The Devonshire Manuscript/for thowgh I had yow to morow agayne

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The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 91r

f. [91r]

1    for thowgh I had yow to morow agayne
2    I myght as well hold apryl from rayne
3    as holde yow to maken stedfast
4    all myghty god off treuthe the souerayne
5    wher ys the truthe off man who hath yt slayne
6    she that them loueth shall them fynde as fast
7    as in a tempest ys a rotten maste
8    ys that a tame beest / that ys aye fayne
9    to renne away whan he ys lefte agaste

Commentary

This excerpt from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Anelida and Arcite (lines 308-16), entered by TH2, focuses on Anelida's complaint regarding the unfaithfulness of men. TH2 most likely copied the excerpt from Thynne's edition of Chaucer (c. 1532). It represents the only excerpt from Anelida and Arcite in the manuscript.

Other medieval and Chaucerian excerpts in the manuscript, possibly copied from Thynne's edition, include verses from Troilus and Criseyde (see: "And now my pen alas wyth wyche I wryte" (29v(1)), "O very lord / o loue / o god alas" (29v(1)), "O ye louers that hygh vpon the whele" (30r), "for thylke grownde that bearyth the wedes wycke" (59v), "yff yt be so that ye so creuel be" (91r(2)), "Wo worthe the fayre gemme vertulesse" (91v(1)), "for loue ys yet the moste stormy lyfe" (91v(2)), "Also wyckyd tonges byn so prest") (91v(3)), "And who that sayth for to love ys vyce" (92r), and "but now helpe god to quenche all thys sorow" (93r)); Richard Roos' La Belle Dame Sans Merci ("O marble herte and yet more harde perde" (90r(1)) and "Alas what shuld yt be to yow preiudyce" (90r(2)), and the Chaucerian Remedy of Love first printed in Thynne's edition ("yff all the erthe were parchment scrybable" (90r).

TH2 separates the passages on the page with flourishes.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

T5068.07

Collation

1 for thowgh] Forthough T5068.07 yow] you T5068.07 morow] morowe T5068.07
2 I] I T5068.07 well] wel T5068.07 hold] holde T5068.07 apryl] April T5068.07
3 as] As T5068.07 yow] you T5068.07
4 all myghty] Almighty T5068.07 god off] god/of T5068.07 treuthe] trouthe T5068.07
5 wher] Wher T5068.07 ys] is T5068.07 truthe off] trouth of T5068.07 man who] man/who T5068.07 yt] it T5068.07
6 she] She T5068.07 them] hem T5068.07 loueth shall] loueth/shal T5068.07 them] hem T5068.07
7 as] As T5068.07 ys] is T5068.07
8 ys] Is T5068.07 beest / that] beest/that T5068.07 ys] is T5068.07
9 to] To T5068.07 away whan he] away/whan T5068.07 ys] he is T5068.07