The Lyrics of Henry VIII/Fare well my Ioy and my swete hart, Cooper

[ff. 66v-68r]

Fare well my Ioy and my swete hart fare well myne owne hart rote. frome yow a whyle must I depart ther ys none other bote ther ys none other bote. 5

Thowgh you depart now thus me fro and leue me all alone. my hart ys yours where euer that I go for yow do I mone. for you do I mone. 10 for you do I mone.

D. Cooper

Textual Commentary
This lyric presents an exchange between two lovers at their leave-taking. The second stanza is a response, affirming constancy, to the first’s statement of departure.


 * 2   heart rote   Sweetheart, beloved one (OED “heart-root” 2); cf. usage also in Skelton’s “Woffully araid” (l. 19; in LFay ff. 63v–67r) and his Why Come ye not to Court (l. 664).


 * 4   none other bote   No other repair, remedy, or relief, [it is] no use (OED “boot” n1 I.3, II.5).

“Fare well my loy and my swete hart” is through-set for three voices.

This lyric is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 765.5, Boffey, and Ringler MS TM403. Reprinted in Flügel Anglia 244, Flügel Neuengl 136, Stevens M&P 409, and Stevens MCH8 48–9.

Texts Collated
H1,2,3 (ff. 66v–68r).


 * 1   hart] harte harte H2
 * 3   must I] I must H2
 * 4   none other]  no nother H2,3
 * 5   none other] no nother H2,3
 * 7   all alone.] alone. H1, all alone^ H2, all alone. H3
 * 10 for] fro H1