The Lyrics of Henry VIII/Lusti yough shuld vs ensue, Henry VIII

[ff. 94v-97r]

The Kynge. H. viij

Textual Commentary
The speaker of “Lusti yough shuld vs ensue” affirms his intention—using the plural first person pronoun, at times—to follow the ways of “Lusti yough” (l. 1). The ways of “Lusti yough,” however, are at odds with the wishes of youth’s “dysdaynares” (l. 10; most often referred to as “they”). The speaker asserts the virtuous aspects of youthful pastimes, and their provision of “goode gydaunce” (l. 19) necessary in youth.


 * 1   ensue   Imitate the example of.


 * 2   rew  Affect with regret (for some act), make (one) wish one had acted otherwise, or  affect with pity or compassion (OED v.1 2,4).


 * 6   dysdayne  Cf. Henry’s “Whoso that wyll all feattes optayne” (H 28.2,4,8,11,14) and elsewhere; see the note to line 2 of the aforementioned lyric.


 * 8   But . . . may   Cf., in Youth, the statement of Youth in response to Pride’s advice “It is time enough to be good / when that ye be old” (ll. 645–46): “I will make merry while I may” (l. 648; Lancashire, Two Tudor Interludes).


 * 9–10 How . . . vse / but all dysdaynares for to refuse   Cf. the moral saying “he that in yowth no vertu will vse / In Age all honor shall hym Refuce”  (OxHill f. 200v [217]; variant in OxRawl86 f. 31r); the full saying in OxHill is as follows: “kepe well .x. & Flee From sevyn. / sspende well .v. & Cum to hevyn / he that in yowth no vertu will vse / In Age all honor shall hym Refuce / Serve god truly & the world besily // Ete thy mete meryly / and euer leve in Rest // Thank god highly thowgh he visit the porely. // he may amend it lyghtly wham hym lyke the best.”


 * 12 vertus pastance   Likely the pastimes noted in Henry’s “The tyme of youthe is to be spent” (H 19), the “As featys of armys” (l. 7) and other “goode dysporttys” (l. 12); see also l. 24.


 * 13 them   Honest mirth, &c.


 * 15 sew … grace   See the comment in Henry’s “If love now reynyd as it hath bene” (H 38.12).


 * 21 yough ys frayle  Though not exactly the sense here, cf. the verses recollected by Mary in Wager’s interlude The Life and Repentaunce of Marie Magdalene:  “The pleasure of youth is a thyng right frayle, / And is yearely lesse, so that at length it doth faile” (ll. 711–12).


 * 24 vertuus pastaunce   See l. 11, above.


 * 27 amend  For similar use in the context of prayer, see the note to Henry’s “Withowt dyscord” (H 49.24).


 * 28 An  And.

“Lusti yough shuld vs ensue” is in the form of a combined strophic and through-setting. Some music is missing, and some rules are left blank.

“Lusti yough shuld vs ensue” is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 2025.5 and Ringler MS TM964, and reprinted in Chappell Account 376, Flügel Anglia 249–50, Stevens M&P 416–17, Stevens MCH8 70–71, and Trefusis 34–35.

Texts Collated
H1,2,3,4 (ff. 94v–97r, ll. 1–4 H2,3, ll. 17–20 H2,3,4).


 * 7   do] so H1


 * 11 has as] as as H1


 * 20 shuld] shull H2;     in]  in to gret H3,4