The Devonshire Manuscript/My herte I gave the not to do yt paine

←To Rayle or geste ye kno I vse yt not

The Ioye so short alas the paine so nere→

The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 75v

f. [75v]

1    My herte I gave the not to do yt paine
2    but to pre{p'}se^rve / yt was to the takin
3    I ser{{s}8}uid the not to be forsakin
4    but that I shulde be rewardid againe
5    I was contente thy ser{{s}8}u^ante to remaine
6    but not to be paide vndre suche fasshion
7    now sins that{{th}+t+} in the is none other Raison
8    Displease the not if that I do restraine
9    vnsatiat of my woo . and thy desire
10    assurid bye crafte . texcuse to excuse  thye faute
11    ffarwell I saie parting from the fire
12    for he that beleuith bering in hande
13    plowithe in water and sowith in sande /

fs

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8 and based on Serafino Aquilano 's strambotti “El cor ti diedi che el tormentassi.” The poem also appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “The louer forsaketh his vnkinde loue” (item 100). H1 enters another version of this poem as "My harte I gave the not to do it paine" (3r). "My harte I gave the not to do it paine" (3r) omits line 10. Variations in word choice occur in both poems: a few examples include the differences between 3r's “slave” and 75v’s “servant” (line 3); 3r's “restraine” and 75v’s “reffreyne” (line 8); and 3r's “bering” and 75v’s “lernyng” (lines 11 and 12 respectively).