So hath my herte caught in rémembraunce
Your beautè hool, and stedfast governaunce,
Your vertues allè, and your hy noblesse,
That you to serve is set al my plesaunce;
So wel me lykth your womanly contenaunce, 5
[xxvi]
Your fresshe fetures and your comlinesse,
That, whyl I live, my herte to his maistresse,
You hath ful chose, in trew perséveraunce,
Never to chaunge, for no maner distresse.
From MS. Addit. 34360, fol. 21, back (with ascription by Shirley);
hitherto unprinted. Rejected readings of the MS. are here given.
1. hert. 2. Yowre (_throughout_); hoole; stidefast. 3. al; hie.
4. yow; sette. 5. likith; _for_ womanly _perhaps read_ wyfly. 6:
comlynesse. 7: whiles; myn hert; maystresse. 8: triev.
And sith I [you] shal do this observaunce 10
Al my lyf, withouten displesaunce,
You for to serve with al my besinesse,
[Taketh me, lady, in your obeisaunce,]
And have me somwhat in your souvenaunce.
My woful herte suffreth greet duresse; 15
And [loke] how humbl[el]y, with al simplesse,
My wil I cónforme to your ordenaunce,
As you best list, my peynes to redresse.
10: _I insert_ you. 11: (_Accent on_ Al); live. 12: besynesse.
13. _Dr. Furnivall supplies this lost line_; cf. Complaint to Pity, l.
84. 15. hert suffrith grete. 16: _I supply_ loke; humbly. 17:
ordynaunce. 18: for to (_I omit_ for).
Considring eek how I hange in balaunce
In your servysè; swich, lo! is my chaunce, 20
Abyding grace, whan that your gentilnesse
Of my gret wo list doon allegeaunce,
And with your pitè me som wyse avaunce,
In ful rebating of my hevinesse;
And thinkth, by reson, wommanly noblesse 25
Shuld nat desyre for to doon outrance
Ther-as she findeth noon unbuxumnesse.
19: eke. 20: service suche loo. 21: (_Perhaps omit_ that). 22:
grete woo; do. 23: wise. 24: rebatyng; myn hevynesse. 25: And
thynkith be raison that (_too long_). 26: desire; for til do the (_I
omit_ the). 27: fyndith non vn-.
_Lenvoye._
Auctour of norture, lady of plesaunce,
Soveraine of beautè, flour of wommanhede,
Take ye non hede unto myn ignoraunce, 30
But this receyveth of your goodlihede,
Thinking that I have caught in remembraunce
Your beautè hool, your stedfast governaunce.
29. Soueraigne; floure. 31. receyvith; goodelyhede. 32. Thynkyng.
33. hole; stidefast.
[xxvii]
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