The Devonshire Manuscript/I have sought long with stedfastnesse

f. [71v]

and thys

1    I have sought long with {w+t+} stedfastnesse 2    to1 have had some ease of my grete smar {m'} te 3    but nought avaylith faythefulnesse 4    to grave with {w+t+} in yor stony herte /

5    But hap and hit or els hit not 6    as vncerteyne as is the wynde 7    right so it farith bye the shott 8    of love alas that {{th}+t+} is so blinde

9    therefor I plaide the fole yn vayne 10    {_e} {w+t+} with petye when I furste beganne 11    yorcruell herte for to con {_o} straine 12    sins love regardes {es} no dolefull man

13    but of yor goodnesse all yor minde 14    ys that I shuld com {_o} playne yn vaine 15    this ys the favorthat {{th}+t+} I fynde 16    ye list to here how I can plaine /

17    but tho I plaine to eese yor hart 18    truste me I trust to tem {_e} pre yt so 19    not for to care wiche side reverte 20    all shalbe on in welth or woo

21    for fancye Rulis though right saie naye / 22    even as the {{th}+t+} god man kist his kowe 23    no nother Reson can ye laye 24    but as who saith I rek not howe /s

fs

Notes & Glosses
1.   The o of the word "to" is placed above the crossbar of the t.

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. In this poem Wyatt explores the familiar trope in which fancy opposes reason. The speaker complains of the lady’s heartlessness; he seeks to detach himself and does not care how his complaint will be answered.

This poem is one of seventeen entries where Margaret Douglas marks “and thys.” Paul Remley has suggested that these annotations relate to another in-text annotation of hers, “lerne but to syng it” (on "now all of chaunge" (81r)), and may indicate a group of texts to be learned for entertaining. Douglas's phrase "and thys" may refer to this poem, the adjacent one (“To wishe and wante and not obtaine”), or both poems.

Texts Collated
LEge16

Collation
1     stedfastnesse] stedfastnes LEge16 2     some] som LEge16     grete] great LEge16     smarte] smert LEge16 3     avaylith] availleth LEge16     faythefulnesse] faithfulnes LEge16 4     yor] your LEge16     herte /] hert LEge16 5     hap] happe LEge16 6     vncerteyne] vncertain LEge16 7     farith] fareth LEge16     bye] by LEge16 8     blinde] blynd LEge16 9     therefor] Therefore LEge16     plaide] plaid LEge16     fole] foole LEge16     yn vayne] invain LEge16 10     petye] pitie LEge16     furste] first LEge16     beganne] began LEge16 11     yor] your LEge16     herte] hert LEge16     constraine] constrain LEge16 12     sins] syns LEge16     regardes] regardeth LEge16     dolefull] doulfull LEge16 13     but] But LEge16     yor] your LEge16     goodnesse] goodenes LEge16     yor] your LEge16     minde] mynde LEge16 14     ys] is LEge16     shuld] should LEge16     complayne] complain LEge16     yn vaine] invain LEge16 15     ys] is LEge16     favor] favour LEge16 16     plaine /] plain LEge16 17     but] But LEge16     plaine] plain LEge16     cese] please LEge16     yor] your LEge16     hate] hert LEge16 18     truste] trust LEge16     tempre] temper LEge16     yt] it LEge16 19     wiche side] which do LEge16     reverte] revert LEge16 20     on] oon LEge16 21     for] ffor LEge16     fancye Rulis though right saie naye /] fansy rueleth tho right say nay LEge16 22     that god man] the goodeman LEge16     kist] kyst LEge16 23     no nother Reson] none othre reason LEge16     laye] lay LEge16 24     saith] saieth LEge16     rek] reke LEge16     howe /] how LEge16