Yff reason govern fantasye

The Devonshire Manuscript · Wikibooks

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    Introduction  |  Contributors  |  Textual Introduction
    The Devonshire Manuscript
    Bibliography A-M  |  Bibliography N-Z  |  Encoded Materials

    ←Too yoye In payne my will What helpythe hope of happy hape→
    Illustration
    The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 45r
    Illustration
    The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 45v
    Illustration
    The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 46r

     f. [45r] 

    1    Yff reason govern fantasye
    2    Soo that my fansy gugjugge a right
    3    of all pleasurs to man erthlye
    4    The cheist pleasur{{s}8} of delyght
    5    ys only this that I resight
    6    ffor frenshipe shoid to fynd at end
    7    the frendshyp of a faythfull frend

    8    Yff this be trewe trew ys this too
    9    In all this pleasant enenes
    10    the most displeasur{{s}8} chaunce may doo
    11    ys onkendnes shoyd for kendnes
    12    ffor frendly frendshyp frowernes
    13    lykk as theon case plesant ys
    14    lykwise A paynfull case ys this

    15    Thes too Aprovyde aprove the thurde
    16    That ys to say my self to be
    17    In wofull caes for at A worde
    18    Wher I sho frendshype & wold See
    19    ffore frendshyp : frendshyp shoyd to me1
    20    Ther fynd I frendship So fare fayntyd
    21    That I ska skantly may Seme aquantyde

    f. [45v] 

    22    By this word frendshpp now here sayde{d,}
    23    my menyng to declare trewlye
    24    I mene no whyt / the bornyng brayde{d,}
    25    of ragyng love most Amoroslye
    26    but onnest frendly com{_o}pany
    27    And other love than this I knowe
    28    here self nor yett no nother can show

    29    And Sens here self no farder knowit
    30    nor I my self but As I tell /
    31    thowght fals report doth grass as growith2
    32    that I loue here excedynde well
    33    And that I loveshe takythe my love as yell
    34    Sens I in ded mene no Such thyng
    35    What hurt cold honest frendshyp bryng

    36    Noo staryng eye nor herkenyng ere
    37    cane hurt in this except that she
    38    haue other frendes{es} that may not bare
    39    In here preasens : preasens of me
    40    And that for that here pleasur{{s}8} be
    41    To sho vnkyndnes for non nother
    42    But banyshe me to bryng in other

    f. [46r] 

    43    But sens that fancy /3ledes{es} here soo
    44    And ledes{es} my frendshyp from the lyght
    45    and walkyth me darlyng to and froo
    46    wyell other frendes{es} may walk in Sight
    47    I pray for paciens in that spyt
    48    And this fullfyllyd here apetyd
    49    I shall example be I trowe
    50    or frendes{es} sho frendshypp frendes{es}  to knowe

    finis T. H.

    Notes & Glosses

         1. This may be the only instance of the use of a colon-type mark within the manuscript.
         2. This phrase is resonant.
         3. The virgule is a vertical bar.

    Commentary

    Entered by TH1, the initials "T H" and "T. How" on 46r attribute the composition to Thomas Howard. The speaker describes the comfort of honest friendship, the disapproval of this friendship by others, and the quick growth of “fals report” by the lady’s “frendes” who cannot bear his presence by her. The grafted and rotten bough image is a common image in courtly lyrics. For other examples of this image in the manuscript, see "This rotyd greff will not but growe" (47v), “Nowe fare well love and theye lawes forever” (75r), and "Tanglid I was yn loves snare" (79v-80r).

    TH1 makes later corrections in a different ink. Small flourishes shaped like the number two with a long tail appear at the end of almost every line.