The Lyrics of Henry VIII/Withowt dyscord, Henry VIII

[ff. 68^v-69^r]

Early Modern English	Modern English
Withowt dyscord	Without discord
and bothe acorde	And both accord,
now let us be	Now let us be.
bothe hartes alone	Both harts alone
to set in one	To set in one.
best semyth me.	Best seems me.
for when one sole	For when one sole
ys in the dole	Is in the dole
of louys payne.	Of love's pain
then helpe must haue	Then help must have
hym selfe to saue	Himself to save
and loue to optayne.	And love to obtain.
wherfor now we.	Where for now we
that louers be.	That lovers be,
let vs now pray.	Let us now pray:
Onys loue sure.	Once love sure
for to procure.	For to procure
withowt denay.	Without denial.
wher loue so sewith.	Where love so sues
ther no hart rewith.	There no heart rues,
but condyscend.	But condescend.
Yf contrarye.	If contrary,
what remedy.	What remedy?
god yt amen.	God it amend.

Textual Commentary

“Withowt dyscord” is an exposition concerning the unity of the lovers, from the “dole / of louys payne” commonly associated with the pangs of the courtly love tradition (“dyscord”), to the unity of the hearts and souls of the lovers (“acorde”). Addressed to lovers, the lyric concludes with a prayer for “sure love” where the lover sues.

7 sole Soul, perhaps, but also in the sense of being alone or solitary (OED a 2.a) and separated from another (OED a 2.b).

10 helpe must haue Help he must have.

16 Onys Once (i.e. on some occasion).

18 denay Denial, refusal (OED “deny” n.1).

19 sewith Make suit; legal (courtly allusion); see also the comment to Henry’s “If love now reynyd as it hath bene” (H 38.12).

20 rewith Sorrows, distresses, grieves (OED v.1 3); also, feels remorse (OED v.1 9).

21 condyscend Condescend.

23 what remedy Cf. Cornish’s “My loue sche morneth for me” (H 21.26) and the anonymous “What remedy what remedy” (H 69); see also Ravenscroft’s “Hey downe downe”: “what remedy though alas for loue I die with woe” (Pammelia 13).

24 amen Amend, but also in the sense of “answer our prayer”; cf.., in this context of prayer, Henry’s “Though sum saith that yough rulyth me” (H 51.18) and his “Lusti yough shuld vs ensue” (H 61.27); with special reference to these two lyrics, cf. also the sentiments expressed towards ‘disdainers’ in the concluding lines of the Jousts of May: “Some reprehende / Suche as entende / To condescende / To chyualry // God them amende / And grace them sende / Not to offende / More tyll they deye” (ll. 180–87).

The first stanza of “Withowt dyscord,” lines 1–12, is through-set, while the remaining text appears following the third voice.

Indexed in Robbins Index & Suppl. 4213.5, Boffey, and Ringler MS TM2014. Reprinted in Flügel Anglia 237, Flügel Neuengl 136–7, Padelford 76, Stevens M&P 410, Stevens MCH8 50, and Trefusis 26–27.

Textual Notes

Texts Collated

H^1,2,3 (ff. 68^v–69^r, ll. 1–12 H^2,3).

10 must] to H²