The Lyrics of Henry VIII/Adew corage adew, Cornish

[f. 42v]

Adew corage adew hope and trust I fynde you not trew adew corage adew adew.

W. Cornyshe

Textual Commentary
“Adew corage adew” is a complaint, though seemingly not of departure in the way typically presented by the lyrics of H. Here, the speaker bids departure to his “corage” (ll. 1, 3), finding key elements of love (l. 2) to be false.


 * 1   corage   Sexual vigour and inclination, the desire to love, the amorous spirit; see Henry’s “The tyme of youthe is to be spent” (H 19.10, note).


 * 2   hope and trust   A common pairing; one such instance, of interest, is found in Hawes’ Pastime of Pleasure, where Venus urges the distraught Amour “lyue in hope and trust / For at the last you shall attayne your lust” (ll. 3928–29).

“Adew corage adew” is through-set for three voices. The following leaf (f. 43r) is left blank, suggesting, perhaps, that additional verses were intended to be underlaid. This lyric is listed in the manuscript’s table of contents as the thirty-third work.

This piece is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 120.6, Boffey, Ringler MS TM65. It is reprinted in Flügel Anglia 239, Stevens M&P 401, and Stevens MCH8 32.

Texts Collated
H1,2,3 (f. 42v).


 * 3   adew adew.] adew adew adew.  H3