Henry VIII, King of England: Verses about Love

Alas, what shall I do for love?
For love, alasse, what shall I do?
Syth now so kynd
I do you fynde
To kepe yow me unto?
Alasse!

If love now reynyd as it hath bene
And war rewardit as it hath sene,

Nobyll men then wold suer enserch
All ways wherby thay myght it rech;

But envy reynyth with such dysdayne,
And causith lovers owtwardly to refrayne,

Which puttes them to more and more
Inwardly most grevous and sore;

The faut in whome I cannot sett;
But let them tell which love doth gett.

To lovers I put now suer this cace -
Which of ther loves doth get them grace?

And unto them which doth it know
Better than do I, I thynk it so.

Whoso that wyll all feattes optayne,
In love he must be withowt dysdayne,

For love enforyth all nobyle kynd
And dysdayne dyscorages all gentyl mynd.

Wherefor to love and be not loved
Is wors then deth? Let it be proved!

Love encoragith and makyth on bold;
Dysdayne abattyth and makith hym colde.

Love ys gevyn to God and man;
To woman also, I thynk, the same.

But dysdayne ys vice and shuld be refused;
Yet never the lesse it ys to moch used.

Whoso that wyll all feattes optayne,
In love he must be withowt dysdayne,

Grett pyte it ware, love for to compell
With dysdayne both falce and subtell.