The Lyrics of Henry VIII/The tyme of youthe is to be spent, Henry VIII

[ff. 28v-29r]

The Kynge. H.viij

Textual Commentary
This lyric is a proclamation of the proper activities of youth, in which the author urges that courtly pastimes such as jousting (‘featyes of armys’) provide virtuous activity to keep vice at bay. “The tyme of youthe is to be spent” contains many echoes to sentiments expressed in “Pastyme with good companye” (H 5). This piece is sometimes entitled “Goode dysporttys” (Robbins Suppl.).


 * 1 spent  Used to its fullest; “Exhausted of the active or effective power or principle” (OED ppla 4. a.); 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).  Regarding the nature of the activities expressed in this lyric, and their place in the domain of youth, cf. similar sentiments expressed in the anonymous Jousts of May: “Therfore good is to haue parfyght knowlage / For all men that haue youth or metely age / How with the spere theyr enemyes to outrage / At euery nede” (161–4); see also the note to ll. 7–10, below.


 * 1–2 youthe . . . vice   Cf. sentiments of “I rede that he that useth hym not to vertue(s) in his yonge age he shall not conne withstande vyces in his old age” (Horstmann, Yorkshire Writers: Richard Rolle . . . and his Followers 2.83[32–4]) and the moral saying “he that in yowth no vertu will vse / In Age all honor shall hym Refuce”  (OxHill f. 200v [p. 217]; variant in OxRawl86 f. 31r); see also Henry’s “Lusti yough shuld vs ensue” (H 61) and gloss; contrast “Youthe in his flowres may lyue at liberte / In age it is convenient to grow to gravite” (Flügel, “Die Proverbes von Lekenfield und Wresil,” 483).


 * 2   forfent   Forfended, forbidden (OED ppl. a. of “forfend” v. 2, “to avert, to keep away or off, prevent”).


 * 3   nought  Note, perceive, notice; also, possibly, to sing of (MED “noten” v.3 a).     I nought   Possibly a scribal substitution for “inough,” enough.


 * 5   And they be   If they be.


 * 6   couit  Desire (OED v. 1), or to have an inclination or drawing (OED “covet” v. 4.c).     wyn who can  May he win who can.


 * 7–10 As featys of armys  . . . corage is suerly owt fet   Cf. the defence of jousting provided in the anonymous Jousts of May: “Syth it was to no mannes preiudyse / To passe the tyme this merciall excercyse / Was commendable. /  Specyally for folkes honourable / And for other gentylmen therto able. / And for defence of realmes profytable / Is the vsage” (ll. 154–160); as well, in the Jousts of June: “For as moche as yonge folke can not deuyse, / To passe tyme in more noble excersyse / Than in the auncyent knyghtes practyse / Of dayes olde” (ll. 1–4).


 * 8   vtter   To vanquish, conquer, or overcome (OED “utter” v2. 1), as if by being active one many conquer vice; also, used in conjunction with horses at tournaments as they leave the lists or course (OED v1. 4).


 * 9   Comparysons  Comparisons, similarities or differences discovered by comparison (MED n. 3.a, 3.b).     sett   Prescribed, ordained, established, esp. in connection with a law or declaration (OED “set” v1. V.50).


 * 10 corage   Spirit, vitality, vigor, lustiness, and so forth, relating to the heart as a center of feeling, thought, and mind.  It is used in two different though related senses in the lyrics of H; one—relating to confidence, boldness, bravery, and valour (OED n. 3.d, 4)—is the dominent sense here and in the unattributed “Pray we to god that all may gyde” (H 65.3); another—relating to sexual vigour and inclination, the desire to love, and the amorous spirit (OED n. 3.e)—is found in Henry’s “Thow that men do call it dotage” (H 44.2,13), Cornish’s “Adew corage adew” (H 32.1,3), the unattributed “And I war a maydyn” (H 67. 8), and “Hey troly loly lo” (H 75.18).  For a likely instance of the relation of the two, via the practices of courtly love, see “Thow that men do call it dotage” (H 44.13).     owt ffet  Fetched out of it, gained (OED “fet” v. obs.).


 * 12 dysporttys  Disports, relaxations, recreations, merriment  (OED “disport” n., 1, 2, & 3).

“The tyme of youthe is to be spent” appears in H in three voices, complete for ll. 1–2 save the second voice, which is missing the phrase and music for “be for fent” in the second repetition of l. 2 (lower f. 28v). There is, however, a vacant rule on the following page (upper f. 29r) that could accommodate it as well as a blank rule above voice 2. The remainder of the lyric is provided after the third voice.

This lyric is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 3487.5 and Ringler MS TM1602. It is reprinted in Briggs #1, Trefusis 10–1, Flügel Anglia 233, Flügel Neuengl 147, Stevens M&P 392, and Stevens MCH8 22.

Texts Collated
H1 (ff. 28v–29r), H2,3 (ll. 1–3).


 * 1   is] is for H3
 * 2   forfent^] for fent but vice in shuld be for fent. H1, ~ in it shuld H2, ~ in it ~ fent^ H3