The Devonshire Manuscript/o happy dames that may enbrayes

f. [55r]

1    o happy dames that may en brays brayes 2    the ffrwte off yor delyet 3    helpe to bewalle the woffulle casse 4    &amp; eke the hewy plyet 5    off me that wontede to reIoyes 6    the ffortwne off []  my pleassante choyes 7    good lades helpe to ffelle my mowernenge voyce

8    {_e} {w+t+} en ashepe ffrawghte with rememberances1 9    off wordes {es} &amp; pleassures paste 10    he ssaylles that haytht en gowernances {es} 11    my lyffe whylle et maye laste with {w+t+} s [] ldenge 12    with {w+t+} scaldenge sseythes ffor wante off gayle 13    ffurthenge his hope that is his ssaylle 14    to warde me the sswete porte off hes awalle

15    alas howe offte I im in dremes I ssee 16    thovs yees that were my ffoode ffoode 17    wyche ssumetyme sso dellyted me 18    that yet they do me good 19    wher e with {w+t+} I wake with {w+t+} hes his retorene retourne 20    whoosse b abssente fflame dootht make me boren 21    bwt whan I ffynde the lake lorde howe I mowren

f. [55v]

22    whan owther loweres {es} en armes acrosse 23    roIoyes ther cheffe dellyet drowenede en tereres {es} teares to mow [] ren 24    drowened en teares {es} to mowren my losse 25    I stande the better neyghtes 26    in my wyndowe wher I maye ssee 27    beffore the wyndes howe the clowdes ffleye 28    loo whate amarryner lowe hays made me me

29    &amp; en grene way wawes when the ssallte ffloode 30    dootht sswalle w by rayges off wynde 31    a thwssande ffayn c ys en that moode 32    assalles my resteles mynde 33    allas nowe drenches my sswete ffoo 34    that with {w+t+} sspoyle off my hartte harte ded goo 35    &amp; lyfte me but allas whye ded he sso

36    &amp; whan the ssces wax clame agane 37    to chasse ffrom me anoye 38    my dowteffwlle hope makes me to plla l yne 39    sso drede cwtes off my Ioye 40    thus es my mowrtht meynglede with {w+t+} woo 41    &amp; of eyche thowet adowete dowtht growe 42    nowe he comes wylle2^ he cum {_u} m allas no no

Notes & Glosses
1.   See Petti. This form of tittle is older, but still in use in the late fifteenth century.

2.   The caret is downwards.

Commentary
Written in Mary Howard's hand, this is the only poem in the manuscript composed by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Margaret Douglas adds the phrase "he cum" in the last line of the poem. In her article “Mary (Howard) Fitzroy’s Hand in the Devonshire Manuscript,” Helen Baron attributes the lyric to Surrey and claims that it was written during Surrey’s service in the campaign against France some time in the mid-1540s. Baron maintains that the poem was probably entered into the album after Anne Boleyn died when Margaret Douglas had ownership of the book. Thus, the poem was most likely transcribed by Surrey’s sister soon after its composition in the mid-1540s when Margaret and Mary Howard attended court with Mary Shelton. The poem reflects the thoughts of a woman waiting for her lover to come home from across the sea.

The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “Complaint of the absence of her louer being vpon the sea.”

Texts Collated
STC13860_19, LHar78_2

Collation
1     o] O STC_13860_19     o happy] Oh happie LHar78_2     happy] Happy STC_13860_19     dames] dames, STC_13860_19     enbraysbrayes] imbrace LHar78_2 embrace STC_13860_19 2     the ffrwte off yor delyet] The frute of your delight, STC_13860_19     ffrwte off yor delyet] fructe of your delight LHar78_2 3     helpe] Help STC_13860_19     bewalle] bewayle LHar78_2 bewaile STC_13860_19     woffulle] wofull LHar78_2 STC_13860_19     casse] case LHar78_2 case, STC_13860_19 4     &amp;] and LHar78_2 And STC_13860_19     hewy plyet] heavie plight LHar78_2 heauy plight STC_13860_19 5     off] of LHar78_2 Of STC_13860_19     me] me, STC_13860_19     wontede] wonted LHar78_2 STC_13860_19     reIoyes] reioyse LHar78_2 reioyce STC_13860_19 6     the ffortwne off  my pleassante choyes] The fortune of my pleasant choyce: STC_13860_19     ffortwne off ] fortune of LHar78_2     pleassante] pleasaunt LHar78_2     choyes] chayse c LHar78_2 7     good] Good LHar78_2 STC_13860_19     lades] ladies LHar78_2 Ladies, STC_13860_19     helpe] help STC_13860_19     ffelle] fyll LHar78_2 fill STC_13860_19     mowernenge] moorning STC_13860_19     mowernenge woyce] morninge voice LHar78_2     woyce] voyce. STC_13860_19 8     en ashepe ffrawghte with rememberances]  LHar78_2     en ashepe ffrawghte] In ship, freight STC_13860_19     rememberances] rememberance STC_13860_19 9     off wordes &amp; pleassures paste]  LHar78_2     off wordes &amp;] Of thoughts, and STC_13860_19     pleassures] pleasures STC_13860_19     paste] past, STC_13860_19 10     he ssaylles that haytht en gowernances]  LHar78_2     he ssaylles that haytht en] He sailes that hath in STC_13860_19     gowernances] gouernance STC_13860_19 11     my lyffe whylle et maye laste]  LHar78_2 My life, while it wil last: STC_13860_19 11.5     with sldenge]  STC_13860_19 12     with] With STC_13860_19     with scaldenge sseythes ffor wante off gayle]  LHar78_2     scaldenge] scalding STC_13860_19     sseythes ffor wante off gayle] sighes, for lack of gale, STC_13860_19 13     ffurthenge] Furdering STC_13860_19     ffurthenge his hope that is his ssaylle]  LHar78_2     hope] hope, STC_13860_19     ssaylle] sail STC_13860_19 14     to warde me the sswete porte off hes awalle]  LHar78_2     to warde me] Toward me, STC_13860_19     sswete] swete STC_13860_19     porte] port STC_13860_19     off hes awalle] of his auail. STC_13860_19 15     alas] Alas, STC_13860_19     alas howe offte I im in dremes I ssee]  LHar78_2     howe] how STC_13860_19     offte I im] oft STC_13860_19     dremes] dreames STC_13860_19     ssee] se STC_13860_19 16     thovs] Those STC_13860_19     thovs yees that were my ffoode ffoode]  LHar78_2     yees] eyes, STC_13860_19     ffoode ffoode] food, STC_13860_19 17     wyche ssumetyme sso dellyted me]  LHar78_2     wyche ssumetyme sso] Which somtime so STC_13860_19     dellyted] delited STC_13860_19     me] me, STC_13860_19 18     that] That STC_13860_19     that yet they do me good]  LHar78_2     good] good. STC_13860_19 19     where with I wake with hes his retorene retourne]  LHar78_2     where with] Wherwith STC_13860_19     hes his retorene] his STC_13860_19     retourne] returne, STC_13860_19 20     whoosse b abssente fflame dootht make me boren]  LHar78_2     whoosse b abssente fflame dootht] Whose absent flame did STC_13860_19     boren] burne. STC_13860_19 21     bwt] But STC_13860_19     bwt whan I ffynde the lake lorde howe I mowren]  LHar78_2     whan] when STC_13860_19     ffynde] find STC_13860_19     lake] lacke, STC_13860_19     lorde] Lord STC_13860_19     howe] how STC_13860_19     mowren] mourne? STC_13860_19 22     whan] When STC_13860_19     whan owther loweres en armes acrosse]  LHar78_2     owther] other STC_13860_19     loweres en] louers in STC_13860_19     acrosse] acrosse, STC_13860_19 23     roIoyes] Reioyce STC_13860_19     roIoyes ther cheffe dellyet]  LHar78_2     ther] their STC_13860_19     cheffe] chiefe STC_13860_19     dellyet] delight: STC_13860_19 23.5     drowenede en tereres teares to mow ren]  LHar78_2 STC_13860_19 24     drowened] Drowned STC_13860_19     drowened en teares to mowren my losse]  LHar78_2     en] in STC_13860_19     mowren] mourne STC_13860_19     losse] losse, STC_13860_19 25     I stande the better neyghtes]  LHar78_2     stande] stand STC_13860_19     better] bitter STC_13860_19     neyghtes] night, STC_13860_19 26     in] In STC_13860_19     in my wyndowe wher I maye ssee]  LHar78_2     wyndowe] window, STC_13860_19     wher] where STC_13860_19     maye] may STC_13860_19     ssee] see, STC_13860_19 27     beffore] Before STC_13860_19     beffore the wyndes howe the clowdes ffleye]  LHar78_2     wyndes] windes STC_13860_19     howe] how STC_13860_19     clowdes] cloudes STC_13860_19     ffleye] flee. STC_13860_19 28     loo] Lo, STC_13860_19     loo whate amarryner lowe hays made meme]  LHar78_2     whate] what STC_13860_19     amarryner] a mariner STC_13860_19     lowe] loue STC_13860_19     hays] hath STC_13860_19     meme] me. STC_13860_19 29     &amp; en grene way wawes when the ssallte ffloode]  LHar78_2     &amp; en grene way] And in grene STC_13860_19     wawes] waues STC_13860_19     ssallte ffloode] salt flood STC_13860_19 30     dootht sswalle w by rayges off wynde]  LHar78_2 Doth rise, by rage of winde: STC_13860_19 31     a thwssande ffayncssys en that moode]  LHar78_2     a thwssande ffayncssys en] A thousand fansies in STC_13860_19     moode] mood STC_13860_19 32     assalles] Assayle STC_13860_19     assalles my resteles mynde]  LHar78_2     resteles] restlesse STC_13860_19     mynde] mind. STC_13860_19 33     allas] Alas, STC_13860_19     allas nowe drenches my sswete ffoo]  LHar78_2     nowe] now STC_13860_19     drenches] drencheth STC_13860_19     sswete] swete STC_13860_19     ffoo] fo, STC_13860_19 34     that] That STC_13860_19     that with sspoyle off my hartte harte ded goo]  LHar78_2     sspoyle] the spoyle STC_13860_19     off] of STC_13860_19     hartte harte ded goo] hart did go, STC_13860_19 35     &amp; lyfte me but allas whye ded he sso]  LHar78_2     &amp;] And STC_13860_19     lyfte] left STC_13860_19     allas] (alas) STC_13860_19     whye] why STC_13860_19     ded] did STC_13860_19     sso] so? STC_13860_19 36     &amp; whan the ssces wax clamecalme agane]  LHar78_2     &amp;] And STC_13860_19     whan] when STC_13860_19     ssces] seas STC_13860_19     wax] waxe STC_13860_19     clamecalme agane] calme againe, STC_13860_19 37     to] To STC_13860_19     to chasse ffrom me anoye]  LHar78_2     chasse] chase STC_13860_19     ffrom] fro STC_13860_19     anoye] annoye. STC_13860_19 38     my dowteffwlle hope makes me to playne]  LHar78_2 My doutfull hope doth cause me plaine: STC_13860_19 39     sso] So STC_13860_19     sso drede cwtes off my Ioye]  LHar78_2     drede] dreade STC_13860_19     cwtes off] cuts of STC_13860_19     Ioye] ioye. STC_13860_19 40     thus] Thus STC_13860_19     thus es my mowrtht meynglede with woo]  LHar78_2     es] is STC_13860_19     mowrtht meynglede with woo] wealth mingled with wo, STC_13860_19 41     &amp; of eyche thowet adowete dowtht growe]  LHar78_2 And of ech thought a dout doth growe, STC_13860_19 42     nowe] Now, STC_13860_19     nowe he comes wylle]  LHar78_2     wylle] will he come? alas, no no. STC_13860_19