Geoffrey Chaucer

“ That with him brought these noble children tway;
For which the people ran to see the sight
Of their array, so richely besey;
And then at erst amonges them they say,
That Walter was no fool, though that him lest
To change his wife; for it was for the best.
For she is fairer, as they deemen all,
Than is Griseld', and more tender of age,
And fairer fruit between them shoulde fall,
And more pleasant, for her high lineage:
Her brother eke so fair was of visage,
That them to see the people hath caught pleasance,
Commending now the marquis' governance. ”

“ Griseld' is dead, and eke her patience,
And both at once are buried in Itale:
For which I cry in open audience,
No wedded man so hardy be t' assail
His wife's patience, in trust to find
Griselda's, for in certain he shall fail. ”

“ For which this marquis wrought in this mannere:
He came at night alone there as she lay,
With sterne face and with full troubled cheer,
And saide thus; "Griseld'," quoth he "that day
That I you took out of your poor array,
And put you in estate of high nobless,
Ye have it not forgotten, as I guess.
"I say, Griseld', this present dignity,
In which that I have put you, as I trow
Maketh you not forgetful for to be
That I you took in poor estate full low,
For any weal you must yourselfe know.
Take heed of every word that I you say,
There is no wight that hears it but we tway. ”

“ This maid, and eke her brother, to commend
With all her heart in full benign intent,
So well, that no man could her praise amend:
But at the last, when that these lordes wend
To sitte down to meat, he gan to call
Griseld', as she was busy in the hall.
"Griseld'," quoth he, as it were in his play,
"How liketh thee my wife, and her beauty?"
"Right well, my Lord," quoth she, "for, in good fay,
A fairer saw I never none than she:
I pray to God give you prosperity;
And so I hope, that he will to you send
Pleasance enough unto your lives end. ”

“ Ye seemed by your speech and your visage,
The day that maked was our marriage!
"But sooth is said, -- algate I find it true,
For in effect it proved is on me, --
Love is not old as when that it is new. ”

“ As clerkes, when them list, can well indite,
Namely of men; but, as in soothfastness,
Though clerkes praise women but a lite,
There can no man in humbless him acquite
As women can, nor can be half so true
As women be, but it be fall of new.
Pars Sexta From Bologn' is the earl of Panic' come,
Of which the fame up sprang to more and less;
And to the people's eares all and some
Was know'n eke, that a newe marchioness
He with him brought, in such pomp and richess
That never was there seen with manne's eye
So noble array in all West Lombardy. ”

“ I have no women sufficient, certain,
The chambers to array in ordinance
After my lust; and therefore would I fain
That thine were all such manner governance:
Thou knowest eke of old all my pleasance ”

“ No length of time, nor death, may this deface,
Nor change my corage to another place."
Glad was the marquis for her answering,
But yet he feigned as he were not so;
All dreary was his cheer and his looking
When that he should out of the chamber go.
Soon after this, a furlong way or two,
He privily hath told all his intent
Unto a man, and to his wife him sent.
A manner sergeant was this private man,
The which he faithful often founden had
In thinges great, and eke such folk well can
Do execution in thinges bad:
The lord knew well, that he him loved and drad. ”

“ But for that every wight in his degree
Shoulde be constant in adversity,
As was Griselda; therefore Petrarch writeth
This story, which with high style he inditeth.
For, since a woman was so patient
Unto a mortal man, well more we ought
Receiven all in gree that God us sent.
For great skill is he proved that he wrought:
But he tempteth no man that he hath bought,
As saith Saint James, if ye his 'pistle read;
He proveth folk all day, it is no dread.
And suffereth us, for our exercise,
With sharpe scourges of adversity
Full often to be beat in sundry wise ”

“ Illumin'd all Itale of poetry,
As Linian did of philosophy,
Or law, or other art particulere:
But death, that will not suffer us dwell here
But as it were a twinkling of an eye,
Them both hath slain, and alle we shall die. ”

“ Do your pleasance, I will your lust obey.
"And, certes, if I hadde prescience
Your will to know, ere ye your lust me told,
I would it do withoute negligence:
But, now I know your lust, and what ye wo'ld,
All your pleasance firm and stable I hold;
For, wist I that my death might do you ease,
Right gladly would I dien you to please.
"Death may not make no comparisoun
Unto your love." And when this marquis say
The constance of his wife, he cast adown
His eyen two, and wonder'd how she may
In patience suffer all this array ”

“ Since ye be strong as is a great camail,
Nor suffer not that men do you offence.
And slender wives, feeble in battail,
Be eager as a tiger yond in Ind;
Aye clapping as a mill, I you counsail.
"Nor dread them not, nor do them reverence;
For though thine husband armed be in mail,
The arrows of thy crabbed eloquence
Shall pierce his breast, and eke his aventail;
In jealousy I rede eke thou him bind,
And thou shalt make him couch as doth a quail.
"If thou be fair, where folk be in presence
Shew thou thy visage and thine apparail:
If thou be foul, be free of thy dispence ”

“ With heartly will they sworen and assent
To all this thing, there said not one wight nay:
Beseeching him of grace, ere that they went,
That he would grante them a certain day
Of his espousal, soon as e'er he rnay,
For yet always the people somewhat dread
Lest that the marquis woulde no wife wed. ”

“ And truely, thus much I will you say,
My newe wife is coming by the way.
"Be strong of heart, and void anon her place;
And thilke dower that ye brought to me,
Take it again, I grant it of my grace.
Returne to your father's house," quoth he;
"No man may always have prosperity;
With even heart I rede you to endure
The stroke of fortune or of aventure."
And she again answer'd in patience:
"My Lord," quoth she, "I know, and knew alway,
How that betwixte your magnificence
And my povert' no wight nor can nor may
Make comparison, it is no nay ”

“ People to save, and every wrong t'amend
Not longe time after that this Griseld'
Was wedded, she a daughter had y-bore;
All she had lever borne a knave child,
Glad was the marquis and his folk therefore;
For, though a maiden child came all before,
She may unto a knave child attain
By likelihood, since she is not barren.
Pars Tertia
There fell, as falleth many times mo',
When that his child had sucked but a throw,
This marquis in his hearte longed so
To tempt his wife, her sadness for to know,
That he might not out of his hearte throw
This marvellous desire his wife t'asssay ”

“ Pars Secunda
Not far from thilke palace honourable,
Where as this marquis shope his marriage,
There stood a thorp, of sighte delectable,
In which the poore folk of that village
Hadde their beastes and their harbourage,
And of their labour took their sustenance,
After the earthe gave them abundance.
Among this poore folk there dwelt a man
Which that was holden poorest of them all ”

“ They will not of their firste purpose slake:
Right so this marquis fully hath purpos'd
To tempt his wife, as he was first dispos'd.
He waited, if by word or countenance
That she to him was changed of corage:
But never could he finde variance,
She was aye one in heart and in visage,
And aye the farther that she was in age,
The more true (if that it were possible)
She was to him in love, and more penible.
For which it seemed thus, that of them two
There was but one will; for, as Walter lest,
The same pleasance was her lust also;
And, God be thanked, all fell for the best. ”

“ Were for this child, and God they thank and hery.
When it was two year old, and from the breast
Departed of the norice, on a day
This marquis caughte yet another lest
To tempt his wife yet farther, if he may.
Oh! needless was she tempted in as say;
But wedded men not connen no measure,
When that they find a patient creature.
"Wife," quoth the marquis, "ye have heard ere this
My people sickly bea our marriage ”

“ And eke he would (that was the worst of all)
Wedde no wife for aught that might befall.
Only that point his people bare so sore,
That flockmel on a day to him they went,
And one of them, that wisest was of lore
(Or elles that the lord would best assent
That he should tell him what the people meant,
Or elles could he well shew such mattere) ,
He to the marquis said as ye shall hear.
"O noble Marquis! ”