psalms were praised and imitated; during MARY I’s
reign, they were adapted by Protestant exiles; afterward,
they were developed into a complete edition for the
public. Scholars often cite The Whole Book’s signifi cance
to the literature and culture of the period and its place
in the development of popular devotional materials.
See also SIDNEAIN PSALMS.
FURTHER READING
Hamlin, Hannibal. Psalm Culture and Early Modern English
Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Leaver, Robin. Goostly Psalmes and Spiritual Songes: English
and Dutch Metrical Psalms from Coverdale to Utenhove
1535–1566. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Beth Quitslund
“WHO LIST HIS WEALTH AND EASE
RETAIN” SIR THOMAS WYATT (1536) This is
one of SIR THOMAS WYATT’s several poems expanding
on the theme of the dangers of court life. The poem
starts with two STANZAS asserting the perhaps counter-
intuitive idea that greater safety and security—the
“wealth” and “ease” of the fi rst line—is found far from
the throne. The important image in the second of these
stanzas opposes the harsh weather of the high moun-
tain peaks against the low, mild valleys where the worst
storms cannot penetrate. Seen in this light, to be low is
a considerably happier position, especially since the
worst falls (“grievous”) are from great heights (l. 9).
This attitude is reminiscent of the traditional view of
FORTUNE.
In the third stanza, the poem seems to turn explicitly
autobiographical as the poet shows his regret at the
time and effort he has spent for such capricious and
temporary returns as one fi nds in courtly circles; his
youth and lust have given way to sore regret. His expe-
rience proves that ambition and the will to “climb” ends
only in a “revert,” meaning eventual failure (l. 14).
The fi nal two stanzas are more specifi c, referring to
Wyatt’s imprisonment in the TOWER OF LONDON (1536)
and his fi rsthand view “out of a grate” (l. 18) of Anne
Boleyn’s execution. He moralizes on the sight, or on its
memory, lamenting that there is no innocence, virtue,
or knowledge that can help or secure those caught in
the machinations of royal power. The fi nal three lines
of the poem are extraordinarily sour, counseling the
reader not to “prate” of innocence (l. 23) and to “bear
low” (l. 24), essentially realizing that there is no way to
avoid or resist monarchial power.
The recurring motif in each stanza is the three-word
Latin phrase (from Seneca) circa regna tonat, which
translates roughly as “he thunders around thrones.”
Combined with the heading of the poem, which situates
Wyatt’s name (“Viat”) amongst “Innocentia” (inno-
cence), “Veritas” (truth), and “Fides” (Faith), a connec-
tion to the theological VIRTUEs, the phrase serves as a
commentary on the rest of the poem, contrasting the
earthly pleasures in the heading with the raw use of
power indicated in the Latin motto.
Read alongside Wyatt’s epistolary SATIREs (including
“MINE OWN JOHN POINS”) and with other verse transla-
tions such as “STAND WHOSO LIST,” this poem provides a
clear look into the mind of a man whose close identifi -
cation with the royal court has led to disaffection and
mistrust. It is an autobiographical poem, probably more
stridently so than most of his other anticourt lyrics.
See also COURT CULTURE.
FURTHER READING
Muir, Kenneth. Life and Letters of Sir Thomas Wyatt. Liver-
pool, U.K.: Liverpool University Press, 1963.
Rebholz, R. A., ed. Sir Thomas Wyatt: The Complete Poems.
New Haven, Conn., and London: Yale University Press,
1978.
Christopher A. Hill“WHOSO LIST TO HUNT” SIR THOMAS
WYATT (1557) In SIR THOMAS WYATT’s poem, a lone
hunter begins by stating, “Whoso list to hunt, I know
where is an hind,” (l. 1). He goes on to mourn the wea-
riness of the chase, before imparting some advice to
other men who might want to hunt: “Who list her
hunt, I put him out of doubt, / As well as I may spend
his time in vain” (ll. 9–10). The quarry—the deer (i.e.,
the woman)—is owned by another. She belongs to
Caesar and is marked with the warning Noli me tangere
(“Touch me not,” l. 13).
This SONNET is technically a translation of PETRARCH’s
Sonnet 190 and, as such, generally follows the ITALIAN
(PETRARCHAN) SONNET form. The most commonly“WHOSO LIST TO HUNT” 465