The Devonshire Manuscript/Ineternum I was ons determined

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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f. [72v]

1    {_u}{t'} Ineternum I was ^ons dederminid
2    for to have louid and my minde affirmid
3    {_o}{w+t+} that with my herte it shuld be coonfirmid
4    Ineternum{_u}

5    forthwith{w+t+} I founde the thing that I might like
6    and sought with{w+t+} loue to warme her hert alyke
7    for as me thought I shulde not se the lyk
8    Ineternum

9    To trase this dannse I put myself in prease
10    vayne hope ded lede and bad I shuld not cease
11    to ser{{s}8}ue / to suffer / & still to hold my peace
12    Ineternum

13    with{w+t+} this furst Rule I fordred me a pase
14    that as me thought my trowghthe had taken plase
15    with{w+t+} full assurans to stond in her grace
16    in eternum

17    It was not long er I by proofe had founde
18    that feble bilding is on feble grounde
19    for in her herte this wo^rde ded never sounde
20    Ineternum

21    {_o}{_u} Ineternum then from my herte I keste
22    that I had furst deter{t'}mind for the best
23    nowe in the place anothe^r thought doth rest
24    Ineternum /fs s

Commentary

Attributed to Sir Thomas Wyatt,^[1] this poem was entered by H8. The speaker, who had been determined to love the Lady, eventually realizes the vain hopes he had entertained and finally casts her (or the love of her) out of his heart. The final “Ineternum” might be an indication that the speaker has turned to spiritual thoughts, or it might be an indication of the cycle of love and deception that he will undergo again.

This poem is also one of seventeen entries where Margaret Douglas marks “and thys.” Paul Remley has suggested that these annotations relate to another in-text annotation of hers, “lerne but to syng it” (on "now all of chaunge" (81r)), and may indicate a group of texts to be learned for entertaining. ^[2] Douglas's annotation “and thys” appears between this poem and the one above, and may relate to either poem or both of them.

Works Cited

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

LEge17

Collation

1 Ineternum I was ons dedterminid] rmed LEge17
2 for to have louid and my minde affirmid] LEge17
3 that with my herte it shuld] uld LEge17
4 Ineternum] LEge17
5 forthwith I founde the thing] LEge17
6 and sought with loue to warme] arme LEge17
7 for as me thought I shulde] LEge17
8 Ineternum] LEge17
9 To trase this dannse I put] LEge17
10 vayne hope ded lede and bad] LEge17
11 to serue / to suffer / & still to hold] old LEge17
12 Ineternum] LEge17
13 with this furst Rule I fordred] d LEge17
14 that as me thought my trowghthe] LEge17
15 with full assurans to stond] d LEge17
16 in eternum] LEge17
17 It was not long er I by proofe] LEge17
18 that feble bilding is on feble grounde] unde LEge17
19 for in her herte this worde ded never] ver LEge17
20 Ineternum] LEge17
21 Ineternum then from my herte I keste] st LEge17
22 that I had furst determind for the best] est LEge17
23 nowe in the place another thought] LEge17
24 Ineternum /] LEge17

[1] R.A. Rebholz, ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems. London: Penguin, 1978. 146.

[2] Paul Remley. "Mary Shelton and Her Tudor Literary Milieu." Rethinking the Henrician Era: Essays on Early Tudor Texts and Contexts. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. 50.

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