The Devonshire Manuscript/As power & wytt wyll me Assyst

f. [20r]

1    3As power &amp; wytt wyll me Assyst 2    my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst 3    For as ye lyst my wyll ys bent 4    in euer {u'} ythyng to be content 5    to ser {{s}8} ve in love tyll lyff be spent 6    and to Reward my love thus ment evyn as ye lyst

7    To fayn or fable ys not my mynd 8    nor to Refuce suche as I fynd 9    But as a lambe of y umble kynd 10    or byrd in cage to be Assynd &amp;c

11    When all the flokk ys cum &amp; gone 12    myn eye &amp; hart agreythe in one 13    hathe chosyn yow only Alone 14    To be my Ioy or elles {es} my mone &amp;c

15    Ioy yf pytty apere in place 16    mone yf dysdayn do shew hys face 17    yet crave I not as in thys case 18    but as ye lede to folow the trace &amp;c

19    Sum in wordes {es} muche love can fayn 20   {es}   {es} {_u} and sum for wordes gyve wordes agayn 21    thus wordes {es} for wordes {es} in wordes {es} Remayn 22    &amp; yet at last wordes {es} do optayn &amp;c

23    To crave in wordes {es} I wyll exchew 24    &amp; love in dede I wyll ensew 25    yt ys my mynd bothe hole &amp; trew 26    &amp; for my trewthe I pray yow rew &amp;c

27    Dere hart I bydd yor hart farewell 28    with {w+t+} better hart than tong can tell 29    yet take thys tale as trew as gospell 30    ye may my lyff save or expell &amp;c

fynys

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H2. In his 1815 edition, George Frederick Nott argues that the poem may be an imitation of a Spanish form called Glosa in which the first couplet introduces the theme of the poem and commented on by the subsequent stanzas. Agnes Foxwell similarly commented that the structure follows a tradition of Middle English poems in which the first couplet or verse acts as the text for the poem. Following Foxwell's argument, Rebholz suggests that the lyric could be a modified carol: "[i]f the poem stems from the carol tradition, it might best be described as in the form of a modified carol, in which a part of the burden is repeated after each stanza (521). These types of carols, as John Stevens notes, are often found in early Tudor song-books.

Texts Collated
L18752_01

Collation
1      As power &amp; wytt wyll me Assyst]  L18752_01 2      my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst]  L18752_01 3      For] evyn L18752_01     ye] you L18752_01 4      in euerythyng] yn every thynge L18752_01 5      serve in love] serue yn loue L18752_01     lyff] lyf L18752_01 6      and] &amp; L18752_01     Reward] reward L18752_01     love thus ment] loue yn contynent L18752_01     evyn as ye lyst] even as you lyst L18752_01 7      To] to L18752_01     fable] fabble L18752_01 8      Refuce] refuse L18752_01     I] y L18752_01 9      But] but L18752_01     as] even as L18752_01     of [sd]y[/sd][add]h[/add]umble kynd] humbull &amp; kynd L18752_01 10      in] yn L18752_01     Assynd] assynd L18752_01     &amp;c] even as you lyst L18752_01 11      When] when L18752_01     flokk] folke L18752_01     cum] com L18752_01     gone] gon L18752_01 12      myn] my L18752_01     eye] Ioye L18752_01     agreythe in] agreeth yn L18752_01 13      hathe] &amp; hath L18752_01     chosyn yow] chosen you L18752_01     Alone] alone L18752_01 14      To] to L18752_01     Ioy] Ioye L18752_01     elles] ells L18752_01     mone] mon L18752_01     &amp;c] even as you lyst L18752_01 15      Ioy yf] yf L18752_01     pytty] pyte L18752_01     apere in] appeyr yn L18752_01     place] hes plas L18752_01 16      mone] or L18752_01     do shew] shew L18752_01     hys face] hes fas L18752_01 17      crave I] craue y L18752_01     not as] nothyng L18752_01     in thys case] yn this cas L18752_01 18      ye] you L18752_01     lede] lyst L18752_01     trace] tras L18752_01     &amp;c] even as you lyst L18752_01 19      Sum in] some yn L18752_01     muche love] mwche loue L18752_01     can] doth L18752_01     fayn] fayne L18752_01 20      and sum] &amp; some L18752_01     gyve] gyue L18752_01     agayn] a gayne L18752_01 21      thus] thys L18752_01     in] yn L18752_01     Remayn] remayn L18752_01 22      do optayn] dow obtayne L18752_01     &amp;c] even as ye lyst L18752_01 23      To] to L18752_01     in] yn L18752_01     I wyll exchew] y woll eschewe L18752_01 24      love in] loue yn L18752_01     I wyll ensew] y woll ensue L18752_01 25      yt ys my mynd bothe hole] wythe the my hole hart faythfull L18752_01 26  for] of L18752_01     trewthe I] trewth y L18752_01     yow] you L18752_01     &amp;c] even as you lyst L18752_01 27  Dere] der L18752_01     I] y L18752_01     bydd] bed L18752_01     yor hart farewell] you now fawrwell L18752_01 28      better hart than] as good hart as L18752_01 29      yet take thys tale as trew as gospell] thys tall take trew as thegospell L18752_01 30      ye may my lyff save or expell] my lyf ye may both saue &amp; spylle L18752_01     &amp;c] even as you lyst L18752_01