The Devonshire Manuscript/Yff fansy wuld favour

f. [34r] f. [34v]

1    Yff fansy wuld favour 2    As my deservyng shall 3    my love my paramore 4    shuld love me best off All

5    Butt yff I cannott Attayn 6    the grace that {{th}+t+} I desyer 7    then may I wele complayn / 8    my servyce and my hyer

9    Fansy doth knowe howe 10    to furder my trew hart 11    yff fansy myght Avowe 12    with {w+t+} fayth for to take parte

13    For fansy Att hys lust 14    doth rewle All but by gesse 15    wherto shuld I then trust 16    in trowgh or stedefastnesse

17    Yett gladly wuld I please 18    the fansy off her hart 19    that may me only ese 20    And cure my carefull smarte

21    Therfor my lady dere 22    sett ones yowr fantassy 23    to make some hope Apere 24    off stedefast remedy

25    For yff he be my frend 26    And vndertake my woo 27    my greeff ys Att an ende 28    yff he contynew so

29    Elles {es} fansy doth nott ryght 30    As deser {{s}8} ve And shall / 31    to haue yow day and nyght 32    to love me best off All

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H4 and describes the lady’s fickle fancy as she flits from one man to another. H4 uses very large and elaborate initial capitals. See also "Suche Wayn thowght / as wonted to myslede me /" (31r), "So vnwarely was never no man cawght /" (32r), and "The knott whych ffyrst my hart dyd strayn /" (33r).

Texts Collated
LEge14, STC 24650.5_01, AAH03, STC 26053.5.1

Collation
1     Yff] If LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     Yff fansy wuld favour]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     fansy] fantasy STC_24650.5_01     wuld] would LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 2     As] as LEge14     As my deservyng shall]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     my deservyng] I deserue and STC_24650.5_01     deservyng] deseruing LEge14     shall] shal STC_24650.5_01 3     my] My STC_24650.5_01     my love my paramore]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     love] loue STC_24650.5_01     paramore] paramour LEge14 lady paramour STC_24650.5_01 4     shuld] should LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     shuld love me best off All]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     love] loue STC_24650.5_01     off All] of all LEge14 of al STC_24650.5_01 5     Butt] But LEge14 And STC_24650.5_01     Butt yff I cannott Attayn]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     yff] if LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     cannott] cannot LEge14 not STC_24650.5_01     Attayn] attain LEge14 attayne STC_24650.5_01 6     the] The STC_24650.5_01     the grace that I desyer]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     desyer] desir LEge14 desire STC_24650.5_01 7     then] Then STC_24650.5_01     then may I wele complayn /]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     wele] well LEge14 wel STC_24650.5_01     complayn /] complain LEge14 complayne STC_24650.5_01 8     my] My STC_24650.5_01     my servyce and my hyer]  AAH03 STC_26053.5.1     servyce] seruice LEge14 seruyce STC_24650.5_01     and] &amp; LEge14     hyer] hier LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 9     Fansy] ffansye AAH03 ffansy LEge14 Fantasy STC_24650.5_01     Fansy doth knowe howe]  STC_26053.5.1     doth] doeth LEge14  STC_24650.5_01     knowe] know AAH03 knoweth STC_24650.5_01     howe] how AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 10     to] To STC_24650.5_01     to furder my trew hart]  STC_26053.5.1     furder] further AAH03 fourther LEge14 forbeare STC_24650.5_01     trew] true AAH03 STC_24650.5_01     hart] hert LEge14 11     yff] Yf AAH03 if LEge14 If STC_24650.5_01     yff fansy myght Avowe]  STC_26053.5.1     fansy] fansye AAH03 fantasye STC_24650.5_01     myght] might AAH03 STC_24650.5_01     Avowe] avowe AAH03 LEge14 auow STC_24650.5_01 12     with] Wyth STC_24650.5_01     with fayth for to take parte]  STC_26053.5.1     fayth] faith AAH03 LEge14     for]  AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     parte] part LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 13     ] But fansye is so fraile AAH03 But fansy is so fraill LEge14 But fantasy is frayle STC_24650.5_01 14     ] and flytting still so faste AAH03 and flitting still so fast LEge14 And fletynge styl so fast STC_24650.5_01 15     ] that faith may not prevaile AAH03 that faith may not prevaill LEge14 that faith may not preuail STC_24650.5_01 16     ] to helpp me first not laste AAH03 to helpe me furst nor last LEge14 To helpe me fyrst nor last STC_24650.5_01 17     For] ffor AAH03 LEge14 Since STC_24650.5_01     For fansy Att hys lust]  STC_26053.5.1     fansy] fansye AAH03 fantasy STC_24650.5_01     Att hys] at his AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     lust] luste STC_24650.5_01 18     doth] Doth AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 doeth LEge14     doth rewle All but by gesse]  STC_26053.5.1     rewle All but] rule all but AAH03 LEge14 rule al STC_24650.5_01 19     wherto] Whearto AAH03 whereto LEge14     wherto shuld I then trust]  STC_26053.5.1     shuld] should LEge14 shoulde STC_24650.5_01     then] than AAH03 put STC_24650.5_01 20     in] In STC_24650.5_01     in trowgh or stedefastnesse]  STC_26053.5.1     trowgh] trouthe AAH03 trouth LEge14 truth STC_24650.5_01     or] and STC_24650.5_01     stedefastnesse] stedastnes AAH03 stedfastnes LEge14 stedfastnes. STC_24650.5_01 21     Yett] Yet AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     Yett gladly wuld I please]  STC_26053.5.1     gladly wuld] wolde AAH03 gladdely would LEge14 gladly would STC_24650.5_01 22     the] That STC_24650.5_01 The STC_26053.5.1     fansy] fansye AAH03 fantasy STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     off] of AAH03 LEge14     off her] of my STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     hart] hert LEge14 harte STC_26053.5.1 23     that] That STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     only] onlye AAH03 onely LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     ese] ease AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 ease, STC_26053.5.1 24     And] and AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01     cure] helpe STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     carefull] Carefull AAH03 careful STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     smarte] smart AAH03 LEge14 smart. STC_24650.5_01 25     Therfor] Thearefore AAH03 Therefore LEge14 Therfore STC_24650.5_01 Therfore STC_26053.5.1     lady] Ladie AAH03     dere] deare AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 26     sett] Sett AAH03 set LEge14 Let se STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     ones] ons AAH03 LEge14  STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     yowr] your AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     fantassy] fantasye AAH03 STC_26053.5.1 fantasy LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 27     to] To STC_26053.5.1     some] som LEge14     hope] hope STC_24650.5_01     Apere] appeare AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1 appere LEge14 28     off] of AAH03 Of STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     stedefast] stedfastnes AAH03 LEge14 helpe and STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     remedy] remedye AAH03 29     For yff] ffor if AAH03 LEge14     yff he] if ye STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     my] mye AAH03     frend] frende AAH03 STC_26053.5.1 30     And] and AAH03 LEge14     my] mye AAH03     woo] woe AAH03 wo STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1 31     my] Mye AAH03 My STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     greeff] greefe AAH03 gryefe STC_24650.5_01 grefe STC_26053.5.1     ys Att] is at AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     ende] end AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 32     yff] Yf AAH03 if LEge14 If STC_24650.5_01 yf STC_26053.5.1     he] ye STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     contynew] continue LEge14 continew STC_26053.5.1     so] so. STC_24650.5_01 33     Elles] Els STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     fansy] fansye AAH03 fantasy STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     doth] deth LEge14     nott] not AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     ryght] right AAH03 LEge14 ryght. STC_24650.5_01 34     As] as LEge14     deserve] I deserve AAH03 I deserue LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     And] and AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     shall /] shall AAH03 LEge14 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1 shal STC_24650.5_01 35     to] To STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     haue] have AAH03 LEge14 haue STC_24650.5_01     yow] you AAH03 LEge14 her STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     day] daye LEge14     and] &amp; LEge14     nyght] night AAH03 STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1 36     to] To STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     love] loue STC_24650.5_01 STC_26053.5.1     off All] of all AAH03 LEge14 STC_26053.5.1 of al. STC_24650.5_01