The Devonshire Manuscript/Ye know my herte my ladye dere

f. [73v]

1    Ye know my herte my ladye dere 2    that sins the {{th}+e+} tyme I was yor thrall 3    I have bene yors bothe hole and clere 4    tho my rewarde hathe bene but small 5    so am I yet and more then all 6    And ye kno well how I haue ser {{s}8} ued 7    as yf ye prove it shall apere 8    howe well / how longe 9    how faithefulye 10    and soffred wrong 11    how patientlye 12    then sins that I have neuer {u'} swarfde / 13    let not my paines be ondeser {{s}8} ude

14    Ye kno also though ye saye naye 15    that you alone are my desire 16    and you alone yt is that {{th}+t+} maye 17    {_i} {_e} asswage my fervent flaming fire 18    Soccor me then I you require / 19    Ye kno yt ware a Iust request 20    sins ye do cause my heat I saye 21    yf that {{th}+t+} I bourne 22    that {{th}+t+} ye will warme 23    and not to tourne 24    all to my harme 25    sending soch flame from {_o} frossen brest 26    againste nature for my vnreste

27    And I kno well how scornefullye 28    ye have mistane my true entente 29    and hidreto how wrongfullye 30    I have founde cause for to repente / 31    but if yor herte doth not relente /1 32    sins I do kno that this ye kno 33    ye shall fle me all wilfullye 34    for me and myne 35    and all I have 36    ye maye assine 37    to spill or save 38    whye are ye then so cruell foo 39    vnto yor owne that lovis you so.

fs

Notes & Glosses
1. Unlike in stanzas one and two, the scribe does not follow the practice of leaving a space at this point in the stanza.

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. This poem might have a connection to Anne Boleyn since line 34, “for me and mine,” was Boleyn’s motto. The poem “Grudge on who liste this ys my lott” (78v) contains an earlier motto of Boleyn’s from her time at the Burgundian court. “Am el mem” (67v) also indicates Anne Boleyn’s association with the manuscript and might suggest allegiances between various members of the manuscript’s coterie and those on the periphery.

H8 indicates a break between stanzas one and two after line 5 with a flourish, but he or she does not follow this practice in the rest of the poem. The scribe uses thirty-six graphical lines to record thirty-nine poetic lines, writing lines 21-22, 34-35, and 36-37 on one line each.

Texts Collated
LEge48

Collation
1     Ye know my herte my ladye dere]  LEge48 2     that sins the tyme I was yor thrall]  LEge48 3     I have bene yors bothe hole and clere]  LEge48 4     tho my rewarde hathe bene but small]  LEge48 5     so am I yet and more then all]  LEge48 6     And ye kno well how I haue serued]  LEge48 7     as yf ye prove it shall apere]  LEge48 8     howe well / how longe]  LEge48 9     how faithefulye]  LEge48 10     and soffred wrong]  LEge48 11     how patientlye]  LEge48 12     then sins that I have neuer swarfde /]  LEge48 13     let not my paines be ondeserude]  LEge48 14     Ye kno also though ye saye naye]  LEge48 15     that you alone are my desire]  LEge48 16     and you alone yt is that maye]  LEge48 17     asswage my fervent flaming fire]  LEge48 18     Soccor me then I you require /]  LEge48 19     Ye kno yt ware a Iust request]  LEge48 20     sins ye do cause my heat I saye]  LEge48 21     yf that I bourne]  LEge48 22     that ye will warme]  LEge48 23     and not to tourne]  LEge48 25     soch] suche LEge48     frossen] frosen LEge48 26     againste] against LEge48     nature] all right LEge48     vnreste] vnrest LEge48 27     kno] knowe LEge48     scornefullye] frowerdly LEge48 28     mistane] mystaken LEge48     entente] Intent LEge48 29     hidreto] hetherto LEge48     wrongfullye] wrongfully LEge48 30     repente /] repent LEge48 31     if yor herte doth not relente /] deth shall ryd me redely LEge48 32     sins I do kno that this ye kno] yf that your  hert do not relent LEge48 33     ye shall fle me all wilfullye] and I knowe well all this ye knowe LEge48 34     for me] That I LEge48 36     maye] may LEge48     assure] assigne LEge48 38     whye] Why LEge48     foo] ffoo LEge48 39     yor] your LEge48     lovis] loveth LEge48     so.] so LEge48