# The Devonshire Manuscript/Yff reason govern fantasye

* ←Too yoye In payne my will || width="200" align="right" | What helpythe hope of happy hape→
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 45r
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 45v
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 46r
f. [45r] 1 Yff reason govern fantasye 2 Soo that my fansy gug$^{jugge}$ a right 3 of all pleasurs to man erthlye 4 The cheist pleasur[[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{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[[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{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 me$^1$ 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 growith$^2$ 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[[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{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 /$^3$ledes{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.