The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[PART VI.]

¶ ffro Boloigne / is this Erl of Pavyk come [folio 103a] Line 939 Of which the fame vp sprang to moore and lesse And in the peples eres / alle and some Was kouth eek / that a newe Markysesse Line 942 He with hym broghte / in swich pompe and richesse That neuere was ther seyn / with mannes eye So noble array / in al Westlumbardye Line 945

¶ The Markys / which that shoope and knew al this Line 946 Er that this Erl was come / sente his message ffor thilke / sely poure Grisildis And she with humble herte / and glad visage Line 949 Nat with no swollen thoght in hire corage Cam at his heste / and on hire knees hire sette And reuerently / and wisely she hym grette Line 952

¶ Grisilde quod he / my wyl is outrely Line 953 This mayden / that shal wedded been to me Receiued be / to morwe as roially As it possible is / in myn hous to be Line 956 And eek / that euery wight in his degree Haue his estaat in sittyng and seruyse And heigh plesance / as I kan best deuyse Line 959

¶ I haue no wommen / suffisant certayn Line 960 The chambres / for tarraye in ordinance After my lust and therfore wolde I fayn That thyn were / al swich manere gouernance Line 963 Thou knowest eek of old al my plesance Thogh thyn array be badde and yuel biseye Do thou thy deuoir / at the leeste weye Line 966

[6-text p 434] Line 966

¶ Nat oonly lord / that .I. am glad quod she Line 967 To doon youre lust but .I. desire also Yow for to serue / and plese in my degree With outen feyntyng and shal eueremo Line 970 Ne neuere / for no wele / ne no wo Ne shal the goost withInne myn herte stente To loue yow best with al my trewe entente Line 973

And with that word / she gan the hous to dighte Line 974 And tables for to sette / and beddes make And peyned hire / to doon al that she myghte Preyynge the chambreres / for goddes sake Line 977 To hasten hem / and faste swepe and shake And she / the mooste seruysable of alle Hath euery chambre arrayed / and his halle Line 980

¶ Abouten vndren / gan this Erl alighte [folio 103b] Line 981 That with him broghte / thise noble children tweye ffor which the peple / ran to seen the sighte Of hire array / so richely biseye Line 984 And thanne at erst amonges hem they seye That Walter was no fool / thogh þat hym leste To chaunge his wyf/ for it was for the beste Line 987

ffor she is fairer / as they deemen alle Line 988 Than is Grisilde / and moore tendre of age And fairer fruyt bitwene hem sholde falle And moore plesant. for hire heigh lynage Line 991 Hir brother eek/ so faire was of visage That hem to seen / the peple hath caught plesance Commendynge now / the Markys gouernance Line 994

O Stormy peple / vnsad / and euere vntrewe [¶ Auctor] Ay vndiscreet and chaungynge as a vane Delitynge euere / in rumbul that is newe ffor lyk the moone / ay wexe ye and wane Line 998

[6-text p 435] Line 998 Ay ful of clappyng deere ynogh a Iane Youre doom is fals / youre constance yuele preeueth A ful greet fool / is he / þat on yow leeueth Line 1001

Thus seyden sadde folk/ in that Citee Line 1002 Whan that the peple / gazed vp and doun ffor they were glad / right for the noueltee To han / a newe lady of hir toun Line 1005 Namoore of this / make I now mencioun But to Grisilde agayn / wol I me dresse And telle / hir constance / and hir bisynesse Line 1008

¶ fful bisy was Grisilde / in euery thyng Line 1009 That to the feeste / was apertinent Right noght was she abayst of hire clothyng Thogh it were rude / and somdeel eek to-rent Line 1012 But with glad cheere / to the yate is she went With oother folk to greete the Markysesse And after that dooth forth hire bisynesse Line 1015

With so glad chiere / hise gestes she receyueth Line 1016 And so konnyngly / euerich in his degree That no defaute / no man aperceyueth But ay they wondren / what she myghte bee Line 1019 That in so poure array was for to see And koude / swich honour and reuerence And worthily / they preisen hire prudence Line 1022

In al this meene while / she ne stente [folio 104a] Line 1023 This mayde / and eek hir brother to commende With al hir herte / in ful benyngne entente So wel / þat no man koude hir pris amende Line 1026 But atte laste / whan þat thise lordes wende To sitten doun to mete / he gan to calle Grisilde / as she was bisy in his halle Line 1029

[6-text p 436] Line 1029

¶ Grisilde quod he / as it were in his pley Line 1030 How liketh thee my wyf/ and hire beautee? Right wel quod she my lord / for in good fey A fairer/ saugh I neuere noon than she Line 1033 I prey to god / yeue hire prosperitee And so hope I / that he wol to yow sende Plesance ynogh / vn-to youre lyues ende Line 1036

O thyng biseke I yow / and warne also [¶ Vnum bona fide precor ac moneo ne hanc/ illis aculeis agites quibus alteram agitasti / namque & iunior & delicacius nutrita est/ pati quantum ego vt reor non valeret/ ] Line 1037 That ye ne prikke / with no tormentynge This tendre mayden / as ye han doon mo ffor she is fostred / in hire norissynge Line 1040 Moore tendrely / and to my supposynge She koude nat/ aduersitee endure As koude / a poure fostred creature Line 1043

¶ And whan this Walter / saugh hire pacience Line 1044 Hir glad chiere / and no malice at al And he so ofte / had doon to hire [offence] And she ay sad / and constant as a wal [.i. ubique] Line 1047 Continuynge euere / hire Innocence oueral This sturdy Markys / gan his herte dresse To rewen / vp on hire wyfly stedfastnesse Line 1050

¶ This is ynogh / Grisilde myn quod he Line 1051 Be now namoore agast ne yuele apayed I haue thy feith / and thy benyngnytee As wel / as euere womman was assayed Line 1054 In greet estaat. and poureliche arrayed Now knowe I goode wyf / thy stedfastnesse And hire in armes took / and gan hire kesse Line 1057

¶ And she for wonder/ took of it no keepe Line 1058 She herde nat / what thyng he to hire seyde She ferde / as she had stert out of a sleepe Til she / out of hire mazednesse abreyde Line 1061

[6-text p 437] Line 1061 Grisilde quod he / by god that for vs deyde Thou art my wyf/ noon oother I haue Ne neuere hadde / as god my soule saue Line 1064

¶ This is thy doghter / which thou hast supposed [folio 104b] To be my wyf / that oother feithfully Shal be myn heir / as I haue ay supposed Thou bare hym / in thy body trewely Line 1068 At Boloigne / haue I kept hem priuely Taak hem agayn / for now maystow nat seye That thou hast lorn / noon of thy children tweye Line 1071

And folk / that ootherweys / han seyd of me Line 1072 I warne hem wel / þat I haue doon this deede ffor no malice / ne for no crueltee But for tassaye / in thee thy wommanheede Line 1075 And nat to sleen my children / god forbeede But for to kepe hem / pryuely and stille Til I thy purpos knewe / and al thy wille Line 1078

¶ Whan she this herde / aswowne doun she falleth Line 1079 ffor pitous Ioye / and after hire swownynge She bothe hire yonge children / vn-to hire calleth And in hire Armes / pitously wepynge Line 1082 Embraceth hem / and tendrely kissynge fful lyk a mooder/ with hire salte teeres She bathed / bothe hire visage and hire heeres Line 1085

¶ O which a pitous thyng it was to se Line 1086 Hir swownyng. and hire humble voys to heere Grauntmercy lord / that thanke I yow quod she That ye han saued me my children deere Line 1089 Now rekke I neuere / to been deed right heere Sith I stonde in youre loue / and in youre grace No fors of deeth / ne whan my spirit pace Line 1092

[6-text p 438] Line 1092

¶ O tendre / o deere / o yonge children myne Line 1093 Youre woful mooder / wende stedfastly That crueel houndes / or som foul vermyne Hadde eten yow / but god of his mercy Line 1096 And youre benyngne fader / tendrely Hath doon yow kept and in that same stounde Al sodeynly / she swapte adoun to grounde Line 1099

And in hire swough / so sadly holdeth she Line 1100 Hire children two / whan she gan hem tembrace That with greet sleighte / and greet difficultee The children / from hire arm they gonne arace Line 1103 O many a teere / on many a pitous face Doun ran / of hem þat stooden hire bisyde Vnnethe abouten hire / myghte they abyde Line 1106

¶ Walter hire gladeth / and hire sorwe slaketh [folio 105a] She riseth vp abaysed / from hire trance And euery wight / hire ioye and feeste maketh Til she / hath caught agayn hire contenance Line 1110 Walter hire dooth / so feithfully plesance That it was deyntee / for to seen the cheere Bitwixe hem two / now they been met yfeere Line 1113

¶ Thise ladyes / whan that they hir tyme say Line 1114 Han taken hire / and in to chambre gon And strepen hire / out of hire rude array And in a clooth of gold / þat brighte shoon Line 1117 With a coroune / of many a riche stoon Vp on hire heed / they in to halle hire broghte And ther she was / honured as hire oghte Line 1120

Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende Line 1121 ffor euery man and womman dooth his myght This day / in murthe and reuel to dispende Til on the welkne / shoon the sterres lyght Line 1124

[6-text p 439] Line 1124 ffor moore solempne / in euery mannes syght This feste was / and gretter of costage Than was / the reuel / of hire mariage Line 1127

¶ fful many a yeer / in heigh prosperitee Line 1128 Lyuen thise two / in concord and in reste And richely / his doghter maryed he Vn-to a lord / oon of the worthieste Line 1131 Of al Ytaille / and thanne in pees and reste His wyues fader/ in his court he kepeth Til that the soule / out of his body crepeth Line 1134

His sone / succedeth in his heritage Line 1135 In reste and pees / after his fader day And fortunat was eek/ in mariage Al putte he nat his wyf/ in greet assay Line 1138 This world is nat so strong it is no nay As it hath been / of olde tymes yoore And herkneth / what this Auctour seith therfoore Line 1141

¶ This storie is seyd / nat for that wyues sholde [¶ Hanc historiam stilo nunc alto retexere visum fuit/ non tum ideo vt matronas nostri temporis ad imitan|dam huius vxoris pacienciam / que inimitabilis videtur / quam vt legentes ad imitandam saltem femine constanciam excitarent/. Vt que hec viro suo prestitit/ hoc prestare d[e]o nostro audeat/ qui|libet/ vt Iacobus ait apostolus / Intemptator sit/ malorum & ipse neminem temptat/ probat tamen & sepe nos multis ac grauibus flagellis exerceri sinit/ non vt animum nostrum sciat/ quem sciuit/ antequam crearemur &cetera. ] ffolwen Grisilde / as in humylitee ffor it were inportable / though they wolde But for that euery wight in his degree Line 1145 Sholde be constant in aduersitee As was Grisilde / therfore petrak writeth This storie / which with heigh stile he enditeth Line 1148

ffor sith a womman / was so pacient [folio 105b] Vn-to a mortal man / wel moore vs oghte Receyuen al in gree / that god vs sent ffor greet skile is / he preeue that he wroghte Line 1152 But he / ne tempteth no man / that he boghte As seith seint Iame / if ye his pistel rede He preeueth folk al day / it is no drede Line 1155

[6-text p 440] Line 1155

And suffreth vs / as for oure excercise Line 1156 With sharpe scourges / of Aduersitee fful ofte / to be bete in sondry wise Nat for to know oure wyl / for certes he? Line 1159 Er we were born / knew oure freletee And for oure beste / is al his gouernance Lat vs thanne lyue / in vertuous suffrance Line 1162

¶ But o word lordynges / herkneth er I go Line 1163 It were ful hard / to fynde now a dayes In al a toun / Grisildis / thre or two ffor if þat they were put to swiche assayes Line 1166 The gold of hem / hath now so badde alayes With bras / þat thogh the coyne be fair at eye It wolde rather / breste atwo than plye Line 1169

ffor which heere / for the wyues loue of Bathe Line 1170 Whos lyf and al hire secte god mayntene In heigh maistrie / and elles were it scathe I wol with lusty herte / fressh and grene Line 1173 Seyn yow a song to glade yow I wene And lat vs stynte / of ernestful matere Herkneth my song that seith in this manere Line 1176