The Devonshire Manuscript/Theye fle from me that some tyme ded me seke

←thou haste no faith of him that eke hath none

Ceaser whan the traytor of egipte→

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 69v

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 70r

f. [69v]

1    Theye fle from{_o} me that some tyme ded me seke
2    with{w+t+} nakid fote stawking yn my chambre /
3    I have sene them both gen{_e}till tame and meke
4    that now are wilde and do not remem{_e}bre
5    that some tyme theye put them self in daunger{g'}

f. [70r] 

6    to take brede at my hande and nowe theye Rainge
7    beselye seking contynuall chaunge /

8    Thancked be fortune / yt hathe bene othrewise
9    twentye tymes bettre / but ons in esspiall¹
10    In thyne arraye / after a ples^aunte guise
11    when her loose gowne from{_o} her shuldrs ded fall
12    and she me caught in her armes long and small²
13    but there with{w+t+}all swetelye she ded me kisse
14    and softelye saide dere herte how lyke you this

15    yt was no dreame for I laye brod waking
16    but all is tornd thorowe my gentilnesse
17    ynto a straung fasshon of forsaking
18    and I haw leve to parte of her goodnesse
19    and she like wise to vse newfanglenesse
20    {{s}8}{_e} {{th}+t+} but sins that I so gentillye am serued
21    {{s}8}{{th}+t+} what think you bye this that she hat deserued /

fs

Notes & Glosses

     1. The line scans only if "esspiall" is pronounced that way.
     2. The phrase "long and small" was used by Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower, for instance, to describe a woman's attributes. For example, see John Gower's Confessio Amantis IV, 1176-7, where Amans says, "Than can I noght bot muse and prie/ Upon hir fingres longe and smale."

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “The louer sheweth how he is forsaken of such as he somtime enioyed” (item 52). Stanza two contains sexual imagery reminiscent of Ovid's Amores III, 7 and I, 5. The phrase "take the bread at my hand," as Rebholz notes, confirms the metaphor in the first stanza which aligns women with gentle animals. The reference to animals also creates a dream-like quality to the speaker's musings in stanza two; the dream-like quality is immediately denied in stanza three.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge39, STC13860_30

Collation

1 Theye] They LEge39 THey STC_13860_30 fle] flee STC_13860_30 me] me / LEge39 me, STC_13860_30 some tyme] sometyme LEge39 somtime STC_13860_30 ded] did LEge39 STC_13860_30
2 with] With STC_13860_30 nakid] naked LEge39 STC_13860_30 stawking] stalking LEge39 stalkyng STC_13860_30 yn] in LEge39 within STC_13860_30 chambre /] chambre LEge39 chamber. STC_13860_30
3 I have sene] Once haue I seen STC_13860_30 them both] theim LEge39 them STC_13860_30 gentill] gentle, STC_13860_30 tame] tame, STC_13860_30 meke] meke, STC_13860_30
4 that] That STC_13860_30 now] nowe LEge39 wilde] wyld LEge39 wild, STC_13860_30 remembre] remember STC_13860_30 once remember STC_13860_30
5 that] That STC_13860_30 some tyme] sometyme LEge39 STC_13860_30 theye] they LEge39 STC_13860_30 put] haue put STC_13860_30 them self] theimself LEge39 them selues STC_13860_30 daunger] danger, STC_13860_30
6 to] To STC_13860_30 brede] bred LEge39 bread STC_13860_30 hande] hand LEge39 hand, STC_13860_30 and] & LEge39 nowe] now STC_13860_30 theye] they LEge39 STC_13860_30 Rainge] raunge LEge39 range, STC_13860_30
7 beselye] besely LEge39 Busily STC_13860_30 seking] sekyng STC_13860_30 contynuall] with a continuell LEge39 in continuall STC_13860_30 chaunge /] chaunge LEge39 change. STC_13860_30
8 Thancked] Thanked STC_13860_30 fortune /] fortune LEge39 fortune, STC_13860_30 yt hathe] it hath LEge39 STC_13860_30 bene] ben LEge39 othrewise] otherwise STC_13860_30
9 twentye] twenty LEge39 Twenty STC_13860_30 bettre /] better LEge39 better: STC_13860_30 ons in esspiall] once especiall, STC_13860_30 esspiall] speciall LEge39
10 In] in LEge39 thyne] thyn LEge39 thinne STC_13860_30 arraye /] aray, STC_13860_30 plesaunte guise] pleasaunt gyse LEge39 pleasant gyse, STC_13860_30
11 when] When STC_13860_30 loose] lose LEge39 from her shuldrs ded] did from her shoulders STC_13860_30 shuldrs ded] shoulders did LEge39 fall] fall, STC_13860_30
12 and] And STC_13860_30 and] & LEge39 small] small, STC_13860_30
13 but] LEge39 And STC_13860_30 there withall] therewithall LEge39 therwithall, STC_13860_30 swetelye] swetely LEge39 so swetely STC_13860_30 she ded] did LEge39 did STC_13860_30 kisse] kysse LEge39 kysse, STC_13860_30
14 and] And STC_13860_30 softelye] softely LEge39 softly STC_13860_30 saide] sayd: STC_13860_30 dere] deare STC_13860_30 herte] hert LEge39 hart, STC_13860_30 how] howe LEge39 lyke] like LEge39 STC_13860_30 this] this? STC_13860_30
15 yt] It LEge39 STC_13860_30 dreame] dreme LEge39 dreame: STC_13860_30 for] LEge39 laye] lay LEge39 STC_13860_30 brod] brode LEge39 broade STC_13860_30 waking] awakyng. STC_13860_30
16 but] But STC_13860_30 tornd] torned LEge39 turnde STC_13860_30 thorowe] thorough LEge39 now through STC_13860_30 gentilnesse] gentilnes LEge39 gentlenesse. STC_13860_30
17 ynto] into LEge39 Into STC_13860_30 straung] straunge LEge39 bitter STC_13860_30 fassyon] fasshion LEge39 fashion STC_13860_30 forsaking] forsakyng: STC_13860_30
18 and] And STC_13860_30 haw] have LEge39 haue STC_13860_30 leve] leaue STC_13860_30 parte] goo LEge39 go STC_13860_30 goodnesse] goodenes LEge39 goodnesse, STC_13860_30
19 and] And STC_13860_30 like wise] also LEge39 STC_13860_30 newfanglenesse] new fangilnes LEge39 newfanglenesse. STC_13860_30
20 but] But, STC_13860_30 sins] syns LEge39 so gentillye] vnkyndly so STC_13860_30 gentillye] kyndely LEge39 am] ame LEge39 serued] serued: STC_13860_30
21 what think you bye this that] I would fain knowe what LEge39 How like you this, what STC_13860_30 she hat] hath she STC_13860_30 hat] hath LEge39 deserued /] deserued LEge39 now deserued? STC_13860_30 br />9    twentye tymes bettre / but ons in esspiall