The Lyrics of Henry VIII/Fare well my Ioy and my swete hart, Cooper

[ff. 66^v-68^r]

Fare well my Ioy and my swete hart
fare well myne owne hart rote.
frome yow a whyle must I depart
ther ys none other bote
ther ys none other bote.                                       5

Thowgh you depart now thus me fro
and leue me all alone.
my hart ys yours where euer that I go
for yow do I mone.
for you do I mone.                                              10
for you do I mone.

D. Cooper

Textual Commentary

This lyric presents an exchange between two lovers at their leave-taking. The second stanza is a response, affirming constancy, to the first’s statement of departure.

2 heart rote Sweetheart, beloved one (OED “heart-root” 2); cf. usage also in Skelton’s “Woffully araid” (l. 19; in LFay ff. 63^v–67^r) and his Why Come ye not to Court (l. 664).

4 none other bote No other repair, remedy, or relief, [it is] no use (OED “boot” n1 I.3, II.5).

“Fare well my loy and my swete hart” is through-set for three voices.

This lyric is indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 765.5, Boffey, and Ringler MS TM403. Reprinted in Flügel Anglia 244, Flügel Neuengl 136, Stevens M&P 409, and Stevens MCH8 48–9.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

H^1,2,3 (ff. 66^v–68^r).

1 hart] harte harte H²
3 must I] I must H²
4 none other] no nother H^2,3
5 none other] no nother H^2,3
7 all alone.] alone. H¹, all alone^ H², all alone. H³
10 for] fro H¹