The Devonshire Manuscript/now all of chaunge

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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Wythe seruing still Dryven bye desire I dede this dede


The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 81r
The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 81v

f. [81r]

1    now all of chaunge
2    must be my songe
3    and from{_o}m mye bonde nowe must I breke
4    sins she so strange
5    vnto my wrrong
6    dothe stopp her eris to to here me speke

7    yet none dothe kno
8    so well as she
9    my greefe wiche can
10    have no restrainte
10    that faine wolde follo
11    nowe nedes{es} must fle
12    for faute of ere vnto my playnte

13    I am not he
14    bye fals assayes
15    nor faynid faith can{_a} bere in hande
16    tho most I see
17    that suche alwaes
18    are best for to be vndrestonde

19    But I that truth hath a
20    hathe alwaies ment
21    {{s}8}{p3} Dothe still procede to serue in vayne
22    Desire pursuithe
23    my tyme mispent
24    and doth not passe vppon my payne

25    O fortunes might
26    that eche com{_o}pellis
27    and me the most yt dothe suffise
28    nowe for my right to
29    to aske nought ells
30    but to with{w+t+}drawe this entreprise

31    And for the gaine
32    of that good howre
33    wiche of my woo shalbe relefe
34    I shall refrayne
35    bye paynefull powre
36    the thing that most hathe bene my grefe

37    I shall not misse
38    to excersyse
39    the helpe therof wich{w+c+} dothe me teche
40    that after this yn any wise
41    in any wise /
42    to kepe right with{w+t+}in my reche

43    and she oniuste
44    wich ferithe not

f. [81v] 

   this
45    yn this her fame to be defilyde{d,}
46    yett ons I truste
47    shalbe my lott
48    to quite the crafte that me begilde{d,} /

fs

Commentary

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Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,[1] this poem was entered by H8. The speaker complains that he truly loves his beloved, but he tries to exercise reason in order to withdraw himself from his miserable situation.

H8 separates lines 3, 6, and 9 into two graphical lines to maintain the column width established by the poem above, “Wythe seruing still" (81r). H8 enters the rest of the poem beside this column and on the next page, and keeps the poetic lines intact. An annotation (“lerne but to syng yt”), written in the hand of Margaret Douglas, appears above the poem. Paul Remley links this annotation to "now all of chaunge," but it may be a comment on the lyric above, “Wythe seruing still” (81r). Remley adds that “Now all of change” has a musical setting and suggests that the seventeen entries reading “and thys” may be linked to this annotation. These seventeen entries and this annotation may indicate a group of texts to be learned for entertaining.[2] In the Arundel-Harington manuscript, the scribe enters "To Smith of Camden," which Rebholz suggests is the name of an Elizabethan broadside ballad tune that could be used as the melody for this lyric.[3]

Works Cited

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Textual Notes

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Texts Collated

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AAH10

Collation

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1.1      now] Now AAH10     chaunge] chaunge, AAH10 
2.1      songe] song AAH10 
3.2      fromm] from AAH10     mye bonde/] my bownd, AAH10     nowe] now AAH10     breke] breake AAH10 
4.3      sins] Since AAH10     she] shee AAH10     strange] straunge, AAH10 
5.3      wrrong] wronge AAH10 
6.4      dothe] doth AAH10     stopp] stoppe AAH10     eris/ to] ears, AAH10     here] heare AAH10     speke] speake AAH10 
7.5      dothe] doth AAH10     kno] know, AAH10 
8.5      she] shee AAH10 
9.6      greefe wiche/] greif whiche AAH10 
10.7      wolde] wold AAH10     follo] follow, AAH10 
11.7      nowe] now AAH10     nedes]  AAH10     fle] flye AAH10 
12.8      ere] eare, AAH10     playnte] plaint AAH10 
13      I am not he]  AAH10 
14      bye fals assayes]  AAH10 
15      nor faynid faith can bere in hande]  AAH10 
16      tho most I see]  AAH10 
17      that suche alwaes]  AAH10 
18      are best for to be vndrestonde]  AAH10 
19      But I that truth hath a]  AAH10 
20      hathe alwaies ment]  AAH10 
21      Dothe still procede to serue in vayne]  AAH10 
22      Desire pursuithe]  AAH10 
23      my tyme mispent]  AAH10 
24      and doth not passe vppon my payne]  AAH10 
25.9      O] Oh AAH10     fortunes] ffortunes AAH10     might] might, AAH10 
26.9      eche] eache AAH10     compellis] compells AAH10 
27.10      most] moste, AAH10     yt] it AAH10     dothe] doth AAH10 
28.11      nowe] now AAH10     right to] right, AAH10 
29.11      aske] ask AAH10 
30.12      withdrawe] withdraw AAH10     entreprise] enterprise AAH10 
31.13      And] And so AAH10     the]  AAH10     gaine] gayne, AAH10 
32.13      that] this AAH10 
33.14      wiche] whiche AAH10     woo] woe, AAH10     shalbe] shall be AAH10     relefe] reliefe AAH10 
34.15      refrayne] refrayne, AAH10 
35.15      bye] by AAH10     paynefull] paynfull AAH10 
36.16      most] moste, AAH10     hathe] hath AAH10     grefe] griefe AAH10 
37      I shall not misse]  AAH10 
38      to excersyse]  AAH10 
39      the helpe therof wich dothe me teche]  AAH10 
40      that after this yn any wise]  AAH10 
41      in any wise /]  AAH10 
42      to kepe right within my reche]  AAH10 
43.17      and] And AAH10     she] shee AAH10     oniuste] vniust, AAH10 
44.17      wich ferithe] that feareth AAH10 
45.18      this/ yn] in AAH10     fame] fame, AAH10     defilyde] defyl'de AAH10 
46.19      yett] yet AAH10     ons] once AAH10     truste] trust AAH10 
47.19      shalbe] shall be AAH10 
48.20      quite] quyte AAH10     crafte] crafte, AAH10     begilde/] beguil'de AAH10