The Devonshire Manuscript/lengre to muse

f. [80r]

1    lengre to muse 2    on {_o} n this refuse 3    I will not vse 4    but studye to forget 5    letting all goo 6    sins well I kno 7    to be my foo 8    her herte is fermelye sett

9    sins my intent 10    so trulye mente 11    Cannot con {_o} tente 12    her minde as I doo see 13    to tell you playne 14    yt ware yn vayne 15    for so small gaine 16    to lose my libretie

17    for if he thryve 18    that will goo stryve 19    a shipp to dryve 20    againste the streme and winde 21    vndoutedlye 22    then thryve shuld I 23    to love trulye 24    a cruell hertid mynde /

25    But sithe that {{th}+t+} so 26    the worlde dothe goo 27    that everye woo 28    bye yelding dothe incresse 29    as I have tolde 30    I wil l e bolde 31    therebye my paynis to cese

32    prayeng you all 33    that after {t'} shall 34    bye fortune fall 35    ynto this folishe trade 36    have yn yor minde 37    as I do finde 38    that oft be kinde 39    all women {_e} s love do fade

40    Wherefore a paist pace 41    Come take my place 42    some man {_a} that hase 43    a lust to berne the fete 44    for sins that she 45    refusithe me 46    I must agre 47    &amp; studye to forgett

fs

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. The speaker reasons that it would be folly to continue loving a lady who spurns him.

The structure and rhyme scheme of the lyric suggests that a line might be missing between lines 30 and 31.