Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 79

787. Cm. vttyreste; E. outtreste. 789. E. Cp. stide-; Pt. Ln. sted-; _rest_ stede-.

'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; 795 But now knowe I in verray soothfastnesse (740) That in gret lordshipe, if I wel avyse, Ther is gret servitute in sondry wyse.

I may nat don as every plowman may; My peple me constreyneth for to take 800 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; 810 With evene herte I rede yow tendure The strook of fortune or of aventure.'

812. E. This; _the rest_ The.

And she answerde agayn in pacience, 'My lord,' quod she, 'I woot, and wiste alway How that bitwixen your magnificence 815 And my poverte no wight can ne may (760) Maken comparison; it is no nay.

I ne heeld me never digne in no manere To be your wyf, no, ne your chamberere.

[414: T. 8696-8730.]

And in this hous, ther ye me lady made-- 820 The heighe G.o.d take I for my witnesse, And also wisly he my soule glade-- I never heeld me lady ne maistresse, But humble servant to your worthinesse, And ever shal, whyl that my lyf may dure, 825 Aboven every worldly creature. (770)

That ye so longe of your benignitee Han holden me in honour and n.o.bleye, Wher-as I was noght worthy for to be, That thonke I G.o.d and yow, to whom I preye 830 Foryelde it yow; there is na-more to seye.

Un-to my fader gladly wol I wende, And with him dwelle un-to my lyves ende.

829. E. _omits_ for to.

Ther I was fostred of a child ful smal, Til I be deed, my lyf ther wol I lede 835 A widwe clene, in body, herte, and al. (780) For sith I yaf to yow my maydenhede, And am your trewe wyf, it is no drede, G.o.d shilde swich a lordes wyf to take Another man to housbonde or to make. 840

And of your newe wyf, G.o.d 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.

But ther-as ye me profre swich dowaire As I first broghte, it is wel in my minde It were my wrecched clothes, no-thing faire, 850 The which to me were hard now for to finde.

O G.o.de G.o.d! how gentil and how kinde Ye semed by your speche and your visage The day that maked was our mariage!

[415: T. 8731-8765.]

But sooth is seyd, algate I finde it trewe-- 855 For in effect it preved is on me-- (800) Love is noght old as whan that it is newe.

But certes, lord, for noon adversitee, To dyen in the cas, it shal nat be That ever in word or werk I shal repente 860 That I yow yaf myn herte in hool entente.

My lord, ye woot that, in my fadres place, Ye dede me strepe out of my povre wede, And richely me cladden, of your grace.

To yow broghte I noght elles, out of drede, 865 But feyth and nakednesse and maydenhede. (810) And here agayn my clothing I restore, And eek my wedding-ring, for evermore.

867, 868. my] Cp. Pt. Ln. your.

The remenant of your Iewels redy be In-with your chambre, dar I saufly sayn; 870 Naked out of my fadres hous,' quod she, 'I cam, and naked moot I turne agayn.

Al your plesaunce wol I folwen fayn; But yet I hope it be nat your entente That I smoklees out of your paleys wente. 875

869. Hn. Hl. Ln. Iewels; E. Iueles.

Ye coude nat doon so dishoneste a thing, (820) That thilke wombe in which your children leye Sholde, biforn the peple, in my walking, Be seyn al bare; wherfor I yow preye, Lat me nat lyk a worm go by the weye. 880 Remembre yow, myn owene lord so dere, I was your wyf, thogh I unworthy were.

Wherfor, in guerdon of my maydenhede, Which that I broghte, and noght agayn I bere, As voucheth sauf to yeve me, to my mede, 885 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.'

883. E. Hn. gerdon; _rest_ guerdon, guerdo_u_n.

[416: T. 8766-8798.]

'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; But she fro weping kepte hir yen dreye, Ne in this tyme word ne spak she noon. 900 Hir fader, that this tyding herde anoon, Curseth the day and tyme that nature Shoop him to been a lyves creature.

For out of doute this olde povre man Was ever in suspect of hir mariage; 905 For ever he demed, sith that it bigan, (850) That whan the lord fulfild had his corage, Him wolde thinke it were a disparage To his estaat so lowe for talighte, And voyden hir as sone as ever he mighte. 910

Agayns his doghter hastilich goth he, For he by noyse of folk knew hir cominge, And with hir olde cote, as it mighte be, He covered hir, ful sorwefully wepinge; But on hir body mighte he it nat bringe. 915 For rude was the cloth, and more of age (860) By dayes fele than at hir mariage.

916. E. Hn. Cm. and she moore; _rest omit_ she.

Thus with hir fader, for a certeyn s.p.a.ce, Dwelleth this flour of wyfly pacience, That neither by hir wordes ne hir face 920 Biforn the folk, ne eek in hir absence, Ne shewed she that hir was doon offence; [417: T. 8799-8828.]

Ne of hir heigh estaat no remembraunce Ne hadde she, as by hir countenaunce.

No wonder is, for in hir grete estaat 925 Hir goost was ever in pleyn humylitee; (870) No tendre mouth, non herte delicaat, No pompe, no semblant of royaltee, But ful of pacient benignitee, Discreet and prydeles, ay honurable, 930 And to hir housbonde ever meke and stable.

Men speke of Iob and most for his humblesse, As clerkes, whan hem list, can wel endyte, Namely of men, but as in soothfastnesse, Thogh clerkes preyse wommen but a lyte, 935 Ther can no man in humblesse him acquyte (880) As womman can, ne can ben half so trewe As wommen been, but it be falle of-newe.

933. E. Hn. conne; _rest_ can. 937. Hn. kan; Cp. Ln. Hl. can; _rest omit (2nd time)_.

[_Pars s.e.xta._]

Fro Boloigne is this erl of Panik come, Of which the fame up-sprang to more and lesse, 940 And in the peples eres alle and some Was couth eek, that a newe markisesse He with him broghte, in swich pompe and richesse, That never was ther seyn with mannes ye So n.o.ble array in al West Lumbardye. 945

939. Hl. panik; Cp. Panyke; Pt. Pavie; _rest_ Pavyk, Pauyk. 944. Hl.

ye; _rest_ eye.

The markis, which that shoop and knew al this, (890) Er that this erl was come, sente his message For thilke sely povre Grisildis; And she with humble herte and glad visage, Nat with no swollen thoght in hir corage, 950 Cam at his heste, and on hir knees hir sette, And reverently and wysly she him grette.

[418: T. 8829-8863.]

'Grisild,' quod he, 'my wille is outerly, This mayden, that shal wedded been to me, Receyved be to-morwe as royally 955 As it possible is in myn hous to be. (900) And eek that every wight in his degree Have his estaat in sitting and servyse And heigh plesaunce, as I can best devyse.

953. Cp. Pt. wille; _rest_ wil.

I have no wommen suffisaunt certayn 960 The chambres for tarraye in ordinaunce After my l.u.s.t, and therfor wolde I fayn That thyn were al swich maner governaunce; Thou knowest eek of old al my plesaunce; Though thyn array be badde and yvel biseye, 965 Do thou thy devoir at the leeste weye.' (910)

'Nat only, lord, that I am glad,' quod she, 'To doon your l.u.s.t, but I desyre also Yow for to serve and plese in my degree With-outen feynting, and shal evermo. 970 Ne never, for no wele ne no wo, Ne shal the gost with-in myn herte stente To love yow best with al my trewe entente.'

And with that word she gan the hous to dighte, And tables for to sette and beddes make; 975 And peyned hir to doon al that she mighte, (920) Preying the chambereres, for G.o.ddes sake, To hasten hem, and faste swepe and shake; And she, the moste servisable of alle, Hath every chambre arrayed and his halle. 980

977. Cp. Hl. Cm. chambereres; E. Hn. Pt. Ln. chambreres.

Abouten undern gan this erl alighte, That with him broghte thise n.o.ble children tweye, For which the peple ran to seen the sighte Of hir array, so richely biseye; And than at erst amonges hem they seye, 985 That Walter was no fool, thogh that him leste (930) To chaunge his wyf, for it was for the beste.

981. Hl. Pt. Ln. vndern; E. Hn. Cp. vndren; Cm. vndryn.

[419: T. 8864-8898.]