The Devonshire Manuscript/Theye fle from me that some tyme ded me seke

f. [69v]

1    Theye fle from {_o} me that some tyme ded me seke 2    with {w+t+} nakid fote stawking yn my chambre / 3    I have sene them both gen {_e} till tame and meke 4    that now are wilde and do not remem {_e} bre 5    that some tyme theye put them self in daunger {g'}

f. [70r]

6    to take brede at my hande and nowe theye Rainge 7    beselye seking contynuall chaunge /

8    Thancked be fortune / yt hathe bene othrewise 9    twentye tymes bettre / but ons in esspiall1 10    In thyne arraye / after a plesaunte guise 11    when her loose gowne from {_o} her shuldrs ded fall 12    and she me caught in her armes long and small2 13    but there with {w+t+} all swetelye she ded me kisse 14    and softelye saide dere herte how lyke you this

15    yt was no dreame for I laye brod waking 16    but all is tornd thorowe my gentilnesse 17    ynto a straung fasshon of forsaking 18    and I haw leve to parte of her goodnesse 19    and she like wise to vse newfanglenesse 20    {{s}8} {_e} {{th}+t+} but sins that I so gentillye am serued 21    {{s}8} {{th}+t+} what think you bye this that she hat deserued /

fs

Notes & Glosses
1.   The line scans only if "esspiall" is pronounced that way.

2.   The phrase "long and small" was used by Geoffrey Chaucer and  John Gower, for instance, to describe a woman's attributes. For example, see John Gower's Confessio Amantis IV, 1176-7, where Amans says, "Than can I noght bot muse and prie/ Upon hir fingres longe and smale."

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “The louer sheweth how he is forsaken of such as he somtime enioyed” (item 52). Stanza two contains sexual imagery reminiscent of Ovid's Amores III, 7 and I, 5. The phrase "take the bread at my hand," as Rebholz notes, confirms the metaphor in the first stanza which aligns women with gentle animals. The reference to animals also creates a dream-like quality to the speaker's musings in stanza two; the dream-like quality is immediately denied in stanza three.

Texts Collated
LEge39, STC13860_30

Collation
1     Theye] They LEge39 THey STC_13860_30     fle] flee STC_13860_30     me] me / LEge39 me, STC_13860_30     some tyme] sometyme LEge39 somtime STC_13860_30     ded] did LEge39 STC_13860_30 2     with] With STC_13860_30     nakid] naked LEge39 STC_13860_30     stawking] stalking LEge39 stalkyng STC_13860_30     yn] in LEge39 within STC_13860_30     chambre /] chambre LEge39 chamber. STC_13860_30 3     I have sene] Once haue I seen STC_13860_30     them both] theim LEge39 them STC_13860_30     gentill] gentle, STC_13860_30     tame] tame, STC_13860_30     meke] meke, STC_13860_30 4     that] That STC_13860_30     now] nowe LEge39     wilde] wyld LEge39 wild, STC_13860_30     remembre] remember STC_13860_30 once remember STC_13860_30 5     that] That STC_13860_30     some tyme] sometyme LEge39 STC_13860_30     theye] they LEge39 STC_13860_30     put] haue put STC_13860_30     them self] theimself LEge39 them selues STC_13860_30     daunger] danger, STC_13860_30 6     to] To STC_13860_30     brede] bred LEge39 bread STC_13860_30     hande] hand LEge39 hand, STC_13860_30     and] &amp; LEge39     nowe] now STC_13860_30     theye] they LEge39 STC_13860_30     Rainge] raunge LEge39 range, STC_13860_30 7     beselye] besely LEge39 Busily STC_13860_30     seking] sekyng STC_13860_30     contynuall] with a continuell LEge39 in continuall STC_13860_30     chaunge /] chaunge LEge39 change. STC_13860_30 8     Thancked] Thanked STC_13860_30     fortune /] fortune LEge39 fortune, STC_13860_30     yt hathe] it hath LEge39 STC_13860_30     bene] ben LEge39     othrewise] otherwise STC_13860_30 9     twentye] twenty LEge39 Twenty STC_13860_30     bettre /] better LEge39 better: STC_13860_30     ons in esspiall] once especiall, STC_13860_30     esspiall] speciall LEge39 10     In] in LEge39     thyne] thyn LEge39 thinne STC_13860_30     arraye /] aray, STC_13860_30     plesaunte guise] pleasaunt gyse LEge39 pleasant gyse, STC_13860_30 11     when] When STC_13860_30     loose] lose LEge39     from her shuldrs ded] did from her shoulders STC_13860_30     shuldrs ded] shoulders did LEge39     fall] fall, STC_13860_30 12     and] And STC_13860_30     and] &amp; LEge39     small] small, STC_13860_30 13     but]  LEge39 And STC_13860_30     there withall] therewithall LEge39 therwithall, STC_13860_30     swetelye] swetely LEge39 so swetely STC_13860_30     she ded] did LEge39 did STC_13860_30     kisse] kysse LEge39 kysse, STC_13860_30 14     and] And STC_13860_30     softelye] softely LEge39 softly STC_13860_30     saide] sayd: STC_13860_30     dere] deare STC_13860_30     herte] hert LEge39 hart, STC_13860_30     how] howe LEge39     lyke] like LEge39 STC_13860_30     this] this? STC_13860_30 15     yt] It LEge39 STC_13860_30     dreame] dreme LEge39 dreame: STC_13860_30     for]  LEge39     laye] lay LEge39 STC_13860_30     brod] brode LEge39 broade STC_13860_30     waking] awakyng. STC_13860_30 16     but] But STC_13860_30     tornd] torned LEge39 turnde STC_13860_30     thorowe] thorough LEge39 now through STC_13860_30     gentilnesse] gentilnes LEge39 gentlenesse. STC_13860_30 17     ynto] into LEge39 Into STC_13860_30     straung] straunge LEge39 bitter STC_13860_30     fassyon] fasshion LEge39 fashion STC_13860_30     forsaking] forsakyng: STC_13860_30 18     and] And STC_13860_30     haw] have LEge39 haue STC_13860_30     leve] leaue STC_13860_30     parte] goo LEge39 go STC_13860_30     goodnesse] goodenes LEge39 goodnesse, STC_13860_30 19     and] And STC_13860_30     like wise] also LEge39 STC_13860_30     newfanglenesse] new fangilnes LEge39 newfanglenesse. STC_13860_30 20     but] But, STC_13860_30     sins] syns LEge39     so gentillye] vnkyndly so STC_13860_30     gentillye] kyndely LEge39     am] ame LEge39     serued] serued: STC_13860_30 21     what think you bye this that] I would fain knowe what LEge39 How like you this, what STC_13860_30     she hat] hath she STC_13860_30     hat] hath LEge39     deserued /] deserued LEge39 now deserued? STC_13860_30

br />9    twentye tymes bettre / but ons in esspiall