The Devonshire Manuscript/ther ys no cure ffor care off miyd

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The Devonshire Manuscript
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←I se the change ffrom that that was

as ffor my part I know no thyng→

f. [41r]

1    ther ys no cure ffor care o off miyd mind ¹
2    but to fforget wych can nat be
3    I cannat sayll agayst the wynd
4    nor help the thyng past remedy
5    yff eny seche adwersety
6    do trobell owther with{w+t+} seche lyk smart
7    thys shall I say ffor charety
8    I pray god help every woffull hart

ffynys

Notes & Glosses

1. There is no macron to supply the spelling needed for the rhyme.

Commentary

Written in Margaret Douglas's hand, this poem remains unattributed and is unique to this manuscript. The lyric laments the powerlessness of the speaker in the face of adversity, a sentiment which resonates with Douglas’s position vis-à-vis Henry VIII when her engagement to Thomas Howard was discovered. Margaret Douglas's writing appears so faintly on the page that it becomes almost unreadable.