# The Devonshire Manuscript/The knot which fyrst my hart did strayn

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* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 23r
* The Devonshire Manuscript facsimile 23v LDev037
f. [23r] 1 3The knot which fyrst my hart did strayn 2 whan that your saruant I becam 3 Doth bynd me styll for to remain 4 all was yo$^r$ owne as now I am 5 and if you fynd that I do fayne 6 with{w+t+} Iust Iugement my self I dam ene 7 To haue Dysdain 8 If other thought In me doo groo 9 bot styl too lov youe stedfastlye 10 yf that the proff doo not well shoo 11 that I am yours Asorydly 12 let eure wellth turne me to woo 13 and yov to be con{_o}tunvally 14 my chefest ffoo 15 If other low or new Request 16 doo cese my hart but only this 17 or if with{w+t+}in my weryd brest 18 be hyd on thought that mene amys 19 I do desyer that myn vnrest 20 m$^a$y styll encrese and I to mys 21 that I lov best f. [23v] 22 If In my low ther be on spott 23 of false desaytt or dobylnes 24 or if I mynd to slyp thys knot 25 be want of faithe or stedfastnes 26 Let all my sarwyce be for gott 27 And when I wold haue chefe Redres 28 Estem me nott 29 What if that I con{_o}sume In paine 30 of burinn burning {_n}g syghes and fervent lowe 31 And daly seke no nother gayne 32 bot with{w+t+} my ded thes wordes to prow 33 methink of ryght I shuld optayn 34 that ye wold mynd for to remove 35 your gret desdayn 36 An$^d$ for the end of thys my song 37 wnto your handes I doo submit 38 my dedly greff and payns so strong 39 Whych in my hert be fermly shytt 40 and when ye lyst redres me wrong 41 sens well ye know this paynfull syghte$^{ffytt}$ 42 Hath last tto long ffynys

## Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt, this poem was entered by H3 and describes a lover's justification for his steadfastness in matters of love. Any sign of wavering, unfaithfulness, or deceit would understandably deserve contempt from his beloved, yet his loyalty goes unrewarded.
While the complete poem appears on 23r-23v, H3 also enters an excerpt of the poem, "The knot which fyrst my hart dyd strayn" (22v). H4 also enters another complete version of the poem on 33r-33v as "The knott whych ffyrst my hart dyd strayn /", indicating perhaps the poem's popularity.

#### Works Cited

* ↑ R.A. Rebholz, ed., Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems (London: Penguin, 1978), 126.

## Textual Notes
#### Texts Collated

DBLa21, LDev051, LDev034

#### Collation

1 The knot which] the that DBla21 knot] knott LDev051 which] whych LDev051 fyrst] ffyrst LDev051 furst DBla21 did] dyd LDev034 LDev051 DBla21 strayn] strayn / LDev051 2 whan] Whan LDev034 LDev051 when DBla21 your] yowr LDev051 thy DBla21 saruant] sarwant LDev034 servannt LDev051 servant DBla21 becam] be cam / LDev051 3 Doth] doth LDev034 LDev051 DBla21 bynd] bynde LDev051 remain] Remain LDev034 Remayne / LDev051 remayn DBla21 4 all was] always DBla21 was] wais LDev034 yor] yowr LDev051 DBla21 yor owne as now I am] LDev034 owne] own DBla21 now] nowe LDev051 am] am / LDev051 5 and if you fynd that I do fayne] LDev034 and if you] And yff ye LDev051 and if you fynd] & yff ye fynd DBla21 fynd] fynde LDev051 fayne] ffayn / LDev051 fayn DBla21 6 with Iust Iugement my self I dam ene] LDev034 Iugement] Iudgement LDev051 judgment DBla21 self] selffe LDev051 dam ene] dam / LDev051 dam DBla21 7 To] to LDev051 DBla21 To haue Dysdain] LDev034 Dysdain] dysdayn / LDev051 dysdy wyth desdayne DBla21 8 If] Iff LDev051 If other thought In me doo groo] LDev034 If other thought] yf thowght DBla21 thought] thowght LDev051 In] in LDev051 doo] do DBla21 doo groo] do growe / LDev051 9 bot] butt LDev051 but DBla21 bot styl too lov youe stedfastlye] LDev034 styl] styll LDev051 DBla21 too] to LDev051 too lov youe] to loue the you DBla21 lov] love LDev051 youe] yow LDev051 stedfastlye] stedefastly / LDev051 stedfastly DBla21 10 yf] if LDev051 yf that the proff doo not well shoo] LDev034 yf that] yff DBla21 proff] profe LDev051 proffe DBla21 doo] do LDev051 doo not well] do no forth DBla21 not] nott LDev051 shoo] showe / LDev051 11 that I am yours Asorydly] LDev034 yours] yowrs LDev051 DBla21 Asorydly] Assueredly / LDev051 assuerydly DBla21 12 let] lett LDev051 DBla21 let eure wellth turne me to woo] LDev034 eure] euery LDev051 DBla21 wellth] welth LDev051 DBla21 turne me] all my yoy turne me all DBla21 woo] woe LDev051 13 and yov to be contunvally] LDev034 to beontynually DBla21 and yov] And yow LDev051 contunvally] contynually / LDev051 14 my] My LDev051 my chefest ffoo] LDev034 chefest] chefyst DBla21 ffoo] foo / LDev051 f DBla21 15 If] Iff LDev051 If other low or new Request] LDev034 If other low or] yff other thoht or DBla21 low] love LDev051 new] newe LDev051 Request] request / LDev051 request DBla21 16 doo] do LDev051 DBla21 doo cese my hart but only this] LDev034 cese] cesse LDev051 sese DBla21 this] thys / LDev051 thys DBla21 17 or if within my weryd brest] LDev034 or if within] & yff wythIn DBla21 if] yf LDev051 brest] brest / LDev051 18 be hyd on thought that mene amys] LDev034 on] one LDev051 thought] thowght LDev051 DBla21 amys] Amys / LDev051 19 I do desyer that myn vnrest] LDev034 myn] myne LDev051 myn vnrest] my nrest DBla21 vnrest] vnrest / LDev051 20 may] may LDev051 DBla21 may styll encrese and I to mys] LDev034 encrese] encrease LDev051 encrese and] Incres & DBla21 mys] y mysse / LDev051 21 that I lov best] LDev034 lov] love LDev051 loue DBla21 best] best / LDev051 22 If In my low ther be on spott] LDev034 If In my low] Yff in my love LDev051 If In my low ther be] yff my loue be hyd DBla21 on] one LDev051 spott] spott / LDev051 spoot DBla21 23 of] off LDev051 DBla21 of false desaytt or dobylnes] LDev034 false] fals DBla21 desaytt] deceyte LDev051 desaytt or] decete & DBla21 dobylnes] doblenes / LDev051 dublylnes DBla21 24 or if I mynd to slyp thys knot] LDev034 if] yff LDev051 DBla21 slyp] slypp LDev051 thys] the DBla21 knot] knott / LDev051 knoot DBla21 25 be] by LDev051 DBla21 be want of faithe or stedfastnes] LDev034 of faithe] off fayth DBla21 faithe] fayth LDev051 stedfastnes] stedefastnes / LDev051 26 Let] let DBla21 Let all my sarwyce be for gott] LDev034 Let all my sarwyce] lett All my sorowys LDev051 sarwyce] servys DBla21 for gott] forgott / LDev051 forgoot DBla21 27 And] & DBla21 And when I wold haue chefe Redres] LDev034 wold] wuld LDev051 chefe] cheefe LDev051 sefe DBla21 Redres] redresse LDev051 redres DBla21 28 Estem] Esteme LDev051 esteme DBla21 Estem me nott] LDev034 29 What if that I consume In paine] LDev034 What if] But yff LDev051 but yff DBla21 In paine] in payn / LDev051 paine] payn DBla21 30 of burinngburning syghes and fervent lowe] LDev034 of burinngburning syghes and] with burnynge syghes & LDev051 wyth do burnyng syghes & DBla21 fervent] farvent DBla21 lowe] love / LDev051 loue DBla21 31 And daly seke no nother gayne] LDev034 And daly seke no] and dyly seke non DBla21 no nother] non other LDev051 DBla21 gayne] gayn / LDev051 gayn DBla21 32 bot] but LDev051 DBla21 bot with my ded thes wordes to prow] LDev034 with] wyth DBla21 ded] dede LDev051 dedes DBla21 wordes] wurdes LDev051 prow] prove LDev051 proue DBla21 33 methink] me thynke LDev051 methink of ryght I shuld optayn] LDev034 methink of ryght] e thynkes off yght DBla21 of] off LDev051 ryght] Ryght LDev051 optayn] optAyne LDev051 obtayn DBla21 34 that ye wold mynd for to remove] LDev034 wold] wuld LDev051 shuld DBla21 mynd] mynde LDev051 remove] remoue DBla21 35 your] yowr LDev051 your gret desdayn] LDev034 desdayn] dysdayn LDev051 DBla21 36 And] And LDev051 And for the end of thys my song] LDev034 And for the end of] and nend off DBla21 end] ende LDev051 of] off LDev051 song] songe / LDev051 37 wnto] vnto LDev051 In to DBla21 wnto your handes I doo submit] LDev034 your] yowr LDev051 DBla21 handes] handys LDev051 doo] do LDev051 DBla21 submit] submytt / LDev051 submytt DBla21 38 my] the DBla21 my dedly greff and payns so strong] LDev034 greff] grefe DBla21 and] the DBla21 payns] payn DBla21 strong] stronge / LDev051 39 Whych] whych LDev051 Whych in my hert be fermly shytt] LDev034 Whych in] wych In DBla21 hert] harte LDev051 hart DBla21 fermly] fyrmly DBla21 40 and] And LDev051 and when ye lyst redres me wrong] LDev034 redres] redresse LDev051 me] my LDev051 DBla21 wrong] wronge LDev051 wrog DBla21 41 sens] syns LDev051 sens well ye know this paynfull syghteffytt] LDev034 know] knowe LDev051 knoo DBla21 this] thys DBla21 paynfull] paynfyll DBla21 syghteffytt] fytt LDev051 DBla21 42 Hath] hath DBla21 Hath last tto long] LDev034 tto] to LDev051 tto long] to l DBla21 long] longe LDev051