The Lyrics of Henry VIII/My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble (Unattributed)

[ff. 116^v-120^r]

My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble
my body languisshyng my hart in payn
my Ioyes dysteres my sorows dowble
my lyffe as one that dye wold fayne
my nyes for sorow salt ters doth rayne.                                       5
thus do I lyue in gret heuenes
withowte hope or comfort of redresse.

My hope frome me is clene exiled
exiled for euer which is my payne
my payne with hope hath me begyled                                       10
begyled am I and can not refrayne
refrayne I must yet in dysdayne
in dysdayn I shall my lyfe endure
endure alas withowt hope of recure.

Oftyme for death for soth I call                                                  15
in releasse of my gret smert
for death ys endart principall
of all the sorowes within my hart
a payne it is hens to depart
yet my lyfe is to me so greuus                                                   20
that deth is plesur and nothyng noyus

Thus may ye se my wofull chance
my chance contrarious from all plesure
from all plesure to gret penance
of penance and payne I am right sure                                       25
riygt suere to haue no good auenture
good auenture in me to haue place
nay nay for why ther ys no space

Textual Commentary

Akin to Fayrfax and Woodville’s “Svmwhat musyng” (H 73), this lyric is a lament, outlining in great detail the anguish of the speaker’s pain. As with the manner in which this song is presented (as noted above), the poetic style (especially the method in the second and fourth stanzas) is remniscent of the lyrics extant in the earlier Fayrfax MS (LFay).

5 nyes Eyes.

11 without hope of recure Without hope of remedy; cf. the unattributed “What remedy what remedy” (H 69.11).

17 endart principall The principal “ender” (as suggested by textual variants in the second and third voices) or terminator.

21 noyus Causing annoyance, vexatious, troublesome (OED “noyous” a).

22 my wofull chance Cf. Fayrfax and Woodville’s “Svmwhat musyng” (H 73.12).

26 auenture Fortune, chance.

The unattributed “My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble” is through-set, in its entirety, in three voices. As with “I loue vnloued suche is myn aduenture” (H 74), and as noted by Stevens (M&P 422), the manner in which this the song is presented is reminiscent of the lyrics extant in the earlier Fayrfax MS (LFay).

This piece is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 2272.5, Boffey, and Ringler MS TM1074. It is reprinted in Flügel Anglia 253–54, Stevens M&P 422, and Stevens MCH8 86–89.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

H^1,2,3 (ff. 116^v–120^r).

3 dowble] dowbbe H¹, dowlle H², dowble H³

5 ters] tees H¹, ters H^2,3; doth] do H³

7 of] off H^1,2, of H³; redresse.]

9 exiled] exilide H¹, exiled H², exiled H³

10 begyled] begyled hath me be giled H¹, by giled ~ H², bygyled ~ be gyled H³

13 omit H³

16 off] off H¹, of H^2,3

17 endart] endar H², thender H³

18 all the] all H³

19 hens to] to H²; depart] depart hens to depart H²

20 is] it H¹, is H^2,3

23 chance] wofull chance H², channce H³

26 no good] no goode H², good H³

27 good] no good H²