# The Devonshire Manuscript/As power & wytt wyll me Assyst

* ←Was neuer yet fyle half so well fylyd || width="200" align="right" | Sum tyme I syghe sumtyme I syng→
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 20r
f. [20r] 1 3As power & wytt wyll me Assyst 2 my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst 3 For as ye lyst my wyll ys bent 4 in euer{u'}ythyng to be content 5 to ser[[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{s}8}]]ve in love tyll lyff be spent 6 and to Reward my love thus ment evyn as ye lyst 7 To fayn or fable ys not my mynd 8 nor to Refuce suche as I fynd 9 But as a lambe of yumble kynd 10 or byrd in cage to be Assynd &c 11 When all the flokk ys cum & gone 12 myn eye & hart agreythe in one 13 hathe chosyn yow only Alone 14 To be my Ioy or elles{es} my mone &c 15 Ioy yf pytty apere in place 16 mone yf dysdayn do shew hys face 17 yet crave I not as in thys case 18 but as ye lede to folow the trace &c 19 Sum in wordes{es} muche love can fayn 20 {es} {es} {_u} and sum for wordes gyve wordes agayn 21 thus wordes{es} for wordes{es} in wordes{es} Remayn 22 & yet at last wordes{es} do optayn &c 23 To crave in wordes{es} I wyll exchew 24 & love in dede I wyll ensew 25 yt ys my mynd bothe hole & trew 26 & for my trewthe I pray yow rew &c 27 Dere hart I bydd yo$^r$ hart farewell 28 with{w+t+} better hart than tong can tell 29 yet take thys tale as trew as gospell 30 ye may my lyff save or expell &c fynys

## Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H2. In his 1815 edition, George Frederick Nott argues that the poem may be an imitation of a Spanish form called Glosa in which the first couplet introduces the theme of the poem and commented on by the subsequent stanzas. Agnes Foxwell similarly commented that the structure follows a tradition of Middle English poems in which the first couplet or verse acts as the text for the poem. Following Foxwell's argument, Rebholz suggests that the lyric could be a modified carol: "[i]f the poem stems from the carol tradition, it might best be described as in the form of a modified carol, in which a part of the burden is repeated after each stanza (521). These types of carols, as John Stevens notes, are often found in early Tudor song-books.

#### Works Cited

* ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed., Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems (London: Penguin, 1978), 270-71.
* ↑ George Frederick Nott, ed., The Works of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder 1815-16, vol. 2 (London: Bensley, 1815).
* ↑ Agnes Kate Foxwell, ed., The Poems of Sir Thomas Wiat (London: University of London Press, 1913).
* ↑ Rebholz, 521.
* ↑ John Stevens, Music and Poetry in the Early Tudor Court (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961), 351-425.

## Textual Notes
#### Texts Collated

L18752_01

#### Collation

1 As power & wytt wyll me Assyst] L18752_01 2 my wyll shall wyll evyn as ye lyst] L18752_01 3 For] evyn L18752_01 ye] you L18752_01 4 in euerythyng] yn every thynge L18752_01 5 serve in love] serue yn loue L18752_01 lyff] lyf L18752_01 6 and] & L18752_01 Reward] reward L18752_01 love thus ment] loue yn contynent L18752_01 evyn as ye lyst] even as you lyst L18752_01 7 To] to L18752_01 fable] fabble L18752_01 8 Refuce] refuse L18752_01 I] y L18752_01 9 But] but L18752_01 as] even as L18752_01 of [sd]y[/sd][add]h[/add]umble kynd] humbull & kynd L18752_01 10 in] yn L18752_01 Assynd] assynd L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01 11 When] when L18752_01 flokk] folke L18752_01 cum] com L18752_01 gone] gon L18752_01 12 myn] my L18752_01 eye] Ioye L18752_01 agreythe in] agreeth yn L18752_01 13 hathe] & hath L18752_01 chosyn yow] chosen you L18752_01 Alone] alone L18752_01 14 To] to L18752_01 Ioy] Ioye L18752_01 elles] ells L18752_01 mone] mon L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01 15 Ioy yf] yf L18752_01 pytty] pyte L18752_01 apere in] appeyr yn L18752_01 place] hes plas L18752_01 16 mone] or L18752_01 do shew] shew L18752_01 hys face] hes fas L18752_01 17 crave I] craue y L18752_01 not as] nothyng L18752_01 in thys case] yn this cas L18752_01 18 ye] you L18752_01 lede] lyst L18752_01 trace] tras L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01 19 Sum in] some yn L18752_01 muche love] mwche loue L18752_01 can] doth L18752_01 fayn] fayne L18752_01 20 and sum] & some L18752_01 gyve] gyue L18752_01 agayn] a gayne L18752_01 21 thus] thys L18752_01 in] yn L18752_01 Remayn] remayn L18752_01 22 do optayn] dow obtayne L18752_01 &c] even as ye lyst L18752_01 23 To] to L18752_01 in] yn L18752_01 I wyll exchew] y woll eschewe L18752_01 24 love in] loue yn L18752_01 I wyll ensew] y woll ensue L18752_01 25 yt ys my mynd bothe hole] wythe the my hole hart faythfull L18752_01 26 for] of L18752_01 trewthe I] trewth y L18752_01 yow] you L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01 27 Dere] der L18752_01 I] y L18752_01 bydd] bed L18752_01 yor hart farewell] you now fawrwell L18752_01 28 better hart than] as good hart as L18752_01 29 yet take thys tale as trew as gospell] thys tall take trew as thegospell L18752_01 30 ye may my lyff save or expell] my lyf ye may both saue & spylle L18752_01 &c] even as you lyst L18752_01