Geoffrey Chaucer

“ Ne that thy tale make us nat to slepe.
Telle us som mery thing of aventures;— 15
Your termes, your colours, and your figures,
Kepe hem in stoor til so be ye endyte
Heigh style, as whan that men to kinges wryte. ”

“ Now knowe I, dere wyf, thy stedfastnesse,'— (1000)
And hir in armes took and gan hir kesse.
And she for wonder took of it no keep;
She herde nat what thing he to hir seyde;
She ferde as she had stert out of a sleep, 1060
Til she out of hir masednesse abreyde.
'Grisilde,' quod he, 'by god that for us deyde,
Thou art my wyf, ne noon other I have,
Ne never hadde, as god my soule save!
This is thy doghter which thou hast supposed 1065
To be my wyf; that other feithfully (1010)
Shal be myn heir, as I have ay purposed ”

“ In werk ne thoght I nil yow disobeye,
For to be deed, though me were looth to deye.'
'This is y-nogh, Grisilde myn!' quod he. 365
And forth he gooth with a ful sobre chere (310)
Out at the dore, and after that cam she,
And to the peple he seyde in this manere,
'This is my wyf,' quod he, 'that standeth here.
Honoureth hir, and loveth hir, I preye, 370
Who-so me loveth; ther is na-more to seye.'
And for that no-thing of hir olde gere
She sholde bringe in-to his hous, he bad
That wommen sholde dispoilen hir right there ”

“ Al your plesaunce ferme and stable I holde;
For wiste I that my deeth wolde do yow ese,
Right gladly wolde I dyen, yow to plese. 665
Deth may noght make no comparisoun (610)
Un-to your love:' and, whan this markis sey
The constance of his wyf, he caste adoun
His yën two, and wondreth that she may
In pacience suffre al this array. 670
And forth he gooth with drery contenaunce,
But to his herte it was ful greet plesaunce.
This ugly sergeant, in the same wyse
That he hir doghter caughte, right so he,
Or worse, if men worse can devyse, 675
Hath hent hir sone, that ful was of beautee. ”

“ Al putte he nat his wyf in greet assay.
This world is nat so strong, it is no nay,
As it hath been in olde tymes yore, 1140
And herkneth what this auctour seith therfore.
This storie is seyd, nat for that wyves sholde
Folwen Grisilde as in humilitee,
For it were importable, though they wolde;
But for that every wight, in his degree, 1145
Sholde be constant in adversitee (1090)
As was Grisilde; therfor Petrark wryteth
This storie, which with heigh style he endyteth. ”

“ For she is fostred in hir norishinge 1040
More tendrely, and, to my supposinge,
She coude nat adversitee endure
As coude a povre fostred creature.'
And whan this Walter say hir pacience,
Hir glade chere and no malice at al, 1045
And he so ofte had doon to hir offence, (990)
And she ay sad and constant as a wal,
Continuing ever hir innocence overal,
This sturdy markis gan his herte dresse
To rewen up-on hir wyfly stedfastnesse. 1050
'This is y-nogh, Grisilde myn,' quod he,
'Be now na-more agast ne yvel apayed ”

“ Hir olde povre fader fostred she;
A fewe sheep spinning on feeld she kepte,
She wolde noght been ydel til she slepte.
And whan she hoomward cam, she wolde bringe 225
Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte, (170)
The whiche she shredde and seeth for hir livinge,
And made hir bed ful harde and no-thing softe;
And ay she kepte hir fadres lyf on-lofte
With everich obeisaunce and diligence 230
That child may doon to fadres reverence.
Up-on Grisilde, this povre creature,
Ful ofte sythe this markis sette his yë
As he on hunting rood paraventure ”

“ Toward Saluces shaping hir Iourney,
Fro day to day they ryden in hir wey.
Explicit quarta pars. Sequitur quinta pars.
Among al this, after his wikke usage, 785
This markis, yet his wyf to tempte more (730)
To the uttereste preve of hir corage,
Fully to han experience and lore
If that she were as stedfast as bifore,
He on a day in open audience 790
Ful boistously hath seyd hir this sentence:
'Certes, Grisilde, I hadde y-nough plesaunce
To han yow to my wyf for your goodnesse,
As for your trouthe and for your obeisaunce,
Nought for your linage ne for your richesse ”

“ A wyf, as of hir-self, no-thing ne sholde 720
Wille in effect, but as hir housbond wolde.
The sclaundre of Walter ofte and wyde spradde,
That of a cruel herte he wikkedly,
For he a povre womman wedded hadde,
Hath mordred bothe his children prively. 725
Swich murmur was among hem comunly. (670)
No wonder is, for to the peples ere
Ther cam no word but that they mordred were.
For which, wher-as his peple ther-bifore
Had loved him wel, the sclaundre of his diffame 730
Made hem that they him hatede therfore;
To been a mordrer is an hateful name. ”

“ To han a newe lady of hir toun. 1005
Na-more of this make I now mencioun; (950)
But to Grisilde agayn wol I me dresse,
And telle hir constance and hir bisinesse.—
Ful bisy was Grisilde in every thing
That to the feste was apertinent; 1010
Right noght was she abayst of hir clothing,
Though it were rude and somdel eek to-rent.
But with glad chere to the yate is went,
With other folk, to grete the markisesse,
And after that doth forth hir bisinesse. 1015
With so glad chere his gestes she receyveth, (960)
And conningly, everich in his degree,
That no defaute no man aperceyveth ”

“ And thou shalt make him couche as dooth a quaille.
If thou be fair, ther folk ben in presence
Shew thou thy visage and thyn apparaille;
If thou be foul, be free of thy dispence,
To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille; 1210
Be ay of chere as light as leef on linde,
And lat him care, and wepe, and wringe, and waille!
Here endeth the Clerk of Oxonford his Tale.
Variae Lectiones, etc.
Heading. So E. Hn.; E. Somonours.—1665. E. Somonour; Hl. sompnour; rest Somnour.—1676. E. vanysshed (!) ; rest rauysshed.—1692. Pt. Hl. than; rest that.—1693. E. Hn. swarmeden; Hl. ”

“ Publiced was the bountee of hir name, 415
But eek bisyde in many a regioun, (360)
If oon seyde wel, another seyde the same;
So spradde of hir heigh bountee the fame,
That men and wommen, as wel yonge as olde,
Gon to Saluce, upon hir to biholde. 420
Thus Walter lowly, nay but royally,
Wedded with fortunat honestetee,
In goddes pees liveth ful esily
At hoom, and outward grace y-nogh had he;
And for he saugh that under low degree 425
Was ofte vertu hid, the peple him helde (370)
A prudent man, and that is seyn ful selde. ”

“ Al had hir lever have born a knave child.
Glad was this markis and the folk therfore; 445
For though a mayde child come al bifore, (390)
She may unto a knave child atteyne
By lyklihed, sin she nis nat bareyne.
Explicit secunda pars. Incipit tercia pars.
Ther fil, as it bifalleth tymes mo,
Whan that this child had souked but a throwe, 450
This markis in his herte longeth so
To tempte his wyf, hir sadnesse for to knowe,
That he ne mighte out of his herte throwe
This merveillous desyr, his wyf tassaye,
Needless, god woot, he thoughte hir for taffraye. ”

“ And worthily they preisen hir prudence.
In al this mene whyle she ne stente
This mayde and eek hir brother to commende
With al hir herte, in ful benigne entente, 1025
So wel, that no man coude hir prys amende. (970)
But atte laste, whan that thise lordes wende
To sitten doun to mete, he gan to calle
Grisilde, as she was bisy in his halle.
'Grisilde,' quod he, as it were in his pley, 1030
'How lyketh thee my wyf and hir beautee?'
'Right wel,' quod she, 'my lord; for, in good fey,
A fairer say I never noon than she.
I prey to god yeve hir prosperitee ”

“ And am your trewe wyf, it is no drede,
God shilde swich a lordes wyf to take
Another man to housbonde or to make. 840
And of your newe wyf, god of his grace
So graunte yow wele and prosperitee:
For I wol gladly yelden hir my place,
In which that I was blisful wont to be,
For sith it lyketh yow, my lord,' quod she, 845
'That whylom weren al myn hertes reste, (790)
That I shal goon, I wol gon whan yow leste. ”

“ And fond hir ever good; what neded it
Hir for to tempte and alwey more and more?
Though som men preise it for a subtil wit,
But as for me, I seye that yvel it sit 460
Tassaye a wyf whan that it is no nede,
And putten her in anguish and in drede.
For which this markis wroghte in this manere;
He cam alone a-night, ther as she lay,
With sterne face and with ful trouble chere, 465
And seyde thus, 'Grisild,' quod he, 'that day (410)
That I yow took out of your povre array,
And putte yow in estaat of heigh noblesse,
Ye have nat that forgeten, as I gesse. ”

“ And thou shalt make him couche as dooth a quaille. ”

“ It wolde rather breste a-two than plye.
For which heer, for the wyves love of Bathe, 1170
Whos lyf and al hir secte god mayntene
In heigh maistrye, and elles were it scathe,
I wol with lusty herte fresshe and grene
Seyn yow a song to glade yow, I wene,
And lat us stinte of ernestful matere:— 1175
Herkneth my song, that seith in this manere. (1120)
Lenvoy de Chaucer. ”

“ Up-on hir heed, they in-to halle hir broghte,
And ther she was honoured as hir oghte. 1120
Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende,
For every man and womman dooth his might
This day in murthe and revel to dispende
Til on the welkne shoon the sterres light.
For more solempne in every mannes sight 1125
This feste was, and gretter of costage, (1070)
Than was the revel of hir mariage.
Ful many a yeer in heigh prosperitee
Liven thise two in concord and in reste,
And richely his doghter maried he 1130
Un-to a lord, oon of the worthieste
Of al Itaille ”

“ Boweth your nekke under that blisful yok
Of soveraynetee, noght of servyse,
Which that men clepeth spousaille or wedlok; 115
And thenketh, lord, among your thoghtes wyse, (60)
How that our dayes passe in sondry wyse ”

“ But swich a smok as I was wont to were, (830)
That I therwith may wrye the wombe of here
That was your wyf; and heer take I my leve
Of yow, myn owene lord, lest I yow greve.'
'The smok,' quod he, 'that thou hast on thy bak, 890
Lat it be stille, and ber it forth with thee.'
But wel unnethes thilke word he spak,
But wente his wey for rewthe and for pitee.
Biforn the folk hir-selven strepeth she,
And in hir smok, with heed and foot al bare, 895
Toward hir fader hous forth is she fare. (840)
The folk hir folwe wepinge in hir weye,
And fortune ay they cursen as they goon ”

“ For though we slepe or wake, or rome, or ryde,
Ay fleeth the tyme, it nil no man abyde. ”

“ Another wyf, and cryen day by day;
And eek the pope, rancour for to slake,
Consenteth it, that dar I undertake;
And treweliche thus muche I wol yow seye,
My newe wyf is coming by the weye. 805
Be strong of herte, and voyde anon hir place, (750)
And thilke dower that ye broghten me
Tak it agayn, I graunte it of my grace;
Retourneth to your fadres hous,' quod he;
'No man may alwey han prosperitee ”

“ Abyding ever his lust and his plesaunce,
To whom that she was yeven, herte and al,
As to hir verray worldly suffisaunce;
But shortly if this storie I tellen shal, 760
This markis writen hath in special
A lettre in which he sheweth his entente,
And secrely he to Boloigne it sente.
To the erl of Panik, which that hadde tho
Wedded his suster, preyde he specially 765
To bringen boom agayn his children two (710)
In honurable estaat al openly.
But o thing he him preyede outerly,
That he to no wight, though men wolde enquere,
Sholde nat telle, whos children that they were, 770 ”

“ She loved hir children best in every wyse. 695
But now of wommen wolde I axen fayn, (640)
If thise assayes mighte nat suffyse?
What coude a sturdy housbond more devyse
To preve hir wyfhod and hir stedfastnesse,
And he continuing ever in sturdinesse? 700
But ther ben folk of swich condicioun,
That, whan they have a certein purpos take,
They can nat stinte of hir entencioun,
But, right as they were bounden to a stake,
They wol nat of that firste purpos slake. 705
Right so this markis fulliche hath purposed (650)
To tempte his wyf, as he was first disposed. ”

“ E. That she; rest omit she.—405. Cp. Ln. nas; E. Hn. Cm. Hl. were; Pt. ne were.—415. E. Publiced; Pt. Publisshed; Hn. Publissed.—E. beautee; rest bountee.—418. E. heighe.—E. name; rest fame.—425. E. saugh; see B. 810.—E. heigh; the rest lowe, low.—426. E omits ofte.—429. So Cp. Ln.; Hl. humblesse; rest humblenesse.—439. E. Iuggementz.—444. E. man; rest knaue.—447. E. man; the rest knaue.—448. Cm. liklyhed; E. Hn. liklihede.—457. E. foond; Hn. Cm. fond.—465. Cm. sterne; E. stierne.—466, 470. Hl. Grisild; E. Hn. Cm. Grisilde.—477. E. Hn. Cm. cam; Cp. Pt. come; Ln. com; Hl. ”

“ Than thoughte thay it were the beste rede To lede him forth into a fair mede.—2046. Hn. Cm. louede (= lov'de) ; E. loued.—2047. E. bitwene.—2048. Here Hl. adds two spurious lines: An irous man is lik a frentik best In which ther is of wisdom noon arrest.—2048. ”