The Devonshire Manuscript/At last withdrawe yowre cruellte

f. [4r]

At the 1   {r'} {w+t+} At last withdraw yowre cruellte an and  thys 2    or let me die at ons 3    It is so moche extremitie 4    Devised for the nons 5    To holde me thus aleve 6    In paine still for to dryve 7    Whatt maye I more 8    sustayne alas that dye wuld faine 9    and cane not dye for paine

10    for to the flame wherwith {w+t+} ye burne 11    my though and mye dysyre {r'} 12    {n'} {d,} when into ashys it shulde turne 13    my hert by ferwent fyer 14    ye send A stormy rayn 15    That doythe it qwynche Agayn 16    And makys myn eys expresse 17    The tearyes that do redres 18    My lywe in wrecchydnes

f. [4v]1

19    Then when thes shulde hau drownde 20    a and ouer {u'} whelmd my hart 21    The heate doithe then confownde 22    Renewing all my smart 23    then doithe flame entreasse increase 24    my tormyntt can not cease 25    my woo doithe then revive 26    and I R Remaine alyve 27    with {w+t+} deathe still for to stryve

28    Butt if thatt that he wolde {d,} 2 haue my death 29    and that ye wolde {d,} no nother 30    shortly then for to spem my brethe 31    with {w+t+} drawe the to woon or tother 32    for thes yowr cruelnnes 33    doithe lett it selfe doubles doubtless 34    And it is reason why 35    no man alyve nor I 36    of doble dethe can dy

Notes & Glosses
1.   The handwriting on this folio is that of H1, but it is less flamboyant than the handwriting on the previous page.

2.   The d+e abbreviation is uncommon after the 15th century.

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered on two leaves by H1. This poem is one of seventeen entries that Margaret Douglas marks with “and thys.” Paul Remley observes that these annotations relate to another in-text annotation of hers, “lerne but to syng it” (81r), and may indicate a group of texts used primarily for entertaining. The speaker here laments his cruel mistress who causes in him both desire and despair, both of which vie to cause his death.

H1's handwriting changes gradually as he progresses down the second leaf, creating wider spaces between both letters and numbers, becoming larger in size, and producing more textual flourishes.

Texts Collated
DBLa03, L36529_01

Collation
0.5     At the]  DBLa03 L36529_01 1     last] laste DBLa03 lest L36529_01     yowre] youre DBLa03     yowre cruellte] yor creweltie L36529_01     cruellte] crueltye DBLa03 2     let me die at ons] force the tyme, to work yor will L36529_01     die at ons] dy a tons DBLa03 3     It] it L36529_01     It is so moche] hit ys to mych DBLa03     so moche] to much L36529_01     extremitie] extremety DBLa03 extremytie L36529_01 4     Devised] Devysid DBLa03     Devised for the nons] to kepe me pent, in prison still L36529_01 5     To] to DBLa03     To holde me thus aleve] fre from all fault voyd of all cawse L36529_01     holde] hold DBLa03     thus] styll DBLa03     aleve] alyve DBLa03 6     In paine] in paynes DBLa03     In paine still for to dryve] withowt all right, against all lawse, L36529_01     still] styll DBLa03     dryve] stryve DBLa03 7     Whatt] what DBLa03     Whatt maye I more] how can you vse, more crewel spight L36529_01     maye] may DBLa03 DBLa03 8     sustayne]  DBLa03     sustayne alas that dye wuld faine] then offer wrong, and promes right L36529_01     dye] dy DBLa03     wuld] wold DBLa03     faine] fayne DBLa03 9     and] yet L36529_01     cane not] cannot DBLa03 L36529_01     dye] dy DBLa03     dye for paine] acuse, nor will aquit. L36529_01    paine] payne DBLa03 10     for] ffor DBLa03     for to the flame wherwith ye burne] Aleuin monthes full, and longer space L36529_01     ye] I DBLa03 11     my thoughthought and mye dysyre] I haue indur'd, yor deuilishe driftes L36529_01     thoughthought and mye] thought &amp; my DBLa03     dysyre] desyre DBLa03 12     when into ashys it shulde turne] Whilst you haue sought bothe man and place L36529_01     ashys it] asshes hit DBLa03     shulde] shuld DBLa03     turne] turnne DBLa03 13     my hert by ferwent fyer] and set yor snares, with all yor shiftes L36529_01     hert] harte DBLa03     ferwent] faruent DBLa03 14     ye] you DBLa03     ye send A stormy rayn] the faultles foote, to wrape with wile L36529_01     A] a DBLa03     rayn] rayne DBLa03 15     That] that DBLa03     That doythe it qwynche Agayn] in any guilt, by any gile L36529_01     doythe] doth DBLa03     it qwynche Agayn] yt quench agayne DBLa03 16     And] and DBLa03     And makyes myn eyes expresse] and how you see it will not be L36529_01     makyes] makes DBLa03     myn] my DBLa03     eyes] Eyes DBLa03 17     The] the DBLa03     The tearyes that do redresse] how can you thus for shame agre L36529_01     tearyes] teyres DBLa03     do redresse] doth opres DBLa03 18     My lywe in wrecchydnesse] my lyffe in wretchednes DBLa03 to kepe him bound, you ought set fre. L36529_01 19     Then when thes shulde hau drownde] Yor chance was once, as myne is now L36529_01     thes] they DBLa03     shulde] shuld DBLa03     hau] haue DBLa03     drownde] drowned DBLa03 20     a]  DBLa03     a and ouerwhelmd my hart] to kepe this hold, against your will L36529_01     ouerwhelmd] ouer whelmed DBLa03     hart] harte DBLa03 21     The] the DBLa03     The heate doithe then confownde] and then you sware, I know well how L36529_01     heate] hete DBLa03     doithe] doth DBLa03     then] them DBLa03     confownde] confound DBLa03 22     Renewing] renewyng DBLa03     Renewing all my smart] thoghe now you swarue, you know how ill L36529_01     smart] smarte DBLa03 23     then doithe flame entreasseencreasse] but thus the world, hys course dothe passe L36529_01     doithe] doth the DBLa03     entreasseencreasse] encresse DBLa03 24     my tormyntt can not cease] the priste forgat, that clarke he was L36529_01     tormyntt] turment DBLa03     can not] cannot DBLa03     cease] seasse DBLa03 25     my woo doithe then revive] and you that then, cried iustice still L36529_01     woo doithe] paynes DBLa03     then] than DBLa03     revive] revyve DBLa03 DBLa03 26     I R Remaine alyve] now, haue iustice at yor will L36529_01     R]  DBLa03     Remaine] remayne DBLa03 27     with deathe still for to stryve] wrest iustice wrong, against all skill L36529_01     deathe] deth DBLa03     still] styll DBLa03 28     Butt] But DBLa03 L36529_01     if thatt that he wolde] that you wyll DBLa03     if thatt that he wolde haue my death] whie do I thus coldly plain L36529_01     death] deth DBLa03 29     and that ye wolde no nother] as thoughe it wer my cawse alone L36529_01     ye] you DBLa03     wolde] wold DBLa03 30     shortly then] then shortly DBLa03     shortly then for to spem my brethe] whan cawse doth eache man so constrain L36529_01     spem] stope DBLa03     brethe] breth DBLa03 31     withdrawe the to woon or tother] as England through hath cawse to mone L36529_01     to woon] one DBLa03     tother] other DBLa03 32     for thes yowr cruelnnes] to see yor bloody searche of suche L36529_01     thes] this DBLa03     yowr cruelnnes] youre cruelneste DBLa03 33     doithe] doth DBLa03     doithe lett it selfe doublesdoutles] as all the erthe can no way tuche L36529_01     lett] let DBLa03     it] yt DBLa03     selfe] self DBLa03     doublesdoutles] perde DBLa03 34     And it is] nd yt ys DBLa03     And it is reason why] and better wer that all yor kynd L36529_01 35     no] o DBLa03     no man alyve nor I] lyk hownds in hell, with shame wer shrned L36529_01     alyve] a lyve DBLa03 36     of]  DBLa03     of doble dethe can dy] then you had myght vnto yor mynd L36529_01     doble] dowble DBLa03     dethe] deth DBLa03     can] canne DBLa03 DBLa03 37     ] But as the stone that strikes the wall L36529_01 38     ] some time rebounds, on th'urlers hed L36529_01 39     ] so yor fowll fetche to yor fowll fall L36529_01 40     ] may torn and noy the brest it bred L36529_01 41     ] and than such mesure as you gaue L36529_01 42     ] of right and iustice looke to haue L36529_01 43     ] If good or euill, life short or long L36529_01 44     ] if false or trew, yf right or wrong L36529_01 45     ] and thus till then, I end my song. L36529_01