
4 to] To DBla13 STC_13860_18 fetche] fetch DBla13 STC_13860_18 feche LHar78_1 poysons] poyson DBla13 LHar78_1 STC_13860_18 poyson, LEge25 bye] by DBla13 LEge25 LHar78_1 STC_13860_18 straunge] strange DBla13 STC_13860_18 straynge LEge25 LHar78_1 alteration] alteration. LEge25 alteracion. STC_13860_18
5 tho] though DBla13 Thoughe LHar78_1 Though STC_13860_18 this] thys DBla13 straunge] strange DBla13 straynger /, LEge25 straynge LHar78_1 strange, STC_13860_18 it] yt DBla13 LHar78_1 is] ys DBla13 straunger] stranger DBla13 STC_13860_18 straynger LEge25 LHar78_1 case] thyngecase DBla13 case,/ LEge25 case, STC_13860_18
6 with] by DBla13 wth LHar78_1 With STC_13860_18 on] one DBla13 STC_13860_18 oon LEge25 kisse] kysse DBla13 kyssse LEge25 kys LHar78_1 bye] of DBla13 by LEge25 LHar78_1 STC_13860_18 secrete] secrat DBla13 secret LEge25 LHar78_1 operation] operation /, LEge25 operacion, STC_13860_18
7 both] Both DBla13 STC_13860_18 boeth LEge25 bothe LHar78_1 theis] thesse DBla13 these LEge25 STC_13860_18 theys LHar78_1 ons] ones DBla13 ons /, LEge25 once STC_13860_18 yn] in DBla13 LHar78_1 LEge25 STC_13860_18 yor] your LEge25 STC_13860_18 yor lippes] thy Lyppes DBla13 ourlyppes LHar78_1 finde] fynde DBla13 LHar78_1 fynde / LEge25 finde, STC_13860_18
8 yn] In DBla13 STC_13860_18 in LEge25 LHar78_1 change] chaunge LEge25 chaynge LHar78_1 whereof] wherof DBla13 whereof, LEge25 whearof LHar78_1 wherof, STC_13860_18 leve] leave LHar78_1 leaue STC_13860_18 herte] hart DBla13 STC_13860_18 hert LEge25 harte LHar78_1 behinde /] behynd DBla13 behinde. LEge25 STC_13860_18 byhynde LHar78_1