The Lyrics of Henry VIII/My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble (Unattributed)

[ff. 116v-120r]

My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble my body languisshyng my hart in payn my Ioyes dysteres my sorows dowble my lyffe as one that dye wold fayne my nyes for sorow salt ters doth rayne. 5 thus do I lyue in gret heuenes withowte hope or comfort of redresse.

My hope frome me is clene exiled exiled for euer which is my payne my payne with hope hath me begyled                                      10 begyled am I and can not refrayne refrayne I must yet in dysdayne in dysdayn I shall my lyfe endure endure alas withowt hope of recure.

Oftyme for death for soth I call                                                 15 in releasse of my gret smert for death ys endart principall of all the sorowes within my hart a payne it is hens to depart yet my lyfe is to me so greuus                                                  20 that deth is plesur and nothyng noyus

Thus may ye se my wofull chance my chance contrarious from all plesure from all plesure to gret penance of penance and payne I am right sure                                      25 riygt suere to haue no good auenture good auenture in me to haue place nay nay for why ther ys no space

Textual Commentary
Akin to Fayrfax and Woodville’s “Svmwhat musyng” (H 73), this lyric is a lament, outlining in great detail the anguish of the speaker’s pain. As with the manner in which this song is presented (as noted above), the poetic style (especially the method in the second and fourth stanzas) is remniscent of the lyrics extant in the earlier Fayrfax MS (LFay).


 * 5   nyes   Eyes.


 * 11 without hope of recure   Without hope of remedy; cf. the unattributed “What remedy what remedy” (H 69.11).


 * 17 endart principall   The principal “ender” (as suggested by textual variants in the second and third voices) or terminator.


 * 21  noyus Causing annoyance, vexatious, troublesome (OED “noyous” a).


 * 22 my wofull chance   Cf. Fayrfax and Woodville’s “Svmwhat musyng” (H 73.12).


 * 26 auenture   Fortune, chance.

The unattributed “My thought oppressed my mynd in trouble” is through-set, in its entirety, in three voices. As with “I loue vnloued suche is myn aduenture” (H 74), and as noted by Stevens (M&P 422), the manner in which this the song is presented is reminiscent of the lyrics extant in the earlier Fayrfax MS (LFay).

This piece is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 2272.5, Boffey, and Ringler MS TM1074. It is reprinted in Flügel Anglia 253–54, Stevens M&P 422, and Stevens MCH8 86–89.

Texts Collated
H1,2,3 (ff. 116v–120r).


 * 3   dowble] dowbbe H1, dowlle H2, dowble H3


 * 5   ters] tees H1, ters H2,3;     doth] do H3


 * 7   of] off H1,2, of H3;     redresse.]


 * 9   exiled] exilide H1, exiled H2, exiled H3


 * 10 begyled] begyled hath me be giled H1, by giled ~ H2, bygyled ~ be gyled H3


 * 13 omit H3


 * 16 off] off H1, of H2,3


 * 17 endart] endar H2, thender H3


 * 18 all the] all H3


 * 19 hens to] to H2;     depart] depart hens to depart H2


 * 20 is]  it H1, is H2,3


 * 23 chance] wofull chance H2, channce H3


 * 26 no good] no goode H2, good H3


 * 27 good] no good H2