# The Devonshire Manuscript/blame not my lute for he must sownde

* ←If that I cowlde in versis close || width="200" align="right" | my hart ys set nat to remowe→
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 64r
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 64v
f. [64r] 1 3blame not my lute for he must sownde 2 of thes or that as liketh me 3 for lake of wytt the lutte is bownde 4 To gyve suche tunes as plesithe me 5 tho my songes be sumewhat strange 6 & spekes suche wordes as toche thy change 7 blame not my lutte 8 my lutte alas doth not ofende 9 tho that per{p+}forne he must agre 10 to sownde suche teunes as I entende 11 to sing to them that herth me 12 then tho my songes be song somewhat plain 13 & tochethe some that vse to fayn 14 blame not my lutte 15 my lute & strynges{es} may not deny 16 but as I strike th$^e$y must obay 17 breke not them than soo wrongfully 18 but wryeke thy selff some wyser way 19 & tho the songes{es} whiche I endight 20 to qwytt thy change with{w+t+} rightfull spight 21 blame not my lute W f. [64v] 22 spyght askyth spight and changing changes{es} 23 and falsyd faith must indes{es} be knowne 24 the faute so grett the case so strange 25 of right it must abrode be blown 26 then sins that by thyn ovvn desartt 27 my soinges{es} do tell how trew thou artt 28 blame not my lute 29 blame but the selffe that hast mysdown 30 and well desaruide to haue blame 31 change thou thy way so evyll begown 32 & then my lute shall sownde that same 33 but of tyll then my fyngeres play 34 by they desartt thesr wontyd way 35 blame not my lutte 36 farwell vnknowne for tho thow brake 37 {w+t+}{es} my stryngees in spight with grett desdayn 38 yet haue I fownd owtt for thy sake 39 stringees{es} for to strynge my lute agayne 40 & yf perchance this folys he syme Rymyne 41 Do do make the blestht$^{blushe}$ at any tym 42 blame natt my lutte

## Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was possibly entered by H1.1. Rebholz notes that the poem's meaning depends on the "defiance of expectation"; based on the first three stanzas, the speaker seems likely to take responsibility, but in the fourth and fifth stanzas he instead directs blame to the lady. "Art and the artist," in the words of Rebholz, "must present the truth, and the lady's infidelity is the truth."
John Hall composed a moralizing parody of this poem, set to music, which also appears in his work The Court of Virtue (c. 1565). In both instances, Hall writes a clerical response to secular love poems (such as those composed by Wyatt) and his title is a deliberate parody of the book The Court of Venus, which was one of the earliest printed texts containing Wyatt's poems. This poem was also sung with a lute: MS 448.16, located at the Folger Library, preserves a lute score. Rebholz states that the composer did not produce the score specifically for Wyatt's poem, but based it from an older Italian musical pattern that was used for adapting poetry to music.

#### Works Cited

* ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 129-30.
* ↑ ibid., 407.
* ↑ ibid., 407.

## Textual Notes
#### Texts Collated

LSlo3501

#### Collation

1 blame not my lute for he must sownde] blam not my luyt LSlo3501 2 of thes or that as liketh me] LSlo3501 3 for lake of wytt the lutte is bownde] LSlo3501 4 To gyve suche tunes as plesithe me] LSlo3501 5 tho my songes be sumewhat strange] LSlo3501 6 & spekes suche wordes as toche thy change] LSlo3501 7 blame not my lutte ] LSlo3501 8 my lutte alas doth not ofende] LSlo3501 9 tho that erforne he must agre ] LSlo3501 10 to sownde suche tennes as I entende] LSlo3501 11 to sing to them that herth] LSlo3501 12 me then tho my songes be song somewhat plain] LSlo3501 13 & tochethe some that vse to fayn] LSlo3501 14 blame not my lutte] LSlo3501 15 my lute & strynges may not deny] LSlo3501 16 but as I strike they must obay] LSlo3501 17 breake not them than soo wrongfully] LSlo3501 18 but wryeke thy selff some wyser way] LSlo3501 19 & tho the songes whiche I endight] LSlo3501 20 to qwytt thy change with rightfull spight] LSlo3501 21 blame not my lute] LSlo3501 22 spyght askyth spight and changing changes] LSlo3501 23 and falsyd faith must indes be knowne] LSlo3501 24 tho fautees so grett the case so strange] LSlo3501 25 of right it must abrode be blown] LSlo3501 26 then sins that by thyn ovvn desartt] LSlo3501 27 my soinges do tell how trew thou artt] LSlo3501 28 blame not my lute] LSlo3501 29 blame but the selffe that hast mysdown] LSlo3501 30 and well desaruide to haue blame] LSlo3501 31 change thou thy way so evyll begown] LSlo3501 32 & then my lute shall sownde that same] LSlo3501 33 but of tyll then my fyngeres play] LSlo3501 34 by they desartt thesr wontyd way] LSlo3501 35 blame not my lutte] LSlo3501 36 farwell vnknowne for tho thow brake] LSlo3501 37 my stryngees in spight with grett desdayn] LSlo3501 38 yet haue I fownd owtt for they sake] LSlo3501 39 stringees for to strynge my lute agayne] LSlo3501 40 & yf perchance this folys he syme Rymynne] LSlo3501 41 Do do make the blesthtblushe at any tym] LSlo3501 42 blame natt my lutte] LSlo3501