# The Devonshire Manuscript/My mothers maides . when they dyd sow or spin

* ←My nowne Iohn poyntz . sins ye delight to know || width="200" align="right" | now that ye be assemblled heer→
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 87v
f. [87v] 1 My mothers maides{es} . when they dyd sow or spin 2 they sang sumtyme A sonng of the filde{d,} mowsse 3 that[[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{th}+t+}]] for be cawsse her lyvelode was but thyn 4 wolld nydes{es} goo sike . her townisshe sisters howsse 5 SShe thowgt her sellf enduryd to myche paine 6 the stormy blastes{es} her cave so sore dyd sowse 7 [[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{th}+e+}]]{w+t+} {_y} that when the forows swymmyd withthe Raine 8 she must ly colld / and wett in sorye plyght 9 ande warsse then that / bare mete ther dyd remayne 10 Too comfort her / when she her howsse had dight 11 sumtyme A barly corne sumtyme A bene 12 for wiche she labord hard both day & night 13 In herfyst tyme whylst she might goo & glene 14 [[The Devonshire Manuscript/Appendix_I:_Paleographic_Features|{{th}+e+}]]{w+t+} ande when her store was stroyd withthe flood 15 then welleawaye for she vndun was clene 16 Then was she faine to take in stide of fode 17 slype yf she myght her hungar to begille 18 my sisstar she hathe A lyving good 19 And

## Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H8. This excerpt includes the first nineteen lines of a 112-line poem that adapts, and distinctly departs from in terms of style and content, the Aesopian fable of the country mouse and the city mouse. The complete poem appears in Tottel's Miscellany under the title “Of the meane and sure estate written to Iohn Poins” (item 124).
H8 marks no stanzaic divisions and leaves the poem unfinished with “and” on the nineteenth line.

#### Works Cited

* ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 189-92.
* ↑ For a discussion of Wyatt's adaptation of the fable, see: Rebholz, 445-46.
* ↑ Tottel's Miscellany: Songes and Sonettes. Richard Tottel, 1557; rpt. Exeter: Shearsman, 2010. 95-98.

## Textual Notes
#### Texts Collated

STC13860_15, LEge23, AAH08

#### Collation

1 My] MY STC_13860_15 maides .] maydes AAH08 LEge23 maides STC_13860_15 dyd] did LEge23 do STC_13860_15 dyd sow or spin] do Sowe and Spinne AAH08 sow] sowe LEge23 STC_13860_15 or] & LEge23 or spin] and spinne: STC_13860_15 spin] spyn LEge23 2 they] They AAH08 STC_13860_15 sang] sing AAH08 STC_13860_15 sumtyme] sometyme LEge23 sumtyme A sonng] a songe made AAH08 a song made STC_13860_15 A] a LEge23 sonng] song LEge23 filde] fieldishe AAH08 feld LEge23 filde mowsse] feldishe mouse: STC_13860_15 mowsse] mowse AAH08 LEge23 3 that] That STC_13860_15 for be cawsse] forbicause LEge23 STC_13860_15 be cawsse] because AAH08 lyvelode] lyvelood LEge23 liuelod STC_13860_15 was] but AAH08 thyn] thynne AAH08 thinne, STC_13860_15 4 wolld] woulde AAH08 Would LEge23 STC_13860_15 nydes] nedes AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 goo sike .] go se AAH08 STC_13860_15 sike .] seke LEge23 townisshe] Townishe AAH08 townyssh LEge23 townish STC_13860_15 sisters] systers LEge23 howsse] howse AAH08 LEge23 house, STC_13860_15 5 SShe] She STC_13860_15 SShe thowgt] she thought , AAH08 the thought LEge23 thowgt] thought, STC_13860_15 sellf] self AAH08 LEge23 selfe STC_13860_15 enduryd] endured AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 myche] greevous AAH08 much LEge23 greuous STC_13860_15 paine] payne AAH08 pain LEge23 paine, STC_13860_15 6 the] The STC_13860_15 stormy] stormye AAH08 cave] Cave AAH08 caue STC_13860_15 dyd] did AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 sowse] sowse: STC_13860_15 7 that] That AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 forows] furrowes AAH08 STC_13860_15 forowse LEge23 swymmyd] swimmed AAH08 STC_13860_15 swymmed LEge23 Raine] rayne AAH08 rain LEge23 rayne: STC_13860_15 8 she must ly colld /] She'must lie colde, STC_13860_15 ly] lye AAH08 LEge23 colld /] colde AAH08 cold LEge23 and wett] & whete LEge23 wett] weett AAH08 wet STC_13860_15 sorye] sorrye AAH08 sorry LEge23 sory STC_13860_15 plyght] plight AAH08 LEge23 plight. STC_13860_15 9 ande] And AAH08 and LEge23 ande warsse] And worse STC_13860_15 warsse] wursse AAH08 wours LEge23 that /] that AAH08 that, STC_13860_15 mete] meet LEge23 meat STC_13860_15 mete ther] meat theare AAH08 ther] there LEge23 STC_13860_15 dyd] did STC_13860_15 dyd remayne] did remain LEge23 remayne] remaine STC_13860_15 10 Too] To AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 her /] her, AAH08 STC_13860_15 her LEge23 howsse] house AAH08 STC_13860_15 howse LEge23 dight] dight: STC_13860_15 11 sumtyme] Somtyme AAH08 sometyme LEge23 sumtyme A] Sometime a STC_13860_15 A] a AAH08 LEge23 barly] barley AAH08 corne] Corne / AAH08 corn : LEge23 corne: STC_13860_15 sumtyme] somtyme AAH08 sometyme LEge23 sumtyme A bene] sometime a beane: STC_13860_15 A] a AAH08 LEge23 bene] beane AAH08 12 for] ffor AAH08 for wiche] For which STC_13860_15 wiche] whiche AAH08 which LEge23 labord] laboured AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 both] bothe AAH08 boeth LEge23 day] daye LEge23 &] and AAH08 & night] and night, STC_13860_15 night] nyght LEge23 13 herfyst] harvest AAH08 LEge23 haruest STC_13860_15 tyme] tyme, STC_13860_15 whylst] when AAH08 whilest LEge23 while STC_13860_15 might] myght LEge23 goo &] goe and AAH08 goo & glene] go and gleane. STC_13860_15 glene] gleane AAH08 glyne LEge23 14 ande] And AAH08 STC_13860_15 and LEge23 when] wher LEge23 her] LEge23 store] stoore LEge23 stroyd] stroyed AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 flood] flodd LEge23 floode: STC_13860_15 15 then] Then AAH08 STC_13860_15 welleawaye] well away for AAH08 well awaye LEge23 weleaway STC_13860_15 for] AAH08 vndun] vndone AAH08 LEge23 STC_13860_15 clene] cleane AAH08 cleane. STC_13860_15 16 faine] fayne AAH08 LEge23 stide] steede AAH08 stede LEge23 STC_13860_15 fode] foode AAH08 fode, STC_13860_15 17 slype] Slepe AAH08 slepe LEge23 slype yf] Slepe if STC_13860_15 yf] if LEge23 she] shee AAH08 myght] cowlde AAH08 might, STC_13860_15 hungar] honger AAH08 STC_13860_15 hounger LEge23 begille] beguyle AAH08 begile LEge23 begyle. STC_13860_15 18 my sisstar] My sister (quod AAH08 STC_13860_15 sisstar she hathe A] syster she / hath a LEge23 she] she) AAH08 STC_13860_15 hathe] hath AAH08 STC_13860_15 A] a AAH08 A lyving good] a liuyng good: STC_13860_15 19 And] And hence from me she dwelleth not a myle AAH08 And hence from me she dwelleth not a myle. STC_13860_15