The Devonshire Manuscript/yf chaunse assignid

f. [70v]

1    yf chaunse assignid 2    ware to my mynde 3    bye very kinde of de 4    of1 destenye 5    yet wolde I crave 6    nought els to have 7    but onlye lif &amp; librte

8    then ware I sure 9    I might endure 10    the dispeleasure displeasure 11    of crueltye 12    where nowe I plaine 13    alas in vayne 14    lacking my lif for libretye /

15    for with {w+t+} out ton 16    tother is gone 17    and there can none 18    yt remedye / 19    yf ton be paste 20    tothr dothe waste 21    and all for lack of libretye /

22    and so I dryve / as yet alyve 23    as yet alyve 24    altho I stryve 25    with {w+t+} miserye 26    Drawing my brethe 27    loking for dethe 28    &amp; losse of lif for libretye 2 29    But thou {{th}+u+} that still 30    maiste at thy will 31    turne all this ill 32    aduer {u'} sitye 33    for the Repaire 34    of my welfare 35    graunte me but lif &amp; librtye

36    And if not so 37    then let all goo 38    to writchid woo 39    and lett me dye 40    for ton or tother 41    there ys none othr 42    my deth or lyf with {w+t+} librtyes fs

Notes & Glosses
1.   The word "of" may have been added retroactively.

2.   A majuscule letter in miniscule size marks stanza break.

Commentary
Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. R. A. Rebholz notes that the poem's interpretation depends on three different meanings of "life" and "liberty"; if a reader interprets the poem as the speaker's complaint to a lady for rejecting his love, "life" and "liberty" signify a renewed vitality when the speaker gains freedom to declare his love—thus enabling him to maintain his strength if she rejects him. "Life" and "liberty" may also signify the speaker's freedom from loving the lady. Alternatively, if a reader interprets the poem politically, "life" and "liberty" may represent the speaker's freedom from restraint or imprisonment.

H8 uses a majuscule letter in minuscule size to mark the stanza breaks.

Texts Collated
DBLa08, LEge13

Collation
1     yf] If DBla08 LEge13     chaunse] chaunce DBla08 LEge13     assignid] assygnyd DBla08 assynd LEge13 2     ware] wer DBla08 were LEge13     mynde] mynd DBla08 3     bye] by DBla08 LEge13     kinde of de] kynd DBla08 LEge13 4     destenye] destine DBla08 destyne LEge13 5     wolde] wold DBla08 would LEge13     crave] crave  DBla08 6     nought els to have]  DBla08 7     but onlye lif &amp; librte]  DBla08     onlye]  LEge13     lif] liff LEge13     librte] libertie LEge13 8     then] Then LEge13     then ware I sure]  DBla08     ware] were LEge13 9     I might endure]  DBla08     might] myght LEge13 10     the dispeleasuredispleasure]  DBla08     dispeleasuredispleasure] displeasure LEge13 11     of crueltye]  DBla08     crueltye] crueltie LEge13 12     where nowe I plaine]  DBla08     nowe] now LEge13     plaine] plain LEge13 13     alas in vayne]  DBla08     vayne] vain LEge13 14     lacking my lif for libretye /]  DBla08     lif] liff LEge13     libretye /] libertie LEge13 15     for] ffor LEge13     for without ton]  DBla08     without] withoute LEge13     ton] thone LEge13 16     tother] thothre LEge13     tother is gone]  DBla08 17     and there can none]  DBla08 18     yt] it LEge13     yt remedye /]  DBla08     remedye /] remedy LEge13 19     yf] if LEge13     yf ton be paste]  DBla08     ton] thone LEge13     paste] past LEge13 20     tothr] thothre LEge13     tothr dothe waste]  DBla08     dothe] doeth LEge13     waste] wast LEge13 21     and all for lack of libretye /]  DBla08     libretye /] libertie LEge13 22     and] And LEge13     and so I dryve / as yet alyve]  DBla08     dryve /] dryve LEge13     as yet alyve]  LEge13 23     as yet alyve]  DBla08 24     altho] all tho LEge13     altho I stryve]  DBla08 25     with miserye]  DBla08     miserye] myserie LEge13 26     Drawing] drawing LEge13     Drawing my brethe]  DBla08     brethe] breth LEge13 27     loking] lowking LEge13     loking for dethe]  DBla08     dethe] deth LEge13 28     &amp; losse of lif for libretye]  DBla08     lif] liffe LEge13     libretye] libertie LEge13 29     But thou that still]  DBla08 30     maiste] maist LEge13     maiste at thy will]  DBla08 31     turne] torn LEge13     turne all this ill]  DBla08 32     aduersitye]  DBla08 aduersitie LEge13 33     for the Repaire]  DBla08     the Repaire] ye repare LEge13 34     of my welfare]  DBla08 35     graunte] graunt LEge13     graunte me but lif &amp; librtye]  DBla08     lif] liff LEge13     librtye] libertie LEge13 36     And if not so]  DBla08 37     then let all goo]  DBla08 38     to writchid woo]  DBla08     writchid] wretched LEge13 39     and lett me dye]  DBla08     lett] let LEge13 40     for ton or tother]  DBla08     ton] thone LEge13     tother] thothre LEge13 41     there ys none othr]  DBla08     ys] is LEge13     othr] othre LEge13 42     my deth or lyf with librtye]  DBla08     lyf] liff LEge13     librtye] libertie LEge13