The Devonshire Manuscript/Ons me thoght ffortune me kist

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 71v

f. [71v]

1    Ons me thoght¹ ffortune me kist
2    & bad me asske what I thoght best
3    & I shold haue yt as me list
4    therwith{w+t+} to set my hartt in rest

5    noght² but my dere ha^rt
6    to haue for euer{u'} more my none
7    then att an en{_e}d were my smert
8    then shold I nede no more to mone

Notes & Glosses

     1. This word overwrites the closer of the poem entered earlier on the page.
     2. This word overwrites part of a poem entered earlier on the page.

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. R. A. Rebholz suggests that "Ons me thoght ffortune me kist" may be riddle-like because it proposes contradictory meanings: Fortune grants the speaker either his lady’s love, or power over his own heart. The poem's meaning depends, ultimately, on the interpretation of “my none” in line 6. The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “The louer reioiceth the enioying of his loue” (item 86).

H8 also enters a longer version of this poem on 73v, "Ons me thought fortune me kiste". This poem was entered last on a full page and includes only two of the seven stanzas found in "Ons me thought fortune me kiste" (73v). "Ons me thoght ffortune me kist" overwrites elements of both the poem above and the one to its left.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge26, STC13860_20, LDev136

Collation

1 Ons] ONce STC_13860_20 me] as me LEge26 STC_13860_20 thoght] thought LEge26 STC_13860_20 ffortune] fortune LDev136 LEge26 STC_13860_20 kist] kiste LDev136 kyst LEge26 kist: STC_13860_20
2 &] and LDev136 LEge26 And STC_13860_20 bad] bade STC_13860_20 asske] aske LDev136 LEge26 aske, STC_13860_20 thoght] thought LDev136 LEge26 STC_13860_20 best] best: STC_13860_20
3 &] and LDev136 LEge26 And STC_13860_20 shold] shulde LDev136 should LEge26 STC_13860_20 haue] have LDev136 LEge26 yt] it LEge26 STC_13860_20 list] liste LDev136 list, STC_13860_20
4 therwith] therewith LDev136 LEge26 Therewith STC_13860_20 hartt] herte LDev136 hert LEge26 hart STC_13860_20 rest] reste LDev136 rest. STC_13860_20
5 assked] asked LDev136 LEge26 STC_13860_20 noght] nought LDev136 LEge26 STC_13860_20 dere] ladies STC_13860_20 hart] herte LDev136 hert LEge26
6 to] To STC_13860_20 haue] have LDev136 LEge26 euer more] evermore LDev136 LEge26 euermore STC_13860_20 my none] my owne LDev136 myn owne LEge26 myne owne: STC_13860_20
7 then] Then STC_13860_20 att] at STC_13860_20 att an] at my LEge26 an end] anend LDev136 end] ende LEge26 my] all my LEge26 STC_13860_20 smert] smarte LDev136 smart: STC_13860_20
8 then] Then STC_13860_20 shold] shulde LDev136 should LEge26 STC_13860_20 no] to LDev136 to] LEge26 mone] mone / LDev136 mone. STC_13860_20
9 ] yet for all that a stormy blaste LDev136 Yet for all that a stormy blast LEge26 STC_13860_20
10 ] hathe overtornid this goodlye daye LDev136 had overtorned this goodely day LEge26 Had ouerturnde this goodly day: STC_13860_20
11 ] and fortune semid at the laste LDev136 and fortune semed at the last LEge26 And fortune semed at the last, STC_13860_20
12 ] that to her promis she saide naye LDev136 that to her promes she saide nay LEge26 That to her promise she said nay. STC_13860_20
13 ] but like as on out of dispaire LDev136 But like as oon oute of dispere LEge26 But like as one out of dispayre STC_13860_20
14 ] to soden hope reviuid I LDev136 to soudden hope revived I LEge26 To sodain hope reuiued I. STC_13860_20
15 ] now fortune showith her self so faire LDev136 now fortune sheweth herself so fayer LEge26 Now fortune sheweth her selfe so fayre, STC_13860_20
16 ] that I cotentcontent me wondreslye LDev136 that I content me wonderly LEge26 That I content me wondersly. STC_13860_20
17 ] my most desire my hand may reche LDev136 My moost desire my hand may reche LEge26 My most desire my hand may reach: STC_13860_20
18 ] my will is alwaye at my hande LDev136 my will is alwaye at my hand LEge26 My will is alway at my hand. STC_13860_20
19 ] me nede not long for to beseche LDev136 me nede not long for to beseche LEge26 Me nede not long for to beseche STC_13860_20
20 ] her that hathe powre / me to commande LDev136 her that hath power me to comaund LEge26 Her , that hath power me to commaunde. STC_13860_20
21 ] what erthelye thing more can I crave LDev136 What erthely thing more can I crave LEge26 What earthly thing more can I craue? STC_13860_20
22 ] what wolde I wishe more at my will LDev136 what would I wisshe more at my will LEge26 What would I wishe more at my will? STC_13860_20
23 ] no thing on erthe more wold I have LDev136 no thing on erth more would I have LEge26 Nothing on earth more would I haue, STC_13860_20
24 ] save that I have to have it still. LDev136 save that I have to have it still LEge26 Saue that I haue , to haue it styll. STC_13860_20
25 ] for fortune hathe kepte her promis LDev136 ffor fortune hath kept her promes LEge26 For fortune hath kept her promesse, STC_13860_20
26 ] yn graunting me my most desire LDev136 in graunting me my moost desire LEge26 In grauntyng me my most desire. STC_13860_20
27 ] of my sufferaunce I have redresse LDev136 of my sufferaunce I have my redres LEge26 Of my soueraigne I haue redresse, STC_13860_20
28 ] and I content me with my hire / LDev136 and I content me with my hiere LEge26 And I content me with my hire. STC_13860_20