The Devonshire Manuscript/ther ys no cure ffor care off miyd

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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I se the change ffrom that that was as ffor my part I know no thyng
The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 41r

f. [41r]

1    ther ys no cure ffor care o off miyd mind  1
2    but to fforget wych can nat be
3    I cannat sayll agayst the wynd
4    nor help the thyng past remedy
5    yff eny seche adwersety
6    do trobell owther with{w+t+} seche lyk smart
7    thys shall I say ffor charety
8    I pray god help every woffull hart

ffynys

Notes & Glosses[edit | edit source]

     1. There is no macron to supply the spelling needed for the rhyme.

Commentary[edit | edit source]

Written in Margaret Douglas's hand, this poem remains unattributed and is unique to this manuscript. The lyric laments the powerlessness of the speaker in the face of adversity, a sentiment which resonates with Douglas’s position vis-à-vis Henry VIII when her engagement to Thomas Howard was discovered. Margaret Douglas's writing appears so faintly on the page that it becomes almost unreadable.