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

[6-text p 403]

GROUP E. FRAGMENT VI.

§ 1. THE CLERK'S HEAD-LINK.

ELLESMERE MS.

¶ Heere folweth the Prologe of the clerkes tale of Oxenford. [folio 91b]

Sire clerk / of Oxenford / oure Hoost sayde ye ryde as coy / and stille / as dooth a mayde were newe spoused / sittynge at the bord This day / ne herde I / of youre tonge a word Line 4 I trowe ye studie / aboute som Sophyme But Salomon seith / euery thyng hath tyme [¶ pausacio]

¶ ffor goddes sake / as beth of bettre cheere It is no tyme / for to studien heere Line 8 Telle vs som myrie tale / by youre fey ffor what man / that is entred in a pley He nedes moot vnto the pley assente But precheth nat as freres doon in lente Line 12 To make vs / for oure olde synnes wepe Ne that thy tale / make vs nat to slepe [¶ pausacio]

¶ Telle vs / som murie thyng/ of auentures Youre termes / youre colours / and youre figures Line 16 Keepe hem in stoor / til so be that ye endite Heigh style / as whan þat men to kynges write Speketh so pleyn / at this tyme we yow preye Line 19 That we may vnderstonde what ye seye [¶ pausacio]

¶ This worthy clerk benignely answerde Hoost quod he / I am vnder youre yerde Ye han of vs / as now the gouernance And therfore / wol I do yow obeisance Line 24

[6-text p 404] Line 24 As fer/ as reson axeth hardily I wol yow telle a tale / which that I? Lerned at Padwe / of a worthy clerk As preued / by his wordes and his werk Line 28 He is now deed / and nayled in his cheste I prey to god / so yeue his soule reste [¶ pausacio]

¶ ffraunceys Pe[t]rak the lauriat poete Highte this clerk whos Rethorik sweete Line 32 Enlumyned al Ytaille of poetrie As Lynyan dide / of Philosophie Or lawe / or oother Art particuler But deeth / þat wol nat dwellen heer Line 36 But as it were / a twynklyng of an eye Hem bothe hath slayn / and alle shul we dye [¶ pausacio]

¶ But forth to tellen / of this worthy man [folio 92a] That taughte me this tale / as I bigan [¶ Est ad ytalie latus occiduum Vesulus ex ap|penini Iugis mons altissimus qui vertice nebula superans liquido sese ingerit etheri Mons suapte / nobilis natura padi ortu nobilis|simus qui latere fonte lapsus exiguo Orientem contra solem fertur &cetera ] Line 40 I seye / that first with heigh stile he enditeth Er he / the body of his tale writeth A prohemye / in the which discryueth he Pemond / and of Saluces the contree Line 44 And speketh of Apennyn / the hilles hye That been the boundes / of westlumbardye [¶ pausacio]

¶ And of Mount Vesulus / in special Where as the poo / out of a welle smal Line 48 Taketh his firste spryngyng and his sours That Estward / ay encresseth in his cours To Emeleward / to fferrare and Venyse The which a long thyng were to deuyse Line 52 And trewely / as to my Iuggement Me thynketh it a thyng impertinent Saue that he wole / conuoyen his mateere But this his tale / which that ye may heere [¶ pausacio]

[6-text p 405]

¶ Heere bigynneth the tale of the Clerk/ of Oxenford [on leaf 92]

[For the Latin side-notes to the Clerk's Tale see pp. 274-5 at the end of the Tale.]

THer is / at the West syde of Ytaille [¶ Inter cetera ad radicem Vesuli terra saluciarum vicis & Castellis. ] Doun at the roote / of Vesulus the colde A lusty playne / habundant of vitaille [¶ grata planicies] Where many a tour and toun / thou mayst biholde That founded were / in tyme / of fadres olde And many another / delitable sighte And Saluces this noble contree highte [[Painting of the clerk on Horseback.]] Line 63

A Markys / whilom lord was of that lond Line 64 As were / hise worthy eldres hym bifore And obeisant and redy to his hond Were alle hise liges / bothe lasse and moore Line 67 Thus in delit he lyueth / and hath doon yoore Biloued and drad / thurgh favour of ffortune Bothe of hise lordes / and of his commune Line 70

Therwith he was / to speke as of lynage Line 71 The gentilleste yborn of lumbardye A fair persone and strong and yong of age And ful [of] honour/ and of curteisye Line 74 Discreet ynogh / his contree for to gye Saue that in somme thynges / þat he was to blame And Walter/ was this yonge lordes name Line 77

I blame hym thus / that he considereth noght [folio 92b] In tyme comynge / what hym myghte bityde But in his lust present was al his thoght As for to hauke and hunte / on euery syde Line 81 Wel ny / alle othere cures / leet he slyde And eek he nolde / and that was worst of alle Wedde no wyf / for noght þat may bifalle Line 84

[6-text p 406] Line 84

Oonly that point his peple bar so soore Line 85 That flokmeele on a day / they to hym wente [¶ Cateruatim] And oon of hem / that wisest was of loore Or elles / that the lord / best wolde assente Line 88 That he sholde telle hym / what his peple mente Or elles / koude he shewe wel swich mateere He to the Markys / seyde as ye shul heere Line 91

¶ O noble Markys / youre humanitee [¶ Tua inquid humanitas optime Marchio] Asseureth vs / to yeue vs hardinesse As ofte / as tyme is of necessitee That we to yow / mowe telle oure heuynesse Line 95 Accepteth lord / now for youre gentillesse That [id] we with pitous herte / vn-to yow pleyne And lat youre eres / nat my voys desdeyne Line 98

Al haue I noght to doone / in this mateere Line 99 Moore than another man / hath in this place Yet for as muche / as ye my lord so deere Han alwey / shewed me / fauour and grace Line 102 I dar the bettre / aske of yow a space Of Audience / to shewen oure requeste And ye my lord / to doon right as yow leste Line 105

ffor certes lord / so wel vs liketh yow Line 106 And al youre werk/ and euere han doon / þat we? Ne koude nat vs self deuysen how? We myghte lyuen / in moore felicitee Line 109 Saue o thyng lord / if youre wille be That for to been a wedded man yow leste Thanne were youre peple / in souereyn hertes reste Line 112

Boweth youre nekke / vnder that blisful yok / Line 113 Of soueraynetee / noght of seruyse Which þat men clepeth / spousaille or wedlok And thenketh lord / among youre thoghtes wyse Line 116

[6-text p 407] Line 116 How þat oure dayes passe / in sondry wyse ffor thogh we slepe / or wake / or rome / or ryde Ay fleeth the tyme / it nyl no man abyde Line 119

And thogh youre grene youthe / floure as yit [folio 93a] In crepeth age alwey / as stille as stoon And deeth manaceth / euery age and smyt In ech estaat for ther escapeth noon Line 123 And al so certein / as we knowe echoon That we shul deye / as vncerteyn / we alle? Been of that day / whan deeth shal on vs falle Line 126

Accepteth thanne of vs / the trewe entente Line 127 That neuere yet refuseden thyn heeste And we wol lord / if that ye wole assente Chese yow a wyf/ in short tyme atte leeste Line 130 Born of the gentilleste / and of the meeste Of al this land / so that it oghte seme Honour to god and yow / as we kan deeme Line 133

Deliuere vs / out of al this bisy drede Line 134 And taak a wyf for hye goddes sake ffor if it so bifelle / as god forbede That thurgh youre deeth / youre lyne sholde slake Line 137 And that a straunge Successour sholde take Youre heritage / o wo were vs alyue Wherfore / we pray you hastily to wyue Line 140

¶ Hir meeke preyere / and hir pitous cheere Line 141 Made the Markys herte / han pitee Ye wol quod he / myn owene peple deere To that I neuere erst thoughte / streyne me Line 144 I me reioysed / of my liberte That seelde tyme / is founde in mariage Ther I was free / I moot been in seruage Line 147

[6-text p 408] Line 147

But nathelees / I se youre trewe entente Line 148 And truste vpon youre wit / and haue doon ay Wherfore / of my free wyl / I wole assente To wedde me / as soone as euere I may Line 151 But ther as ye / han profred me this day To chese me a wyf / I yow relesse That choys / and prey of that profre cesse Line 154

ffor god it woot that children ofte been Line 155 Vnlyk hir worthy eldres hem bifore Bountee comth al of god / nat of the streen Of which / they been engendred and ybore Line 158 I truste in goddes bontee / and therfore? My mariage / and myn estaat and reste I hym bitake / he may doon as hym leste Line 161

Lat me allone / in chesynge of my wyf [folio 93b] That charge / vp on my bak/ I wole endure But I yow preye / and charge vp on youre lyf What wyf that I take / ye me assure Line 165 To worshipe hire / whil that hir lyf may dure In word and werk/ bothe heere and euerywheere As she / an Emperoures doghter weere Line 168

And forthermoore / this shal ye swere / that ye? Line 169 Agayn my choys / shul neither grucche ne stryue ffor sith / I shal / forgoon my libertee At youre requeste / as euere moot I thryue Line 172 Ther as myn herte is set ther wol I wyue And but ye wole assente in this manere I prey yow / speketh namoore of this matere Line 175

¶ With hertely wyl / they sworen and assenten Line 176 To al this thyng ther seyde no wight nay Bisekynge hym of grace / er that they wenten That he / wolde graunten hem a certein day Line 179

[6-text p 409] Line 179 Of his spousaille / as soone / as euere he may ffor yet alwey / the peple som what dredde Lest þat this Markys / no wyf wolde wedde Line 182

¶ He graunted hem a day / swich as hym leste Line 183 On which / he wolde be wedded sikerly And seyde / he dide al this at hir requeste And they / with humble entente / buxomly Line 186 Knelynge vp on hir knees ful reuerently Hym thonken alle / and thus they han an ende Of hire entente / and hoom agayn they wende Line 189

¶ And heer vp on / he to hise officeres Line 190 Comaundeth / for the feste to purveye And to hise priuee knyghtes and squieres Swich charge yaf / as hym liste on hem leye Line 193 And they / to his comandement obeye And ech of hem / dooth al his diligence To doon / vn-to the feeste reuerence Line 196

¶ Explicit/ prima pars .

¶ Incipit/ secunda pars . [folio 94a]

NOght fer / fro thilke paleys honurable [‖ ffuit haut procul a palacio &cetera. ] Ther as this Markys / shoope his mariage There stood a throope / of site delitable In which / that poure folk/ of that village Line 200 Hadden hir beestes / and hir herbergage And of hire labour / tooke hir sustenance After that the erthe / yaf hem habundance Line 203

Amonges thise poure folk/ ther dwelte a man Line 204 Which þat was holden / pourest of hem alle But hye god / som tyme senden kan His grace / in to a litel oxes stalle Line 207 Ianicula / men of that throope hym calle A doghter hadde he / fair ynogh to sighte And Grisildis / this yonge mayden highte Line 210

[6-text p 410] Line 210

But for to speke / of vertuous bountee Line 211 Thanne was she / oon the faireste vnder sonne ffor poureliche / yfostred vp was she No likerous lust /was thurgh hire herte yronne Line 214 Wel ofter / of the welle / than of the tonne She drank/ and for she wolde vertu plese She knew wel labour/ but noon ydel ese Line 217

But thogh this mayde / tendre were of age Line 218 Yet in the brest of hire virginitee Ther was enclosed / rype and sad corage And in greet reuerence / and charitee Line 221 Hir olde poure fader/ fostred shee A fewe sheepe / spynnynge on feeld she kepte She wolde noght been ydel til she slepte Line 224

And whan she homward cam / she wolde brynge Line 225 Wortes / or othere herbes / tymes ofte The whiche she shredde / and seeth for hir lyuynge And made hir bed / ful harde and no thyng softe Line 228 And ay she kepte / hir fadres lyf on lofte With euerich obeisaunce and diligence That child may doon / to fadres reuerence Line 231

¶ Vp on Grisilde / this poure creature Line 232 fful ofte sithe / this Markys caste his eye As he / on huntyng rood parauenture And whan þat it fil / þat he myghte hire espye Line 235 He noght/ with wantowne lookyng of folye Hise eyen caste on hire / but in sad wyse Vp on hir chiere / he gan hym ofte auyse Line 238

Commendynge in his herte / hir wommanhede [folio 94b] And eek hir vertu / passynge any wight Of so yong age / as wel in chiere as dede ffor thogh the peple / hadde no greet insight Line 242

[6-text p 411] Line 242 In vertu / he considered ful right/ Hir bountee / and disposed that he wolde Wedde hire oonly / if euere he wedde sholde Line 245

¶ The day of weddyng cam / but no wight kan Line 246 Telle / what womman / that it sholde be ffor which merueille / wondred many a man And seyden / whan that they were in priuetee Line 249 Wol nat oure lord / yet leue his vanytee? Wol he nat wedde / allas allas the while? Why wole he thus / hym self and vs bigile? Line 252

¶ But nathelees / this Markys hath doon make Line 253 Of gemmes / set in gold and in Asure Brooches and rynges / for Grisildis sake And of hir clothyng took he the mesure Line 256 By a mayde / lyk to hire stature And eek of othere aornementes alle That vn-to swich a weddyng sholde falle Line 259

The time of vndren / of the same day Line 260 Approcheth / that this weddyng sholde be And al the paleys / put was in array Bothe halle and chambres / ech in his degree Line 263 Houses of office / stuffed with plentee Ther maystow seen / of deynteuous vitaille That may be founde / as fer as last ytaille Line 266

This roial Markys / richely arrayed Line 267 Lordes and ladyes / in his compaignye The whiche / that to the feeste weren yprayed And of his retenue / the bachelrye Line 270 With many a soun / of sondry melodye Vn-to the village / of the which I tolde In this array / the righte wey han holde Line 273

[6-text p 412] Line 273

¶ Grisilde of this / god woot ful Innocent Line 274 That for hire / shapen was al this array To fecchen water at a welle is went And comth hoom / as soone as euer she may Line 277 ffor wel she hadde herd seyd / that thilke day The Markys sholde wedde / and if she myghte She wolde fayn / han seyn / som of that sighte Line 280

She thoghte / I wole / with othere maydens stonde [folio 95a] [¶ Vt expeditis curis alijs ad videndum domini sui sponsam cum puellis comitibus propararet/ ] That been my felawes / in oure dore and se The Markysesse / and therfore wol I fonde To doon at hoom / as soone as it may be Line 284 The labour / which that longeth vn-to me And thanne I may / at leyser hire biholde If she this wey / vn-to the Castel holde Line 287

And as she wolde / ouer hir thresshfold gon Line 288 The Markys cam / and gan hire for to calle And she set doun / hir water pot anon Biside the thresshfold/ in an Oxes stalle Line 291 And doun vp-on hir knes she gan to falle And with sad contenance / kneleth stille Til she had herd / what was the lordes will Line 294

¶ This thoghtful Markys / spak vn-to this mayde [¶ quum Walterus cogitabundus cedens eamque compellans nomine. ] Line 295 fful sobrely / and seyde in this manere Where is youre fader / o Grisildis he sayde And she with reuerence / in humble cheere Line 298 Answerde . lord / he is al redy heere And In she gooth / with outen lenger lette And to the Markys / she hir fader fette Line 301

He by the hand / thanne took this olde man Line 302 And seyde thus / whan he hym hadde asyde Ianicula / I neither may ne kan Lenger / the plesance of myn herte hyde Line 305

[6-text p 413] Line 305 If that thou vouche sauf what so bityde Thy doghter wol I take / er þat I wende As for my wyf vn-to hir lyues ende Line 308

Thou louest me / I woot it wel certeyn Line 309 And art my feithful / lige man ybore And all that/ liketh me / I dar wel seyn It liketh thee / and specially therfore Line 312 Tel me that poynt / that I haue seyd bifore If that thou wolt vn-to that purpos drawe To take me / as for thy sone in lawe Line 315

¶ This sodeyn cas / this man astonyed so Line 316 That reed he wax abayst and al quakyng He stood / vnnethes seyde he wordes mo But oonly thus / lord quod he / my willynge? Line 319 Is as ye wole / ne ayeyns / youre likynge? I wol no thyng ye be my lord so deere Right as yow lust gouerneth this mateere Line 322

¶ Yet wol I / quod this Markys softely [folio 95b] That in thy chambre / I. and thou / and she Haue a collacion / and wostow why? ffor I wol axe / if it hire wille be Line 326 To be my wyf / and reule hire after me And al this shal be doon / in thy presence I wol noght speke / out of thyn Audience Line 329

¶ And in the chambre / whil they were aboute Line 330 Hir tretys / which as ye shal after heere The peple cam / vn-to the hous with oute And wondred hem / in how honeste manere Line 333 And tentifly / she kepte hir fader deere But outrely / Grisildis wondre myghte ffor neuere erst ne saugh she swich a sighte Line 336

[6-text p 414] Line 336

No wonder is / thogh she were astoned [¶ Et insolito tanti hospitis aduentu stupidam inuenit. ] Line 337 To seen so greet a gest come in that place She neuere was / to swiche gestes woned ffor which / she looked / with ful pale face Line 340 But shortly / forth this tale for to chace Thise arn the wordes / þat the Markys sayde To this benigne / verray feithful mayde Line 343

¶ Grisilde he seyde / ye shal wel vnderstonde [¶ Et patri tuo placet inquid & mihi vt vxor mea sis / et credo idipsum tibi placeat/ sed habeo ex te querere & cetera. ] Line 344 It liketh to youre fader and to me That I yow / wedde / and eek it may so stonde As I suppose / ye wol that it so be Line 347 But thise demandes / axe I first quod he That sith it shal be doon / in hastif wyse Wol ye assente / or elles yow auyse Line 350

I seye this / be ye redy with good herte Line 351 To al my lust and that I frely may As me best thynketh / do yow laughe or smerte And neuere ye to grucche it nyght ne day Line 354 And eek whan I sey ye / ne sey nat nay Neither by word / ne frownyng contenance [¶ sine vlla frontis aut verbi inpugnacione.] Swere this / and heere I swere yow alliance Line 357

¶ Wondrynge vp on this word / quakynge for drede [¶ Nil ego vnquam sciens nedum faciam set eciam cogitabo quod contra animum tuum sit/ nec tu aliquid facies / et si me mori iusseris quod moleste feram &cetera. ] Line 358 She seyde lord / vndigne and vnworthy? Am I / to thilke honour/ þat ye me beede But as ye wole youre self right so wol .I. Line 361 And heere I swere / that neuere willyngly In werk ne thoght I nyl yow disobeye ffor to be deed / though me were looth to deye Line 364

¶ This is ynogh / Grisilde myn quod he [folio 96a] Line 365 And forth he gooth / with a ful sobre cheere Out at the dore / and after that cam she And to the peple / he seyde in this manere Line 368

[6-text p 415] Line 368 This is my wyf quod he / þat standeth heere Honoureth hire / and loueth hire I preye Who so me loueth / ther is namoore to seye Line 371

And for that no thyng of hir olde geere [¶ dehinc/ ne quid reliquiarum fortune veteris nouam inferat in domum / nudari eam iusserit/ ] Line 372 She sholde brynge in to his hous / he bad? That wommen / sholde dispoillen hire right theere Of which thise ladyes / were nat right glad Line 375 To handle hir clothes / wher Inne she was clad But nathelees / this mayde bright of hewe ffro foot to heed / they clothed han al newe Line 378

Hir heris han they kembd / that lay vntressed Line 379 fful rudely / and with hir fyngres smale A corone on hire heed / they han ydressed And sette hire / ful of Nowches grete and smale Line 382 Of hire array / what sholde I make a tale Vnnethe the peple hire knew / for hire fairnesse Whan she translated was in swich richesse Line 385

¶ This Markys / hath hire spoused with a ryng Line 386 Broght for the same cause / and thanne hire sette Vp on an hors snow whit and wel amblyng And to his paleys / er he lenger lette Line 389 With ioyful peple þat hire ladde and mette Conuoyed hire / and thus the day they spende In reuel / til the sonne gan descende Line 392

And shortly / forth this tale for to chace Line 393 I seye / that to this newe Markysesse God hath swich fauour / sent hire of his grace That it ne semed nat by liklynesse Line 396 That she was / born and fed in rudenesse As in a cote / or in an Oxe Stalle But norissed / in an Emperoures halle Line 399

[6-text p 416] Line 399

¶ To euery wight/ she woxen is so deere [¶ Atque apud omnes supra fidem cara & vene|rabilis facta est/ vix quod hijs ipsis qui illius originem nouerant persuaderi posset Ianicule natam esse tantus vite / tantus morum decor ea verborum grauitas atque dulcedo quibus omnium animos nexu sibi magni amoris astrinxerat / ] Line 400 And worshipful / þat folk ther she was bore And from hire birthe / knewe hire yeer by yeere Vnnethe trowed they / but dorste han swore Line 403 That she to Ianicle / of which I spak bifore She doghter were / for as by coniecture Hem thoughte / she was another creature Line 406

ffor though that euere vertuous was she [folio 96b] Line 407 She was encressed / in swich excellence Of thewes goode / yset in heigh bountee And so discreet and fair of eloquence Line 410 So benigne / and so digne of reuerence And koude so / the peples herte embrace That ech hire louede / that looked on hir face Line 413

¶ Noght oonly of Saluces in the toun Line 414 Publiced was / the beautee of hir name But eek biside / in many a regioun If oon seide wel / another seyde the same Line 417 So spradde / of hire heighe bountee the name That men and wommen / as wel yonge as olde Goon to Saluce / vpon hire to bihold Line 420

Thus Walter lowely? nay / but roially [¶ sic Walterus humili quidem / set/ insigni ac prospero matrimonio honestatis summa dei in pace & cetera. ] Line 421 Wedded / with fortunat honestetee In goddes pees / lyueth ful esily At hoom / and outward / grace ynogh had he Line 424 And for he saugh / that vnder heigh degree [¶ quodque eximiam virtutem tanta sub inopia latitantem tam perspicaciter deprendisset/ vulgo prudentissimus habebatur. ] Was vertu hid / the peple hym heelde A prudent man / and that is seyn ful seelde Line 427

¶ Nat oonly this Grisildis / thurgh hir wit [¶ Neque vero solers sponsa muliebria tantum ac domestica / sed vbi res posceret publica eciam subibat officia. ] Koude al the feet of wyfly humblenesse But eek whan that the cas required it The commune profit koude she redresse Line 431

[6-text p 417] Line 431 Ther nas discord / rancour / ne heuynesse In al that land / that she ne koude apese And wisely / brynge hem alle in reste and ese Line 434

Though that hire housbonde absent were/ anon? [¶ Viro absente / lites patrie / nobilium dis|cordias dirimens atque componens tam grauibus responsis tanta que maturitate, & Iudicij equitate vt omnes ad salutem publicam demissa celo feminam predicarent/ [MS, leaf 97, back.]] Line 435 If gentil men / or othere of hire contree Were wrothe / she wolde bryngen hem aton So wise / and rype wordes hadde she Line 438 And Iuggementz of so greet equitee That she from heuene / sent was as men wende Peple to saue / and euery wrong tamende Line 441

¶ Nat longe tyme / after/ that this Grisild Line 442 Was wedded / she a doghter hath ybore Al had hire leuere / haue born a man child Glad was this Markys / and the folk therfore Line 445 ffor though a mayde child / coome al bifore She may / vn-to a man child atteyne By liklihede / syn she nys nat bareyne Line 448

¶ Explicit secunda pars .

¶ Incipit tercia pars . [folio 97a]

THer fil / as it bifalleth tymes mo? [¶ Ceperit vt fit interdum walterum cum iam ablactata esset infantula mirabilis quedam quam laudabilis cupi|ditas satis expertam care fidem coniugis experiendi alcius & iterum atque iterum retemptandi. ] Line 449 Whan þat this child / had souked but a throwe This Markys / in his herte longeth so To tempte his wyf hir sadnesse for to knowe Line 452 That he ne myghte / out of his herte throwe This merueillous desir/ his wyf tassaye Nedelees god woot/ he thoghte / hire for taffraye Line 455

He hadde assayed hire / ynogh bifore Line 456 And foond hire euere good / what neded it Hire for to tempte / and alwey / moore and moore Though som men preise it for a subtil wit/ Line 459 But as for me / I seye that yuele it sit To assaye a wyf whan þat it is no nede And putten hire / in angwyssh and in drede Line 462

[6-text p 418] Line 462

ffor which / this Markys / wroghte in this manere Line 463 He cam allone / a nyght / ther as she lay With stierne face / and with ful trouble cheere And seyde thus / Grisilde quod he that day Line 466 That I yow took/ out of youre pouere array And putte yow / in estaat of heigh noblesse Ye haue / nat that forgeten as I gesse Line 469

I seye Grisilde / this present dignitee Line 470 In which that I haue put yow /. as I trowe? Maketh yow nat foryetful for to be That I yow took/ in poure estaat ful lowe Line 473 ffor any wele / ye moot youre seluen knowe Taak heede / of euery word / that y yow seye Ther is no wight that hereth it but we tweye Line 476

Ye woot youre self wel / how þat ye cam heere Line 477 In to this hous / it is nat longe ago And though to me / þat ye be lief and deere Vn-to my gentils / ye be no thyng so Line 480 They seyn / to hem / it is greet shame and wo ffor to be subgetz / and to been in seruage To thee / that born art/ of a smal village Line 483

And namely / sith thy doghter was ybore Line 484 Thise wordes / han they spoken doutelees But I desire / as I haue doon bifore To lyue my lyf with hem / in reste and pees Line 487 I may nat in this caas / be recchelees I moot doon with thy doghter/ for the beste Nat as I wolde / but as my peple leste Line 490

And yet god woot this is ful looth to me [folio 97b] But nathelees / with oute youre wityng I wol nat doon / but this wol I quod he That ye to me assente / as in this thyng Line 494

[6-text p 419] Line 494 Shewe now youre pacience / in youre werkyng That ye me highte / and swore in youre village That day / that maked was oure mariage Line 497

¶ Whan she had herd al this / she noght ameued Line 498 Neither in word / or chiere or countenance [¶ Nee verbo / nec vultu &cetera] ffor as it semed / she was nat agreued She seyde lord / al lyth in youre plesance Line 501 My child and I / with hertely obeisance Been youres al / and ye mowe saue and spille Youre owene thyng werketh after youre wille Line 504

Ther may no thyng / god so my soule saue Line 505 Liken to yow / that may displese me Ne I ne desire / no thyng for to haue Ne drede for to leese / saue oonly thee /. vel yee Line 508 This wyl is in myn herte / and ay shal be No lengthe of tyme / or deeth may this deface Ne chaunge my corage / to another place Line 511

¶ Glad was this Markys / of hire answeryng Line 512 But yet he feyned / as he were nat so Al drery was his cheere / and his lookyng Whan þat he sholde / out/ of the chambre go Line 515 Soone after this / a furlong wey or two He priuely / hath toold al his entente Vn-to a man / and to his wyf hym sente Line 518

A maner sergeant was this priuee man Line 519 The which þat feithful ofte / he founden hadde In thynges grete / and eek swich folk wel kan Doon execucion on thynges badde Line 522 The lord knew wel / that he hym loued and dradde And whan this sergeant wiste the lordes wille In to the chambre / he stalked hym ful stille Line 525

[6-text p 420] Line 525

¶ Madame he seyde / ye moote foryeue it me Line 526 Though I do thyng to which I am constreyned Ye been so wys / that ful wel knowe ye That lordes heestes / mowe nat been yfeyned Line 529 They mowe wel been / biwailled and compleyned But men moote nede / vn-to hire lust obeye And so wol I / ther is namoore to seye Line 532

This child / I am comanded for to take [folio 98a] Line 533 And spak namoore / but out the child he hente Despitously / and gan a cheere make As though he wolde / han slayn it er he wente Line 536 Grisildis / moot al suffren and consente And as a lamb / she sitteth meke and stille And leet this crueel sergeant doon his wille Line 539

¶ Suspecious / was the diffame of this man [¶ suspecta viri fama] Suspect his face / suspect his word also [¶ suspecta facie] [¶ suspecta hora] Suspect the tyme / in which he this bigan [¶ suspecta erat oratio] Allas hir doghter/ that she loued so Line 543 She wende / he wolde han slawen it right tho But nathelees / she neither weepe ne syked Consentynge hire / to that the Markys lyked Line 546

But atte laste / to speken she bigan Line 547 And mekely / she to the sergeant preyde So as he was / a worthy gentil man That she moste kisse hire child / er þat it deyde Line 550 And in hir barm / this litel child she leyde With ful sad face / and gan the child to kisse And lulled it and after gan it blisse Line 553

And thus she seyde / in hire benigne voys Line 554 ffare weel my child / I shal thee neuere see But sith / I thee / haue marked with the croys Of thilke fader/ blessed moote he be Line 557

[6-text p 421] Line 557 That for vs deyde / vp on a croys of tree Thy soule litel child / I hym bitake ffor this nyght shaltow dyen for my sake Line 560

¶ I trowe / that to a norice in this cas Line 561 It had been hard / this reuthe for to se Wel myghte a mooder / thanne han cryd allas But nathelees / so sad and stidefast was she Line 564 That she endured / al aduersitee And to the sergeant mekely she sayde Haue heer agayn / youre litel yonge mayde Line 567

Gooth now quod she / and dooth my lordes heeste Line 568 And o thyng/ wol I prey yow of youre grace That but my lord / forbad yow atte leeste Burieth this litel body / in som place Line 571 That beestes ne no briddes / it to-race But he no word / wol to that purpos seye But took the child / and wente vpon his weye Line 574

¶ This sergeant cam vn-to his lord ageyn [folio 98b] And of Grisildis wordes / and hire cheere He tolde hym point for point in short and pleyn And hym presenteth / with his doghter deere Line 578 Somwhat this lord / hath routhe in his manere But nathelees / his purpos heeld he stille As lordes doon / whan they wol han hir wille Line 581

And bad his sergeant that he pryuely Line 582 Sholde this child / softe wynde and wrappe With alle circumstances / tendrely And carie it in a cofre / or in a lappe Line 585 But vp-on peyne / his heed of for to swappe That no man sholde knowe / of his entente [vnde] Ne whenne / ne whider that he wente Line 588

[6-text p 422] Line 588

But at Boloigne / to his suster deere Line 589 That thilke tyme / of Pavik was Countesse He sholde it take / and shewe hire this mateere Bisekynge hire / to doon hire bisynesse Line 592 This child to fostre / in alle gentillesse And whos child that it was / he bad hym hyde ffrom euery wight/ for oght þat may bityde Line 595

¶ The sergeant gooth / and hath fulfild this thyng Line 596 But to this Markys / now retourne we ffor now gooth he / ful faste ymaginyng If by his wyues cheere / he myghte se Line 599 Or by hire word aperceyue / that she? Were chaunged / but he neuere hire koude fynde But euere in oon / ylike sad and kynde Line 602

As glad / as humble / as bisy in seruyse [¶ par alacritas atque sedalitas solitum obs[e]|quium / idem amor nulla filie mencio. ] Line 603 And eek in loue / as she was wont to be Was she to hym / in euery maner wyse Ne of hir doghter/ noght a word spak she Line 606 Noon accident for noon aduersitee Was seyn in hire / ne neuere hir doghter name Ne nempned she / in ernest / nor in game Line 609

¶ Explicit tercia pars .

Sequitur pars quarta . [folio 99a]

IN this estaat/ ther passed been foure yeer [¶ transiuerant hoc in statu anni iiij^or. dum ecce grauida &cetera. ] Er she with childe was / but as god wolde A man child she bar / by this Walter fful gracious / and fair for to biholde Line 613 And whan that folk it to his fader tolde Nat oonly he / but al his contree merye Was for this child / and god they thanke and herye Line 616

Whan it was two yeer old / and fro the brest Line 617 Departed of his norice / on a day This Markys / caughte yet another lest

[6-text p 423] To tempte his wyf / yet ofter if he may Line 620 O nedelees / was she tempted in assay But wedded men / ne knowe no mesure Whan þat they fynde / a pacient creature Line 623

¶ Wyf quod this Markys / ye han herd er this [¶ Et olim audisti populum meum egre nostrum ferre connubium & cetera. ] My peple / sikly berth oure mariage And namely / sith my sone yborn is Now is it worse / than euere in al oure age Line 627 The murmure sleeth myn herte and my corage ffor to myne eres / comth the voys so smerte That it wel ny / destroyed hath myn herte Line 630

¶ Now sey they thus / whan Walter is agon Line 631 Thanne shal / the blood of Ianicle succede And been oure lord / for oother haue we noon Swiche wordes / seith my peple out of drede Line 634 Wel oughte I / of swich murmur taken heede ffor certeinly / I drede swich sentence Though they nat pleyn / speke in myn Audience Line 637

I wolde lyue in pees / if that I myghte Line 638 Wherfore / I am disposed outrely As I his suster/ serued by nyghte Right so thenke I / to serue hym pryuely Line 641 This warne I yow / þat ye nat sodeynly Out of youre self for no wo sholde outreye Beth pacient and ther of I yow preye Line 644

¶ I haue quod she seyd thus / and euere shal Line 645 I wol no thyng ne nyl no thyng certayn But as yow list naught greueth me at al Though þat my doughter/ and my sone be slayn Line 648 At youre comandement this is to sayn I haue noght had no part of children tweyne But first siknesse / and after wo and peyne Line 651

[6-text p 424] Line 651

Ye been oure lord / dooth with youre owene thyng [folio 99b] Right as yow list axeth no reed at me ffor as I lefte at hoom / al my clothyng Whan I first cam to yow/? right so quod she Line 655 Lefte I my wyl / and al my libertee And took youre clothyng wherfore I yow preye Dooth youre plesance / I wol youre lust obeye Line 658

And certes / if I hadde prescience Line 659 Youre wyl to knowe / er ye youre lust me tolde I wolde it doon / with outen necligence But now I woot youre lust and what ye wolde Line 662 Al youre plesance / ferme and stable I holde ffor wiste I / that my deeth / wolde do yow ese [¶ ffac sen[ten]ciam tibi placere quod moriar volens moriar. ] Right gladly / wolde I dyen yow to plese Line 665

Deth may noght make no comparisoun Line 666 Vn-to youre loue / and whan this Markys say The constance of his wyf / he caste adoun Hise eyen two / and wondreth þat she may Line 669 In pacience / suffre al this array And forth he goth / with drery contenance But to his herte / it was ful greet plesance Line 672

¶ This vgly sergeant/ in the same wyse Line 673 That he hire doghter caughte / right so he Or worse / if men worse kan deuyse Hath hent hire sone / þat ful was of beautee Line 676 And euere in oon / so pacient was she That she no chiere maade / of heuynesse But kiste hir sone / and after gan it blesse Line 679

Saue this / she preyde hym / that if he myghte Line 680 Hir litel sone / he wolde in erthe graue His tendre lymes / delicaat to sighte ffro foweles and fro beestes for to saue Line 683

[6-text p 425] Line 683 But she noon answere / of hym myghte haue He wente his wey / as hym no thyng ne roghte But to Boloigne / he tendrely it broghte Line 686

This Markys / wondred euere lenger the moore Line 687 Vp on hir pacience / and if that he Ne hadde soothly / knowen ther bifoore That parfitly / hir children loued she Line 690 He wolde haue wend / þat of som subtiltee And of malice / or for crueel corage That she hadde suffred this with sad visage Line 693

But wel he knew / that next hym self certayn [folio 100a] She loued hir children best in euery wyse But new of wommen / wolde I axen fayn If thise assayes / myghte nat suffise Line 697 What koude a sturdy housbonde moore deuyse To preeue hire wyfhod / or hir stedefastnesse And he continuynge euere in sturdinesse Line 700

But ther been folk/ of swich condicion Line 701 That whan they haue / a certein purpos take They kan nat stynte of hire entencion But right as they were bounden to that stake Line 704 They wol nat of that firste purpos slake Right so this Markys / fulliche hath purposed To tempte his wyf/ as he was first disposed Line 707

He waiteth / if by word / or contenance Line 708 That she to hym / was changed of corage But neuere / koude he fynde variance She was ay oon / in herte and in visage Line 711 And ay the forther / þat she was in age The moore trewe / if þat it were possible She was to hym in loue / and moore penyble Line 714

[6-text p 426] Line 714

ffor which it semed thus / þat of hem two Line 715 Ther nas but o wyl / for as walter leste The same lust was hire plesance also And god be thanked / al fil for the beste Line 718 She shewed wel / for no worldly vnreste A wyf as of hir self no thing ne sholde Wille in effect but as hir housbonde wolde Line 721

¶ The sclaundre of Walter / ofte and wyde spradde [¶ ceperit sensim de Waltero decolor fama cre|b[r]escere. ] Line 722 That of a crueel herte / he wikkedly ffor he a poure womman wedded hadde Hath mordred / bothe his children priuely Line 725 Swich murmure / was among hem comunly No wonder is / for to the peples ere Ther cam no word / but þat they mordred were Line 728

ffor which / where as his peple ther bifore Line 729 Hadde loued hym wel / the sclaundre of his diffame Made hem / that they hym hated therfore To been a mordrere is an hateful name Line 732 But nathelees / for ernest ne for game He of his crueel purpos nolde stente To tempte his wyf/ was set al his entente Line 735

¶ Whan that his doghter .xij. yeer was of age [folio 100b] He to the court of Rome in subtil wyse Enformed of his wyl / sente his message Comaundynge hem / swiche bulles to deuyse Line 739 As to his crueel purpos may suffyse How þat the pope / as for his peples reste Bad hym to wedde / another if hym leste Line 742

I seye / he bad they sholde countrefete Line 743 The popes bulles / makynge mencion That he hath leue / his firste wyf to lete As by the popes dispensacion Line 746

[6-text p 427] Line 746 To stynte rancour and dissencion Bitwixe his peple and hym / thus seyde the bulle The which / they han publiced atte fulle Line 749

¶ The rude peple / as it no wonder is Line 750 Wenden ful wel / that it hadde be right so But whan thise tidynges cam to Grisildis I deeme / that hire herte was ful wo Line 753 But she / ylike sad for eueremo Disposed was / this humble creature The aduersitee of ffortune al tendure Line 756

Abidynge euere / his lust and his plesance Line 757 To whom þat she was yeuen / herte and al As to hire verray worldly suffisance But shortly / if this storie I tellen shal Line 760 This Markys / writen hath in special A lettre / in which he sheweth his entente And secreely he to Boloigne it sente Line 763

To the Erl of Pavyk/ which þat hadde tho Line 764 Wedded his suster/ preyde he specially To bryngen hoom agayn hise children two In honurable estaat al openly Line 767 But o thyng he hym preyde outrely That he to no wight though men wolde enquere Sholde nat telle / whos children þat they were Line 770

But seye / the mayden / sholde ywedded be Line 771 Vn-to the Markys / of Saluce anon And as this Erl was preyd / so dide he ffor at day set he on his wey is goon Line 774 Toward Saluce / and lordes many oon In riche array this mayden for to gyde Hir yonge brother/ ridynge hire bisyde Line 777

[6-text p 428] Line 777

¶ Arrayed was toward hir mariage [folio 101a] This fresshe mayde / ful of gemmes cleere Hir brother / which þat .vij. yeer was of age Arrayed eek / ful fressh in his manere Line 781 And thus in greet noblesse / and with glad cheere Toward Saluces / shapynge hir iourney ffro day to day / they ryden in hir wey Line 784

¶ Explicit quarta pars .

¶ Sequitur pars quinta .

Among al this / after his wikke vsage Line 785 This Markys yet his wyf to tempte moore To the outtreste preeue / of hir corage ffully / to han experience and loore Line 788 If that she were / as stidefast as bifoore He on a day / in open audience fful boistously haþ seyd hire this sentence Line 791

¶ Certes Grisilde / I hadde ynogh plesance Line 792 To han yow to my wyf /for youre goodnesse As for youre trouthe / and for youre obeisance Noght for youre lynage / ne for youre richesse Line 795 But now knowe I / in verray soothfastnesse That in greet lordshipe / if I wel auyse Ther is greet seruitute / in sondry wyse Line 798

I may nat doon / as euery Plowman may Line 799 My peple / me constreyneth for to take Another wyf/ and crien day by day And eek the pope / rancour for to slake Line 802 Consenteth it that dar I vndertake And treweliche / thus muche I wol yow seye My newe wyf is comynge by the weye Line 805

Be strong of herte / and voyde anon hir place Line 806 And thilke dowere / that ye broghten me Taak it agayn / I graunte it of my grace

[6-text p 429] Retourneth / to youre fadres hous quod he Line 809 No man / may alwey han prosperitee With euene herte / I rede yow tendure This strook of ffortune / or of auenture Line 812

¶ And she answerde agayn in pacience [folio 101b] Line 813 My lord quod she / I woot and wiste alway How þat / bitwixen youre magnificence And my pouerte / no wight kan ne may Line 816 Maken comparison / it is no nay I ne heeld me neuere digne in no manere To be youre wyf / no? ne youre Chambrere Line 819

And in this hous / ther ye me lady maade Line 820 The heighe god / take I for my witnesse And also wysly / he my soule glaade I neuere / heeld me lady / ne maistresse Line 823 But humble seruant to youre worthynesse And euere shal / whil þat my lyf may dure Abouen / euery worldly creature Line 826

That ye so longe / of youre benignitee Line 827 Han holden me / in honour and nobleye Where as I was / noght worthy bee That thonke I god / and yow /. to whom I preye Line 830 fforyelde it yow / ther is namoore to seye Vn-to my fader/ gladly wol I wende And with hym dwelle / vn-to my lyues ende Line 833

Ther I was fostred / of a child ful smal Line 834 Til I be deed / my lyf ther wol I lede A wydwe clene / in body / herte and al ffor sith I yaf/ to yow my maydenhede Line 837 And am youre trewe wyf/ it is no drede God shilde / swich a lordes wyf to take Another man / to housbonde / or to make Line 840

[6-text p 430] Line 840

And of youre newe wyf / god of his grace Line 841 So graunte yow wele and prosperitee ffor I wol gladly / yelden hire my place In which that I was blisful wont to bee Line 844 ffor sith it liketh yow / my lord quod shee That whilom weren / al myn hertes reste That I shal goon / I wol goon whan yow leste Line 847

But ther as ye me profre / swich dowaire Line 848 As I first broghte / it is wel in my mynde It were my wrecched clothes no thyng faire The whiche to me / were hard now for to fynde Line 851 O goode god / how gentil and how kynde Ye semed / by youre speche / and youre visage The day / that maked was oure mariage Line 854

But sooth is seyd / algate I fynde it trewe [folio 102a] Line 855 ffor in effect it preeued is on me Loue is noght oold / as whan þat it is newe But certes lord / for noon aduersitee Line 858 To dyen in the cas / it shal nat bee That euere / in word or werk / I shal repente That I yow yaf myn herte in hool entente Line 861

My lord ye woot / that in my fadres place Line 862 Ye dide me streepe / out of my poure weede And richely / me cladden of youre grace To yow broghte I noght elles / out of drede Line 865 But feith and nakednesse / and maydenhede And heere agayn / my clothyng I restoore And eek / my weddyng ryng/ for eueremore Line 868

The remenant of youre Iueles redy be Line 869 In with youre chambre / dar I saufly sayn Naked / out of my fadres hous quod she I cam / and naked moot I turne agayn Line 872

[6-text p 431] Line 872 Al youre plesance / wol I folwen fayn But yet I hope / it be nat youre entente That I smoklees / out of youre paleys wente Line 875

Ye koude nat doon / so dishoneste a thyng/ Line 876 That thilke wombe / in which youre children leye Sholde biforn the peple / in my walkyng/ Be seyn al bare / wherfore I yow preye Line 879 Lat me / nat lyk a worm / go by the weye Remembre yow / myn owene lord so deere I was youre wyf / though I vnworthy weere Line 882

Wherfore / in gerdon of my maydenhede Line 883 Which þat I broghte / and noght agayn I bere As voucheth sauf / to yeue me / to my meede But swich a smok as I was wont to were [.i. couere] Line 886 That I ther-with may wrye the wombe of here That was youre wyf / and heer take I my leeue Of yow myn owene lord / lest I yow greue Line 889

¶ The smok quod he / that thou hast on thy bak Line 890 Lat it be stille / and bere it forth with thee But wel vnnethes / thilke word he spak But wente his wey / for routhe and for pitee Line 893 Biforn the folk/ hir seluen strepeth she And in hir smok/ with heed / and foot / al bare Toward hir fader hous / forth is she fare Line 896

¶ The folk hire folwe / wepynge in hir weye [folio 102b] And ffortune ay they cursen / as they goon But she fro wepyng kepte hire eyen dreye Ne in this tyme / word ne spak she noon Line 900 Hir fader / that this tidynge herde anoon Curseth the day / and tyme that nature Shoope hym / to been a lyues creature Line 903

[6-text p 432] Line 903

ffor out of doute / this olde poure man Line 904 Was euere / in suspect of hir mariage ffor euere he demed / sith that it bigan That whan the lord / fulfild hadde his corage Line 907 Hym wolde thynke / it were a disparage To his estaat / so lowe for talighte And voyden hire / as soone as euer he myghte Line 910

Agayns his doghter / hastiliche goth he Line 911 ffor he by noyse of folk / knew hire comynge And with hire olde coote / as it myghte be He couered hire / ful sorwefully wepynge Line 914 But on hire body / myghte he it nat brynge ffor rude was the clooth / and she moore of age By dayes fele / than at hire mariage Line 917

¶ Thus with hire fader / for a certeyn space Line 918 Dwelleth this flour/ of wyfly pacience That neither/ by hire wordes / ne hire face Biforn the folk / ne eek in hire absence Line 921 Ne shewed she / that hire was doon offence Ne of hire heighe estaat. no remembrance Ne hadde she / as by hire contenance Line 924

No wonder is / for in hire grete estaat Line 925 Hire goost was euere / in pleyn humylitee No tendre mouth / noon herte delicaat No pompe / no semblant of roialtee Line 928 But ful of pacient benyngnytee Discreet and pridelees / ay honurable And to hire housbonde / euere meke and stable Line 931

¶ Men speke of Iob / and moost for his humblesse Line 932 As clerkes whan hem list konne wel endite Namely of men / but as in soothfastnesse Though clerkes / preise wommen but a lite Line 935

[6-text p 433] Line 935 Ther kan no man / in humblesse hym acquite As womman kan / ne been half so trewe As wommen been / but it be falle of newe Line 938

[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

¶ Lenuoy de Chaucer.

Grisilde is deed / and eek hire pacience And bothe atones / buryed in Ytaille ffor which I crie / in open audience Line 1179 No wedded man / so hardy be tassaille His wyues pacience / in hope to fynde Grisildis / for in certein he shal faille Line 1182

[6-text p 441] Line 1182

O noble wyues / ful / of heigh prudence Lat noon humylitee / youre tonge naill Ne lat no clerk/ haue cause or diligence Line 1185 To write of yow / a storie of swich meruaille As of Grisildis / pacient and kynde Lest Chichiuache / yow swelwe in hire entraille Line 1188

ffolweth Ekko / that holdeth no silence [folio 106a] But euere answereth / at the countretaille Beth nat bidaffed for youre Innocence Line 1191 But sharply / taak on yow the gouernaille Emprenteth wel this lesson in youre mynde ffor commune profit sith it may auaille Line 1194

Ye Archiwyues / stondeth at defense Syn ye be strong as is a greet Camaille Ne suffreth nat/ þat men yow doon offense Line 1197 And sklendre wyues / fieble as in bataille Beth egre / as is a Tygre yond in Ynde Ay clappeth as a Mille / I yow consaille Line 1200

Ne dreed hem nat doth hem no reuerence ffor though thyn housbonde / armed be in maille The arwes / of thy crabbed eloquence Line 1203 Shal perce his brest/ and eek his Auentaille In Ialousie / I rede eek thou hym bynde And thou shalt make hym couche as doth a quaille Line 1206

If thou be fair/ ther folk been in presence Shewe thou thy visage / and thyn apparaille If thou be foul / be fre of thy dispence Line 1209 To gete thee freendes / ay do thy trauaille Be ay of chiere / as light as leef on lynde And lat hym care and wepe / and wryng and waille Line 1212

[6-text p 402] Line 1212

[6-text p 402] Line 1212

[6-text p 477]

APPENDIX TO GROUP E, § 2. [? Original, but rejected, End-Link to the Clerk's Tale, perhaps following l. 1162, with which the paraphrase of Petrarch's Latin ends, or l. 1169.]

¶ Bihoold the murye wordes of the Hoost.

THis worthy clerk whan ended was his tale Oure hoost seyde / and swoor by goddes bones Me were leuere / than a barel ale My wyf at hoom / had herd this legende ones Line 4 This is a gentil tale / for the nones As to my purpos / wiste ye my wille But thyng þat wol nat be / lat it be stille. Line 7

¶ Heere endeth the tale / of the Clerk of Oxenford

[6-text p 442]

¶ The prologe of the Marchantes tale. [folio 106b]

Wepyng and waylyng care and oother sorwe I knowe ynogh / on euen and a morwe Quod the Marchant and so doon othere mo That wedded been / I trowe that it be so Line 1216 ffor wel I woot it fareth so with me I have a wyf/ the worste that may be ffor thogh the feend / to hire ycoupled were She wolde hym ouermacche / I dar wel swere Line 1220 What sholde I yow reherce in special Hir hye malice / she is a shrewe at al Ther is a long and large difference Bitwix Grisildis grete pacience Line 1224 And of my wyf/ the passyng crueltee Were I vnbounden / al so moot I thee I wolde neuere eft comen in the snare We wedded men / lyue in sorwe and care Line 1228 Assaye who so wole / and he shal fynde I seye sooth / by seint Thomas of ynde As for the moore part I sey nat alle God shilde / that it sholde so bifalle Line 1232 ¶ A good sire hoost / I haue ywedded bee Thise Monthes two / and moore nat pardee And yet I trowe / he that al his lyue Wyflees hath been / though þat men wolde him ryue Line 1236 Vn-to the herte / ne koude in no manere Tellen so muchel / sorwe / as I now heere? Koude tellen / of my wyues cursednesse ¶ Now quod our hoost. Marchant so god yow blesse Line 1240 Syn ye so muchel / knowen of that Art fful hertely / I pray yow telle vs part ¶ Gladly quod he / but of myn owene soore ffor soory herte / I telle may namoore Line 1244

[6-text p 443]

¶ Heere bigynneth the Marchantes tale.

WHilom ther was dwellynge in Lumbardye A worthy knyght þat born was of Pavye In which he lyued / in greet prosperitee And sixty yeer / a wyflees man was hee And folwed ay his bodily delyt [[Painting of the Merchant]] On wommen / ther as was his appetyt As doon thise fooles / that been seculeer [folio 107a] And whan that he / was passed sixty yeer Line 1252 Were it for hoolynesse / or for dotage I kan nat seye / but swich a greet corage Hadde this knyght to been a wedded man That day and nyght/ he dooth al that he kan Line 1256 Tespien / where he myghte wedded be Preyinge oure lord / to granten him þat he? Mighte ones knowe / of thilke blisful lyf That is bitwixe / an housbonde / and his wyf / Line 1260 And for to lyue / vnder that hooly boond With which þat first god / man and womman bond Noon oother lyf seyde he / is worth a bene ffor wedlok/ is so esy / and so clene Line 1264 That in this world / it is a Paradys Thus seyde this olde knyght / þat was so wys ¶ And certeinly / as sooth / as god is kyng. To take a wyf it is a glorious thyng Line 1268 And namely / whan a man / is oold and hoor Thanne is a wyf the fruyt of his tresor Thanne sholde he take / a yong wyf and a feir On which / he myghte / engendren hym an heir Line 1272

[6-text p 444] Line 1272 And lede his lyf in ioye and in solas Where as thise bacheleris / synge allas Whan that they fynden / any aduersitee In loue / which nys / but childyssh vanytee Line 1276 And trewely / it sit wel to be so That bacheleris / haue often peyne and wo On brotel ground they buylde / and brotelnesse They fynde / whan they wene sikernesse Line 1280 They lyue / but as a bryd / or as a beest In libertee / and vnder noon arreest Ther as a wedded man / in his estaat Lyueth a lyf blisful and ordinaat Line 1284 Vnder this yok of mariage ybounde Wel may his herte / in ioye and blisse habounde ffor who kan be / so buxom as a wyf Who is so trewe / and eek so ententyf Line 1288 To kepe hym syk and hool / as is his make ffor wele or wo / she wole hym nat forsake She nys nat wery / hym to loue and serue Thogh þat he lye bedrede / til he sterue Line 1292 And yet somme clerkes seyn / it nys nat so Of whiche / he Theofraste is oon of tho What force / though Theofraste liste lye Ne take no wyf quod he / for housbondrye Line 1296 As for to spare / in houshold thy dispence A trewe seruant dooth moore diligence Thy good to kepe / than thyn owene wyf [folio 107b] ffor she wol clayme / half part al hir lyf Line 1300 And if thou be syk so god me saue Thy verray freendes / or a trewe knaue Wol kepe thee bet than she þat waiteth ay After thy good / and hath doon many a day Line 1304 And if thou take a wyf / vn-to thyn hoold fful lightly / maystow been a Cokewold This sentence / and an hundred thynges worse Writeth this man / ther god his bones corse Line 1308

[6-text p 445] Line 1308 But take no kepe / of al swich vanytee Deffie Theofraste / and herke me ¶ A wyf/ is goddes yifte verraily [¶ Vxor est diligenda quia donum dei est ‖ Ihesus filius sirac/ domus & diuicie dantur a parentibus / a domino autem proprie vxor bona vel prudens.] Alle otherere manere yiftes hardily Line 1312 As londes / rentes / pasture / or commune Or moebles / alle been yiftes of ffortune [// dona fortune] That passen / as a shadwe vpon a wal But dredelees / if pleynly speke I shal Line 1316 A wyf wol laste / and in thyn hous endure Wel lenger than thee list/ parauenture ¶ Mariage is / a ful greet sacrement He / which þat hath no wyf / I holde hym shent Line 1320 He lyueth helplees / and al desolat I speke of folk in seculer estaat And herke why / I sey nat this for noght That womman is / for mannes helpe ywroght Line 1324 The hye god / whan he hadde Adam maked And saugh him al allone / bely naked God of his grete goodnesse / seyde than [¶ ffaciamus ei adiutorium & extracta costa de corpore Ade fecit Euam & dixit / propter hec/ relinquet homo pa|trem & matrem & adherebit &cetera et erunt duo in carne vna.] Lat vs now make an helpe vn-to this man Line 1328 Lyk to hym self and thanne he made him Eue Heere may ye se / and heer-by may ye preue That wyf is mannes helpe / and his confort His Paradys terrestre / and his disport Line 1332 So buxom / and so vertuous is she They moste nedes / lyue in vnitee O flessh they been / and o flessh as I gesse Hath but oon herte / in wele and in distresse Line 1336 ¶ A wyf /? a Seinte marie benedicite How myghte a man / han any aduersitee That hath a wyf/ certes I kan nat seye The blisse / which þat is bitwixe hem tweye Line 1340 Ther may no tonge telle / or herte thynke If he be poure / she helpeth hym to swynke She kepeth his good / and wasteth neuer a deel Al that hire housbonde lust hire liketh weel Line 1344

[6-text p 446] Line 1344 She seith not ones nay / whan he seith ye Do this seith he / al redy sire seith she O blisful ordre of wedlok precious [folio 108a] Thou art so murye / and eek so vertuous Line 1348 And so commended / and appreued eek That euery man / þat halt hym worth a leek / Vp on his bare knees / oughte al his lyf / Thanken his god / þat hym hath sent a wyf / Line 1352 Or elles preye to god / hym for to sende A wyf / to laste / vn to his lyues ende ffor thanne his lyf / is set in sikernesse He may nat be deceyued as I gesse Line 1356 So þat he werke / after his wyues reede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 1360 . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] ¶ Lo how þat Iacob / as thise clerkes rede [Iacob ‖ per consilium matris sue Rebecce &cetera.] By good conseil / of his mooder Rebekke Boond the kydes skyn / aboute his nekke Line 1364 Thurgh which / his fadres benyson he wan ¶ Lo Iudith / as the storie eek telle kan [Iudith / de manibus Oloferni & cetera.] By wys conseil / she goddes peple kepte And slow hym Olofernus / whil he slepte Line 1368 ¶ Lo Abigayl / by good conseil / how she [Abigayl / per suum bonum consilium virum suum Nabal ab ira dauid liberauit.] Saued hir housbonde Nabal / whan þat he? Sholde han be slayn / and looke Ester also [Ester & cetera Iudeos per bonum consilium simul cum Mardocheo in regno Assueri.] By good conseil / delyuered out of wo Line 1372 The peple of god / and made hym Mardochee Of Assuere / enhaunced for to be ¶ Ther nys no thyng/ in gree superlatyf [¶ Seneca / sicut nichil est benigna coniuge/ ita nichil crudelius est infesta muliere.] As seith Senek aboue an humble wyf Line 1376 ¶ Suffre thy wyues tonge / as Caton bit [¶ Cato / vxoris linguam si frugi est/ ferre me|mento.] She shal comande / and thou shalt suffren it And yet she wole obeye of curteisye A wyf is kepere / of thyn housbondrye [¶ Bona mulier fidelis custos est/ & bona domus.]

[6-text p 447] Wel may the sike man / biwaille and wepe Ther as ther nys no wyf / the hous to kepe I warne thee / if wisely / thou wolt wirche [¶ Apostolus Paulus ad Ephesianos / diligite vxores vestras sicut christus dilexit ecclesiam & cetera.] Loue wel thy wyf as crist loued his chirche Line 1384 If thou louest thy self thou louest thy wyf/ [¶ Apostolus. Ita viri debent diligere vxores suas vt corpora sua / quia qui suam vxorem diligit/ seipsum diligit/ nemo vnquam carnem suam odio habuit/ set nutrit & fouet eam /. et postea / vnusquisque suam vxorem sicut ipsum diligat.] No man hateth his flessh / but in his lyf/? He fostreth it and therfore bidde I thee Cherisse thy wyf / or thou shalt neuere thee Line 1388 Housbonde and wyf what so men iape or pleye Of worldly folk / holden the siker weye They been so knyt ther may noon harm bityde And namely / vp on the wyues syde Line 1392 ffor which this Ianuarie / of whom I tolde Considered hath / inwith hise dayes olde The lusty lyf / the vertuous quyete That is in mariage hony sweete Line 1396 And for hise freendes / on a day he sente To tellen hem theffect of his entente

With face sad / his tale he hath hem toold [folio 108b] He seyde freendes / I am hoor and oold Line 1400 And almoost god woot on my pittes brynke Vp on the soule / somwhat moste I thynke I haue my body / folily despended Blessed be god / that it shal been amended Line 1404 ffor I wol be / certeyn a wedded man And that anoon / in al the haste I kan Vn to som mayde / fair / and tendre of age I prey yow / shapeth for my mariage Line 1408 Al sodeynly / for I wol nat abyde And I wol fonde / tespien on my syde To whom / I may be wedded hastily But for as muche / as ye been mo than I Line 1412 Ye shullen rather / swich a thyng espyen Than I / and where me best were to allyen ¶ But o thyng warne I yow / my freendes deere I wol noon oold wyf han / in no manere Line 1416

[6-text p 448] Line 1416 She shal nat passe twenty yeer certayn Oold fissh and yong flessh / wolde I haue fayn Bet is quod he / a pyk than a pykerel And bet than olde boef is the tendre veel Line 1420 I wol no womman / thritty yeer of age It is but benestraw / and greet forage And eek/ thise olde wydwes / god it woot They konne / so muchel craft on Wades boot Line 1424 So muchel broken harm / whan þat hem leste That with hem / sholde I neuere lyue in reste ffor sondry scoles / maken sotile clerkis Womman of manye scoles / half a clerk is Line 1428 But certeynly / a yong thyng may men gye Right as men may / warm wex with handes plye Wherfore / I sey yow pleynly / in a clause I wol noon oold wyf han / for this cause Line 1432 ffor if so were / þat I hadde swich myschance That I in hire / ne koude han no plesance Thanne sholde I lede my lyf in Auoutrye And streight vn-to the deuel / whan I dye Line 1436 Ne children / sholde I none vp on hire geten Yet were me leuere / þat houndes had me eten Than þat myn heritage sholde falle In straunge hand / and this I telle yow alle Line 1440 I dote nat I woot the cause why? Men sholde wedde / and forthermoore woot I Ther speketh / many a man of mariage That woot namoore of it than woot my page Line 1444 ffor whiche causes / man sholde take a wyf / Siththe / he may nat lyuen chaast his lyf / Take hym a wyf with greet deuocion [folio 109a] By cause / of leueful procreacion Line 1448 Of children / to thonour of god aboue And nat oonly / for paramour or loue And for they sholde / leccherye eschue And yelde hir dettes / whan þat they ben due Line 1452

[6-text p 449] Line 1452 Or for that ech of hem / sholde helpen oother In meschief / as a suster shal the brother And lyue in chastitee / ful holily But sires by youre leue / that am nat I Line 1456 ffor god be thanked / I dar make auaunt I feele my lymes / stark/ and suffisaunt To do / al that a man bilongeth to I woot my seluen best what I may do Line 1460 Though I be hoor / I fare as dooth a tree That blosmeth / er þat fruyt ywoxen bee And blosmy tree / nys neither drye ne deed I feele me / nowhere hoor / but on myn heed Line 1464 Myn herte / and alle my lymes been as grene As laurer / thurgh the yeer / is for to sene And syn þat ye / han herd al myn entente I prey yow / to my wyl / ye wole assente Line 1468

Diuerse men / diuersely hym tolde Of mariage / manye ensamples olde Somme blamed it / somme preysed it certeyn But atte laste / shortly for to seyn Line 1472 As al day / falleth altercacion Bitwixen freendes in disputison Ther fil a stryf / bitwixe hise bretheren two Of whiche / that oon was cleped Placebo Line 1476 Iustinus soothly / called was that oother ¶ Placebo seyde / o Ianuarie brother [¶ Placebo] fful litel nede / hadde ye my lord so deere Conseil to axe / of any that is heere Line 1480 But þat ye been / so ful of sapience That yow ne liketh / for youre heighe prudence To weyuen / fro the word of Salomon This word seyde he / vn to vs euerychon Line 1484 Wirk alle thyng by conseil / thus seyde he And thanne / shaltow nat repente thee But though þat Salomon / spak swich a word Myn owene deere brother / and my lord Line 1488

[6-text p 450] Line 1488 So wysly / god my soule brynge at reste I holde / youre owene conseil is the beste ffor brother myn / of me taak this motyf I haue now been / a Court man al my lyf Line 1492 And god it woot though I vnworthy be I haue stonden / in ful greet degree Abouten lordes / of ful heigh estaat [folio 109b] Yet hadde I neuere / with noon of hem debaat Line 1496 I neuere hem contraried trewely I woot wel / that my lord kan moore than I What that he seith / I holde it ferme and stable I seye the same / or elles thyng semblable Line 1500 A ful greet fool / is any conseillour That serueth any lord / of heigh honour That dar presume / or elles thenken it That his conseil / sholde passe his lordes wit Line 1504 Nay / lordes been no fooles by my fay Ye han youre seluen / seyd heer to day So heigh sentence / so holily and weel That I consente / and conferme euerydeel Line 1508 Youre wordes alle / and youre opinioun By god / ther nys no man / in al this toun Nyn Ytaille / that koude bet han sayd Crist halt hym / of this conseil ful wel apayd Line 1512 And trewely / it is an heigh corage Of any man / that stapen is in age To take a yong wyf by my fader kyn Youre herte hangeth / on a ioly pyn Line 1516 Dooth now in this matiere / right as yow leste ffor finally / I holde it for the beste

Iustinus / þat ay stille sat and herde [¶ Iustinus] Right in this wise / he to Placebo answerde Line 1520 Now brother myn / be pacient I preye Syn ye han seyd / and herkneth what I seye ¶ Senek among hise othere wordes wyse Seith / þat a man oghte hym right wel auyse Line 1524

[6-text p 451] Line 1524 To whom / he yeueth his lond / or his catel And syn I oghte / auyse me right wel To whom I yeue my good / awey fro me Wel muchel moore / I oghte auysed be Line 1528 To whom I yeue my body / for alwey I warne yow wel / it is no childes pley To take a wyf with-outen auysement Men moste enquere / this is myn assent Line 1532 Wher she be wys / or sobre / or dronkelewe Or proud / or elles ootherweys a shrewe A chidestere / or wastour of thy good Or riche / or poore / or elles mannyssh wood Line 1536 Al be it so / that no man fynden shal Noon in this world / that trotteth hool in al Ne man ne beest/ which as men koude deuyse But nathelees / it oghte ynough suffise Line 1540 With any wyf/ if so were that she hadde Mo goode thewes / than hire vices badde And al this / axeth leyser / for tenquere [folio 110a] ffor god it woot I haue wept many a teere Line 1544 fful pryuely / syn I haue had a wyf Preyse who so wole / a wedded mannes lyf Certein I fynde in it but cost and care And obseruances / of alle blisses bare Line 1548 And yet god woot my neighebores aboute And namely / of wommen many a route Seyn þat I haue / the mooste stedefast wyf And eek/ the mekeste oon / that bereth lyf Line 1552 But I woot best where wryngeth me my sho Ye mowe for me / right as yow liketh do Auyseth yow / ye been a man of age How that ye entren / in to mariage Line 1556 And namely / with a yong wyf/ and a fair By hym þat made water / erthe / and air The yongeste man / þat is in al this route Is bisy ynough / to bryngen it aboute Line 1560

[6-text p 452] Line 1560 To han his wyf allone / trusteth me Ye shul nat plesen hire / fully yeres thre This is to seyn / to doon hire ful plesance A wyf axeth / ful many an obseruance Line 1564 I prey yow / þat ye be nat yuele apayd ¶ Wel quod this Ianuarie / and hastow ysayd Straw for thy Senek / and for thy prouerbes I counte nat a panyer ful of herbes Line 1568 Of scole termes // wyser men than thow As thou hast herd / assenteden right now To my purpos / Placebo / what sey ye? ¶ I seye / it is a cursed man quod he Line 1572 That letteth matrimoigne sikerly And with that word / they rysen sodeynly And been assented / fully þat he sholde Be wedded / whanne hym list and where he wolde Line 1576

Heigh fantasye / and curious bisynesse ffro day to day / gan in the soule impresse Of Ianuarie / aboute his mariage Many fair shape / and many a fair visage Line 1580 Ther passeth thurgh his herte / nyght by nyght And who so tooke a Mirour/ polisshed bryght And sette it in a commune Market place Thanne sholde he se / ful many a figure pace Line 1584 By his Mirour / and in the same wyse Gan Ianuarie / inwith his thoght deuyse Of maydens / whiche þat dwellen hym bisyde He wiste nat / wher þat he myghte abyde Line 1588 ffor if þat oon / haue beaute / in hir face Another stant so / in the peples grace ffor hire sadnesse / and hire benyngnytee [folio 110b] That of the peple / grettest voys hath she Line 1592 And somme were riche / and hadden badde name But nathelees / bitwixe ernest and game He atte laste / apoynted hym on oon And leet alle othere / from his herte goon Line 1596

[6-text p 453] Line 1596 And chees hire / of his owene auctoritee ffor loue is blynd al day / and may nat see And whan that he was / in his bed ybroght He purtreyed / in his herte and in his thoght Line 1600 Hir fresshe beautee / and hir age tendre Hir myddel smal / hire armes longe and sklendre Hir wise gouernance / hir gentillesse Hir wommanly berynge / and hire sadnesse Line 1604 And whan that he / on hire was condescended Hym thoughte / his choys myghte nat ben amended ffor whan þat he hym self / concluded hadde Hym thoughte / ech oother mannes wit so badde Line 1608 That inpossible / it were to repplye Agayn his choys / this was his fantasye Hise freendes sente he to / at his instance And preyed hem / to doon hym that plesance Line 1612 That hastily / they wolden to hym come He wolde abregge hir labour alle and some Nedeth namoore / for hym to go ne ryde He was apoynted / ther he wolde abyde Line 1616 ¶ Placebo cam / and eek hise freendes soone And alderfirst he bad hem alle a boone That noon of hem / none Argumentes make Agayn the purpos / which þat he hath take Line 1620 Which purpos / was plesant to god seyde he And verray ground / of his prosperitee ¶ He seyde / ther was a mayden in the toun Which þat of beautee / hadde greet renoun Line 1624 Al were it so / she were / of smal degree Suffiseth hym / hir yowthe / and hir beautee Which mayde he seyde / he wolde han to his wyf To lede in ese / and hoolynesse his lyf Line 1628 And thanked god / þat he myghte han hire al That no wight / his blisse parten shal And preyde hem / to laboure in this nede And shapen / þat he faille nat to spede Line 1632

[6-text p 454] Line 1632 ffor thanne he seyde / his spirit was at ese Thanne is quod he / no thyng may me displese Saue o thyng priketh in my conscience The which I wol reherce / in youre presence Line 1636 ¶ I haue quod he / herd seyd ful yoore ago Ther may no man / han parfite blisses two This is to seye / in erthe and eek in heuene [folio 111a] ffor though he kepe hym / fro the synnes seuene Line 1640 And eek/ from euery branche of thilke tree Yet is ther/ so parfit felicitee And so greet ese / and lust in mariage That euere I am agast/ now in myn age Line 1644 That I shal lede now / so myrie a lyf So delicat with-outen wo and stryf That I shal haue / myn heuene in erthe heere ffor sith þat verray heuene / is boght so deere Line 1648 With tribulacion / and greet penance How sholde I thanne / þat lyue in swich plesance As alle wedded men / doon with hire wyuys Come to the blisse / ther crist eterne on lyue ys Line 1652 This is my drede / and ye my bretheren tweye Assoilleth me / this question I preye

Iustinus / which þat hated his folye [¶ Iustinus] Answerde anon / right in his iaperye Line 1656 And for he wolde / his longe tale abregge He wolde / noon auctoritee allegge But seyde sire / so ther be noon obstacle Oother than this / god of his hygh myracle Line 1660 And of his hygh mercy / may so for yow wirche That er ye haue youre right of hooly chirche Ye may repente / of wedded mannes lyf In which ye seyn / ther is no wo ne stryf Line 1664 And elles god forbede / but he sente A wedded man / hym grace to repente Wel ofte / rather than a sengle man And therfore sire / the beste reed I kan Line 1668

[6-text p 455] Line 1668 Dispeire yow noght but haue in youre memorie Paraunter / she may be youre purgatorie She may be goddes meene / and goddes whippe Thanne shal youre soule / vp to heuene skippe Line 1672 Swifter/ than dooth an Arwe / out of the bowe I hope to god / her-after shul ye knowe That ther nys / no so greet felicitee In mariage / ne neuere mo shal bee Line 1676 That yow shal lette / of youre sauacion So that ye vse / as skile is and reson The lustes of youre wyf attemprely And þat ye plese hire nat to amorously Line 1680 And þat ye kepe yow eek/ from oother synne My tale is doon / for my wit is thynne Beth nat agast her-of / my brother deere But lat vs waden / out of this mateere Line 1684 The wyf of Bathe / if ye han vnderstonde Of mariage / which ye haue on honde Declared hath ful wel / in litel space [folio 111b] ffareth now wel / god haue yow in his grace Line 1688 And with this word / this Iustyn and his brother Han take hir leue / and ech of hem of oother ffor whan they saughe that it moste be They wroghten so / by sly and wys tretee Line 1692 That she this mayden / which þat Mayus highte As hastily / as euere that she myghte Shal wedded be / vn-to this Ianuarie I trowe it were to longe yow to tarie Line 1696 If I yow tolde / of euery scrit and bond By which / þat she was feffed in his lond Or for to herknen / of hir riche array But finally / ycomen is the day Line 1700 That to the chirche / bothe be they went ffor to receyue the hooly sacrement fforth comth the preest with stole aboute his nekke And bad hire be lyk to Sarra and Rebekke Line 1704

[6-text p 456] Line 1704 In wysdom and in trouthe of mariage And seyde hir orisons / as is vsage And croucheth hem / and bad god sholde hem blesse And made al siker ynogh / with hoolynesse Line 1708 ¶ Thus been they wedded / with solempnitee And at the feeste / sitteth he and she With othere worthy folk vp on the deys Al ful of ioye and blisse is the paleys Line 1712 And ful of Instrumentz / and of vitaille The moste deynteuous / of all Ytaille Biforn hem / stooden Instrumentz of swich soun That Orpheus / ne of Thebes Amphioun Line 1716 Ne maden neuere / swich a melodye ¶ At euery cours / thanne cam loud Mynstralcye That neuere tromped Ioab / for to heere Nor he Theodomas / yet half so cleere Line 1720 At Thebes / whan the Citee was in doute Bacus / the wyn hem skynketh al aboute And Venus / laugheth vp-on euery wight ffor Ianuarie / was bicome hir knyght Line 1724 And wolde bothe / assayen his corage In libertee / and eek in mariage And with hire fyrbrond / in hire hand aboute Daunceth / biforn the bryde and al the route Line 1728 And certeinly / I dar right wel seyn this Ymeneus / that god of weddyng is Saugh neuere his lyf so myrie a wedded man Hoold thou thy pees / thou poete Marcian Line 1732 That writest vs / that ilke weddyng murie Of hire Philologie / and hym Mercurie And of the songes / that the Muses songe [folio 112a] To smal is bothe thy penne / and eek thy tonge Line 1736 ffor to descryuen / of this mariage Whan tendre youthe / hath wedded stoupyng age Ther is swich myrthe / þat it may nat be writen Assayeth it youre self / thanne may ye witen Line 1740

[6-text p 457] Line 1740 If that I lye or noon / in this matiere ¶ Mayus that sit / with so benyngne a chiere Hire to biholde / it semed fairye Queene Ester / looked neuere with swich an eye Line 1744 On Assuer / so meke a look hath she I may yow nat deuyse / al hir beautee But thus muche of hire beautee telle I may That she was lyk/ the brighte morwe of May Line 1748 ffulfild / of alle beautee and plesance ¶ This Ianuarie / is rauysshed in a trance At euery tyme / he looked on hir face But in his herte / he gan hire to manace Line 1752 That he that nyght in Armes wolde hire streyne Harder / than euere Parys dide Eleyne But nathelees / yet hadde he greet pitee That thilke nyght offenden hire moste he Line 1756 And thoughte allas / o tendre creature Now wolde god / ye myghte wel endure Al my corage / it is so sharpe and keene I am agast ye shul it nat susteene Line 1760 But god forbede / þat I dide al my myght Now wolde god / þat it were woxen nyght And that the nyght wolde lasten eueremo I wolde / that al this peple were ago Line 1764 And finally / he dooth al his labour As he best myghte / sauynge his honour To haste hem fro the mete / in subtil wyse ¶ The tyme cam / that reson was to ryse Line 1768 And after that men daunce and drynken faste And spices / al aboute the hous they caste And ful of ioye and blisse is euery man All but a Squyer / highte Damyan Line 1772 Which carf biforn the knyght ful many a day He was so rauysshed / on his lady May That for the verray peyne / he was ny wood Almoost he swelte / and swowned ther he stood Line 1776

[6-text p 458] Line 1776 So soore / hath Venus hurt hym with hire brond As þat she bar it daunsynge in hire hond And to his bed / he wente hym hastily Namoore of hym / at this tyme speke [I] Line 1780 But there I lete hym wepe ynogh and pleyne Til fresshe May / wol rewen on his peyne

Operilous fyr / that in the bedstraw bredeth [folio 112b] [¶ Auctor] O famulier foo / that his seruyce bedeth Line 1784 O seruant traytour / false hoomly hewe Lyk to the naddre / in bosom sly vntrewe God shilde vs alle / from youre aqueyntance O Ianuarie / dronken in plesance Line 1788 In mariage / se how thy Damyan Thyn owene squier / and thy born man Entendeth / for to do thee vileynye God graunte thee / thyn hoomly fo tespye Line 1792 ffor in this world / nys worse pestilence Than hoomly foo / al day in thy presence ¶ Parfourned hath the sonne / his Ark diurne No lenger / may the body of hym soiurne Line 1796 On thorisonte / as in that latitude Night with his Mantel þat is derk and rude Gan ouersprede the Hemysperie aboute ffor which / departed is / this lusty route Line 1800 ffro Ianuarie / with thank on euery syde Hoom to hir hous / Iustily they ryde Where as they doon hir thynges / as hem leste And whan they sye hir tyne / goon to reste Line 1804 Soone after that this hastif Ianuarie Wolde go to bedde / he wolde no lenger tarye He drynketh Ypocras / Clarree and Vernage Of spices hoote / tencreessen his corage Line 1808 And many a letuarie / hath he ful fyn Swiche as the Monk daun Constantyn Hath writen / in his book de coitu To eten hem alle / he nas no thyng eschu Line 1812

[6-text p 459] Line 1812 And to hise priuee freendes / thus seyde he ffor goddes loue / as soone as it may be Lat voyden al this hous / in curteys wyse And they han doon / right as he wol deuyse Line 1816 Men drynken / and the trauers drawe anon The bryde / was broght a bedde / as stille as stoon And whan the bed / was with the preest yblessed Out of the chambre / hath euery wight hym dressed Line 1820 And Ianuarie / hath faste in Armes take His fresshe May / his Paradys his make He lulleth hire / he kisseth hire ful ofte With thilke brustles / of his berd vnsofte Line 1824 Lyk to the skyn of houndfyssh / sharpe as brere ffor he was shaue al newe / in his manere He rubbeth hire / aboute hir tendre face And seyde thus / allas I moot trespace Line 1828 To yow my spouse / and yow greetly offende Er tyme come / þat I wil doun descende But nathelees / considereth this quod he [folio 113a] Ther nys no werkman / what so euere he be Line 1832 That may bothe / werke wel and hastily This wol be doon at leyser parfitly It is no fors / how longe þat we pleye In trewe wedlok / wedded be we tweye Line 1836 And blessed be the yok/ þat we been Inne ffor in [oure] Actes / we mowe do no synne A man / may do no synne with his wyf Ne hurte hym seluen / with his owene knyf Line 1840 ffor we han leue / to pleye vs by the lawe Thus laboureth he / til þat the day gan dawe And thanne he taketh a sope / in fyne clarree And vpright in his bed / thanne sitteth he Line 1844 And after that he sang ful loude and cleere And kiste his wyf / and made wantowne cheere He was al coltissh / ful of ragerye And ful of Iargon / as a flekked pye Line 1848

[6-text p 460] Line 1848 The slakke skyn / aboute his nekke shaketh Whil þat he sang / so chaunteth he and craketh But god woot what þat May thoughte in hir herte Whan she hym saugh / vp sittynge in his sherte Line 1852 In his nyght cappe / and with his nekke lene She preyseth nat his pleyyng worth a bene Thanne seide he thus / my reste wol I take Now day is come / I may no lenger wake Line 1856 And doun he leyde his heed / and sleepe til pryme And afterward / whan þat he saugh his tyme Vp ryseth Ianuarie / but fresshe May Heeld hire chambre / vn-to the fourthe day Line 1860 As vsage is / of wyues / for the beste ffor euery labour/ som tyme moot han reste Or elles / longe may he nat endure This is to seyn / no lyues creature Line 1864 Be it of fyssh / or bryd / or beest or man Now wol I speke / of woful Damyan That langwissheth for loue / as ye shul heere Therfore / I speke to hym in this manere Line 1868 ¶ I seye / o sely Damyan allas [¶ Auctor] Andswere to my demaunde / as in this cas How shaltow / to thy lady fresshe May Telle thy wo / she wole alwey seye nay Line 1872 Eek if thou speke / she wol thy wo biwreye God be thyn helpe / I kan no bettre seye ¶ This sike Damyan / in Venus fyr So brenneth / that he dyeth for desyr Line 1876 ffor which / he putte his lyf in auenture No lenger myghte he / in this wise endure But priuely / a penner gan he borwe [folio 113b] And in a lettre / wroot he al his sorwe Line 1880 In manere of a compleynt or a lay Vn-to his faire / fresshe lady May And in a purs of sylk/ heng on his sherte He hath it put and leyde it at his herte Line 1884

[6-text p 461] Line 1884

The moone / that at Noon was thilke day That Ianuarie / hath wedded fresshe May In two of Tawr / was in to Cancre glyden So longe hath Mayus / in hir chambre byden Line 1888 As custume is / vn-to thise nobles alle A bryde / shal nat eten in the halle Til dayes foure / or .iij. dayes atte leeste Ypassed been / thanne lat hire go to feeste Line 1892 The fourthe day compleet fro Noon to Noon Whan þat/ the heighe masse was ydoon In halle / sit this Ianuarie and May As fressh / as is the brighte someres day Line 1896 And so bifel / how that this goode man Remembred hym / vpon this Damyan And seyde / Seynte Marie / how may this be That Damyan / entendeth nat to me Line 1900 Is he ay syk / or how may this bityde Hise squieres / whiche that stooden ther bisyde Excused hym / by cause of his siknesse Which letted hym / to doon his bisynesse Line 1904 Noon oother cause / myghte make hym tarye ¶ That me forthynketh / quod this Ianuarie He is a gentil squier / by my trouthe If that he deyde / it were harm and routhe Line 1908 He is as wys / discreet/ and as secree As any man / I woot of his degree And ther-to manly / and eek seruysable And for to been a thrifty man right able Line 1912 But after mete / as soone as euere I may I wol my self visite hym and eek May To doon hym / al the confort that I kan And for that word / hym blessed euery man Line 1916 That of his bountee / and his gentillesse He wolde so conforten in siknesse His squier / for it was a gentil dede Dame quod this Ianuarie / taak good hede Line 1920

[6-text p 462] Line 1920 At after Noon / ye with youre wommen alle Whan ye han been in chambre / out of this halle That alle ye / go se this Damyan Dooth hym disport/ he is a gentil man Line 1924 And telleth hym / that I wol hym visite Haue I no thyng but rested me a lite And spede yow faste / for I wole abyde [folio 114a] Til that ye slepe / faste by my syde Line 1928 And with that word / he gan to hym to calle A Squier / that was Marchal of his halle And tolde hym certeyn thynges / what he wolde ¶ This fresshe May / hath streight hir wey yholde Line 1932 With alle hir wommen / vn-to Damyan Doun by his beddes syde / sit she than Confortynge hym / as goodly as she may This Damyan / whan that his tyme he say Line 1936 In secree wise / his purs and eek his bille In which þat he / ywriten hadde his wille Hath put in to hire hand / with-outen moore Saue þat he siketh / wonder depe and soore Line 1940 And softely to hire / right thus seyde he Mercy / and that ye nat discouere me ffor I am deed / if that this thyng/ be kyd This purs hath she / inwith hir bosom hyd Line 1944 And wente hire wey / ye gete namoore of me But vn-to Ianuarie / ycomen is she That on his beddes syde / sit ful softe He taketh hire / and kisseth hire ful ofte Line 1948 And leyde hym doun to slepe / and that anon She feyned hire / as that she moste gon Ther as ye woot þat euery wight moot neede And whan she of this bille / hath taken heede Line 1952 She rente it/ al to cloutes atte laste And in the pryuee / softely it caste

Who studieth now / but faire fresshe May Adoun / by olde Ianuarie she lay Line 1956

[6-text p 463] Line 1956 That sleepe / til þat the coughe / hath hym awaked Anon he preyde hire / strepen hire al naked He wolde of hire he seyde / han som plesance And seyde / hir clothes / dide hym encombrance Line 1960 And she obeyeth / be hire lief or looth But lest ye precious folk / be with me wrooth How that he wroghte / I dar nat to yow telle Or wheither / þat hire thoughte it Paradys or helle Line 1964 But heere I lete hem / werken in hir wyse Til euensong rong and þat they moste aryse Were it by destynee / or by auenture Were it by Influence / or by nature Line 1968 Or constellacion / that in swich estaat The heuene / stood that tyme fortunaat Was for to putte a bille / of Venus werkes ffor alle thyng hath tyme / as seyn thise clerkes Line 1972 To any womman / for to gete hire loue I kan nat seye / but grete god aboue That knoweth / that noon Act is causelees [folio 114b] He deme of al / for I wole holde my pees Line 1976 But sooth is this / how that this fresshe May Hath take / swich impression that day ffor pitee / of this sike Damyan That from hire herte / she ne dryue kan Line 1980 The remembrance / for to doon hym ese Certeyn thoghte she / whom þat this thyng displese I rekke noght / for heere I hym assure To loue hym best of any creature Line 1984 Though he namoore hadde than his sherte Lo pitee / renneth soone in gentil herte ¶ Heere may ye se / how excellent franchise In wommen is / whan they hem narwe auyse Line 1988 Som tyrant is / as ther be many oon That hath an herte / as hard / as any stoon Which wolde / han lat hym storuen in the place Wel rather / than han graunted hym hire grace Line 1992

[6-text p 464] Line 1992 And hem reioysen / in hire crueel pryde And rekke nat to been an homycide ¶ This gentil May / fulfilled of pitee Right of hire hand / a lettre made she Line 1996 In which she graunteth hym hire verray grace Ther lakketh noght/ oonly / but day and place Wher þat she myghte / vn-to his lust suffise ffor it shal be / right as he wole deuyse Line 2000 And whan she saught hir tyme vp on a day To visite this Damyan / gooth May And sotilly this lettre / doun she threste Vnder his pilwe / rede it if hym leste Line 2004 She taketh hym by the hand / and harde hym twiste So secrely / that no wight of it wiste And bad hym been al hool / and forth he wente To Ianuarie / whan þat he for hym sente Line 2008

Vp riseth Damyan / the nexte morwe Al passed was / his siknesse and his sorwe He kembeth hym / he preyneth hym and pyketh He dooth / al that his lady lust and lyketh Line 2012 And eek to Ianuarie / he gooth as lowe As euere dide / a dogge for the bowe He is so plesant/ vn-to euery man ffor craft is al / who so that do it kan Line 2016 That euery wight/ is fayn to speke hym good And fully / in his lady grace he stood Thus lete I Damyan / aboute his nede And in my tale / forth I wol procede Line 2020 ¶ Somme clerkes / holden that felicitee Stant in delit/ and therfore certeyn he? This noble Ianuarie / with al his myght [folio 115a] In honeste wyse / as longeth to a knyght Line 2024 Shoope hym to lyue / ful deliciously His housynge / his array / as honestly To his degree / was maked as a kynges Amonges othere / of hise honeste thynges Line 2028

[6-text p 465] Line 2028 He made a gardyn / walled al with stoon So fair a gardyn / woot I nowher noon ffor out of doute / I verraily suppose That he / þat wroot the romance of the Rose Line 2032 Ne koude of it/ the beautee wel deuyse Ne Priapus / ne myghte nat suffise Though he be god of gardyns / for to telle The beautee of the gardyn / and the welle Line 2036 That stood vnder a laurer / alwey grene fful ofte tyme / he Pluto and his queene Proserpina / and al hire fairye Disporten hem / and maken melodye Line 2040 Aboute that welle / and daunced as men tolde ¶ This noble knyght this Ianuarie the olde Swich deyntee hath / in it to walke and pleye That he wol no wight suffren bere the keye Line 2044 Saue he hym self/ for of the smale wyket He baar alwey / of siluer a Clyket With which / whan þat hym leste he it vnshette And whan he wolde / paye his wyf hir dette Line 2048 In Somer seson / thider wolde he go And May his wyf/ and no wight but they two And thynges / whiche þat were nat doon a bedde He in the gardyn / parfourned hem and spedde Line 2052 And in this wyse / many a murye day Lyued this Ianuarie / and fresshe May But worldly Ioye / may nat alwey dure To Ianuarie / ne to no creature Line 2056

Osodeyn hape / o thou fortune Instable [¶ Auctor.] Lyk to the Scorpion / so deceyuable That flaterest with thyn heed / whan thou wolt synge Thy tayl is deeth / thurgh thyn enuenymynge Line 2060 O brotil Ioye / o sweete venym queynte O Monstre / that so subtilly kanst peynte Thy yiftes / vnder hewe of stidefastnesse That thou deceyuest bothe moore and lesse Line 2064

[6-text p 466] Line 2064 Why hastow Ianuarie / thus deceyued That haddest hym / for thy ful freend receyued And now thou hast biraft hym bothe hise eyen ffor sorwe of which / desireth he to dyen Line 2068 ¶ Allas / this noble Ianuarie free Amydde his lust and his prosperitee Is woxen blynd / and that al sodeynly [folio 115b] He wepeth and he wayleth pitously Line 2072 And ther with al / the fyr of Ialousie Lest þat his wyf/ sholde falle in swich folye So brente his herte / that he wolde fayn That som man / bothe hym and hire had slayn Line 2076 ffor neither after his deeth / nor in his lyf Ne wolde he / þat she were loue ne wyf But euere lyue as wydwe in clothes blake Soul as the turtle / þat lost hath hire make Line 2080 But atte laste / after a Monthe or tweye His sorwe gan aswage / sooth to seye ffor whan he wiste / it may noon oother be He paciently / took his Aduersitee Line 2084 Saue out of doute / he may nat forgoon That he nas Ialous / eueremoore in oon Which Ialousye / it was so outrageous That neither in halle / nyn noon oother hous Line 2088 Nyn noon oother place / neuerthemo He nolde suffre hire / for to ryde or go But if þat he / had hond on hire alway ffor which ful ofte / wepeth fresshe May Line 2092 That loueth Damyan / so benyngnely That she moot outher dyen sodeynly Or elles / she moot han hym as hir leste She wayteth / whan hir herte wolde breste Line 2096 ¶ Vp on that oother syde Damyan Bicomen is / the sorwefulleste man That euere was / for neither nyght ne day Ne myghte he speke a word to fresshe May Line 2100

[6-text p 467] Line 2100 As to his purpos / of no swich mateere But if that Ianuarie / moste it heere That hadde an hand / vp on hire eueremo But nathelees / by writyng to and fro Line 2104 And priuee signes / wiste he what she mente And she knew eek / the fyn of his entente

O Ianuarie / what myghte it thee auaille [¶ Auctor] Thogh thou myghtest se / as fer as shippes saille ffor as good is / blynd deceyued be Line 2109 As to be deceyued / whan a man may se ¶ Lo Argus / which þat hadde / an hondred eyen ffor al þat euere / he koude poure or pryen Line 2112 Yet was he blent/ and god woot so been mo That wenen wisly / that it be nat so Passe ouer is an ese / I sey namoore ¶ This fresshe May / þat I spak of so yoore Line 2116 In warm wex / hath emprented the clyket That Ianuarie bar / of the smale wyket By which / in to his gardyn ofte he wente [folio 116a] And Damyan / that knew al hire entente Line 2120 The cliket countrefeted pryuely Ther nys namoore to seye / but hastily Som wonder / by this clyket shal bityde Which ye shul heeren / if ye wole abyde Line 2124 ¶ O noble Ouyde / ful sooth seystou god woot [¶ Auctor.] What sleighte is it/ thogh it be long and hoot That he nyl fynde it out / in som manere By Piramus / and Tesbee / may men leere Line 2128 Thogh they were kept ful longe streite oueral They been accorded / rownynge thurgh a wal Ther no wight / koude han founde out swich a sleighte ¶ But now to purpos / er þat dayes eighte Line 2132 Were passed / er the Monthe of Iuyl bifille That Ianuarie / hath caught so greet a wille Thurgh eggyng of his wyf hym for to pleye In his gardyn / and no wight but they tweye Line 2136

[6-text p 468] Line 2136 That in a morwe / vn-to this May seith he Rys vp my wyf/ my loue / my lady free The turtle voys is herd / my dowue sweete The wynter is goon / with his [[his interlined in a later hand]] reynes weete Com forth now / with thyne eyen columbyn Line 2141 How fairer been thy brestes / than is wyn The gardyn / is enclosed al aboute Com forth my white spouse / out of doute Line 2144 Thou hast me wounded / in myn herte / o wyf No spot of thee / ne knew I al my lyf Come forth / and lat vs taken som disport I chees thee / for my wyf and my confort Line 2148 ¶ Swiche olde lewed wordes vsed he On Damyan / a signe made she That he sholde go biforn / with his cliket This Damyan thanne / hath opened the wyket Line 2152 And In he stirte / and that in swich manere That no wight myghte it se / neither yheere And stille he sit/ vnder a bussh anon ¶ This Ianuarie / as blynd as is a stoon Line 2156 With Mayus in his hand / and no wight mo In to his fresshe gardyn is ago And clapte to / the wyket sodeynly ¶ Now wyf quod he / heere nys but thou and I Line 2160 That art the creature / that I best loue ffor by that lord / þat sit in heuene aboue Leuere ich hadde / to dyen on a knyf Than thee offende / trewe deere wyf Line 2164 ffor goddes sake / thenk how I thee chees Noght for no coueitise doutelees But oonly / for the loue / I had to thee [folio 116b] And though þat I be oold / and may nat see Line 2168 Beth to me trewe / and I shal telle yow why? Thre thynges / certes / shal ye wynne ther by ffirst loue of Crist/ and to youre self honour And al myn heritage / toun and tour Line 2172

[6-text p 469] Line 2172 I yeue it yow / maketh chartres as yow leste This shal be doon tomorwe er sonne reste So wisly / god my soule brynge in blisse I prey yow first/ in couenat ye me kisse Line 2176 And though þat I be Ialous wyte me noght Ye been so depe / enprented in my thoght That whan I considere youre beautee And ther with al / the vnlikly elde of me Line 2180 I may nat certes / though I sholde dye fforbere / to been out of youre compaignye ffor verray loue / this is with outen doute Now kys me wyf/ and lat vs rome aboute Line 2184 ¶ This fresshe May / whan she thise wordes herde Benyngnely / to Ianuarie answerde But first and forward / she bigan to wepe I haue quod she / a soule for to kepe Line 2188 As wel as ye / and also myn honour And of my wyfhod / thilke tendre flour Which þat I haue / assured in youre hond Whan þat the preest to yow my body bond Line 2192 Wherfore / I wole answere / in this manere By the leue of yow / my lord so deere I prey to god / þat neuere dawe the day That I ne sterue / as foule as womman may Line 2196 If euere I do / vn to my kyn that shame Or elles / I empeyre so my name That I be fals / and if I do that lakke Do strepe me / and put me in a sakke Line 2200 And in the nexte ryuer / do me drenche I am a gentil womman and no wenche Why speke ye thus /? but men been euere vntrewe And wommen / haue repreue of yow ay newe Line 2204 Ye han noon oother contenance I leeue But speke to vs / of vntrust and repreeue ¶ And with that word / she saugh wher Damyan Sat in the bussh / and coughen she bigan Line 2208

[6-text p 470] Line 2208 And with hir fynger / signes made she That Damyan / sholde clymbe vp on a tree That charged was with fruyt and vp he wente ffor verraily / he knew al hire entente Line 2212 And euery signe / þat she koude make Wel bet than Ianuarie / hir owene make ffor in a lettre / she hadde toold hym al [folio 117a] Of this matere / how he werchen shal Line 2216 And thus I lete hym sitte / vp on the pyrie And Ianuarie and May romynge myrie

Bright was the day / and blew the firmament Phebus hath of gold / hise stremes doun ysent Line 2220 To gladen euery flour with his warmnesse He was that tyme / in Geminis as I gesse But litel / fro his declynacion Of Cancer / Iouis exaltacion Line 2224 And so bifel / that brighte morwe tyde That in that gardyn / in the ferther syde Pluto / that is kyng of ffairye And many a lady / in his compaignye Line 2228 ffolwynge his wyf / the queene Proserpyne Ech after oother / right as a lyne Whil þat she gadered / floures in the mede In Claudyan / ye may the stories rede Line 2232 And in his grisely Carte / he hire sette This kyng of ffairye / thanne adoun hym sette Vp on a bench of turues / fressh and grene And right anon / thus seyde he to his queene Line 2236 ¶ My wyf quod he / ther may no wight seye nay Thexperience / so preueth euery day The tresons / whiche þat wommen doon to man Ten hondred thousand / tellen I kan Line 2240 Notable / of youre vntrouthe and brotilnesse O Salomon / wys / and richest of richesse ffulfild of sapience / and of worldly glorie fful worthy been thy wordes to memorie Line 2244

[6-text p 471] Line 2244 To euery wight þat wit and reson kan Thus preiseth he yet the bountee of man ¶ Amonges a thousand men / yet foond I oon But of wommen alle / foond I noon Line 2248 ¶ Thus seith the kyng þat knoweth youre wikkednesse And Ihesus filius Syrak as I gesse Ne speketh of yow / but seelde reuerence A wylde fyr / and corrupt pestilence Line 2252 So falle vp on youre bodyes yet to nyght Ne se ye nat this honurable knyght By cause allas / that he is blynd and old His owene man / shal make hym Cokewold Line 2256 Lo heere he sit the lechour in the tree Now wol I graunten / of my magestee Vn-to this olde blynde worthy knyght That he shal haue ayeyn hise eyen syght Line 2260 Whan þat his wyf/ wold doon hym vileynye Thanne shal he knowen / al hire harlotrye Bothe in repreue of hire / and othere mo [folio 117b] ¶ Ye shal quod Proserpyne / wol ye so? Line 2264 Now by my moodres sires soule I swere That I shal yeuen hire suffisant answere And alle wommen after / for hir sake That though they be / in any gilt ytake Line 2268 With face boold / they shulle hem self excuse And bere hem doun / that wolden hem accuse ffor lakke of answere / noon of hem shal dyen Al hadde man seyn a thyng with bothe hise eyen Line 2272 Yit shul we wommen / visage it hardily And wepe / and swere / and visage it subtilly So þat ye men / shul been / as lewed as gees What rekketh me / of youre Auctoritees Line 2276 ¶ I woot wel / that this Iew / this Salomon ffoond of vs wommen / fooles many oon But though þat he ne foond / no good womman Yet hath ther founde / many another man Line 2280

[6-text p 472] Line 2280 Wommen ful trewe / ful goode / and vertuous Witnesse on hem / þat dwelle in Cristes hous With martirdom / they preued hire constance The Romayn geestes / eek maken remembrance Line 2284 Of many a verray / trewe wyf also But sire ne be nat wrooth / al be it so Though þat he seyde / he foond no good womman I prey yow / take the sentence of the man Line 2288 He mente thus / that in souereyn bontee Nis noon / but god þat sit in Trinitee ¶ Ey for verray god / that nys but oon What make ye / so muche of Salomon Line 2292 What though he made a temple goddes hous What though he were / riche and glorious So made he eek / a temple of false goddis How myghte he do a thyng þat moore forbode is Line 2296 Pardee / as faire / as ye his name emplastre He was a lecchour / and an ydolastre And in his elde / he verray god forsook And if god ne hadde / as seith the book Line 2300 Yspared for his fadres sake / he sholde Haue lost his regne / rather than he wolde I sette right noght of al the vileynye That ye of wommen write / a Boterflye Line 2304 I am a womman / nedes moot I speke Or elles swelle / til myn herte breke ffor sithen he seyde / that we been Iangleress As euere hool / I moote brouke my tresses Line 2308 I shal nat spare / for no curteisye To speke hym harm / þat wolde vs vileynye

Dame quod this Pluto / be no lenger wrooth [folio 118a] I yeue it vp / but sith I swoor myn ooth Line 2312 That I wolde / graunten hym his sighte ageyn My word shal stonde / I warne yow certeyn I am a kyng it sit me noght to lye ¶ And I quod she / a Queene of ffairye Line 2316

[6-text p 473] Line 2316 Hir answere shal she haue I vndertake Lat vs namoore wordes heer-of make ffor sothe / I wol no lenger/ yow contrarie ¶ Now lat vs / turne agayn to Ianuarie Line 2320 That in the gardyn / with his faire May Syngeth ful murier / than the Papeiay Yow loue I best and shal and oother noon So longe / aboute the Aleyes is he goon Line 2324 Til he was come / agayns thilke pyrie Where as this Damyan / sitteth ful myrie Anheigh / among the fresshe leues grene ¶ This fresshe May / that is so bright and sheene Line 2328 Gan for to syke / and seyde / allas my syde Now sire quod she / for aught þat may bityde I moste han / of the peres that I see Or I moot dye / so soore longeth me Line 2332 To eten / of the smale peres grene Help for hir loue / þat is of heuene queene I telle yow wel / a womman in my plit May han to fruyt so greet an Appetit Line 2336 That she may dyen / but she of it haue ¶ Allas quod he / þat I ne had heer a knaue That koude clymbe / allas allas quod he That I am blynd / ye sire no fors quod she Line 2340 ¶ But wolde ye vouche sauf for goddes sake The pyrie / inwith youre armes for to take ffor wel I woot/ that ye mystruste me Thanne sholde I clymbe / wel ynogh quod she Line 2344 So I my foot myghte sette vpon youre bak/ ¶ Certes quod he / ther-on shal be no lak Mighte I yow helpen / with myn herte blood He stoupeth doun / and on his bak she stood Line 2348 And caughte hire by a twiste / and vp she gooth Ladyes / I prey yow / þat ye be nat wrooth I kan nat glose / I am a rude man And sodeynly / anon this Damyan Line 2352

[6-text p 474] Line 2352 Gan pullen vp the smok / and In he throng ¶ And whan þat Pluto / saugh this grete wrong To Ianuarie / he gaf agayn his sighte And made hym se / as wel as euere he myghte Line 2356 And whan þat he / hadde caught his sighte agayn Ne was ther neuere / man of thyng so fayn But on his wyf/ his thoght was eueremo [folio 118b] Vp to the tree / he caste hise eyen two Line 2360 And saugh þat Damyan / his wyf had dressed In swich manere / it may nat been expressed But if I wolde / speke vncurteisly And vp he yaf / a roryng and a cry Line 2364 As dooth the mooder / whan the child shal dye Out helpe / allas / harrow he gan to crye O stronge lady stoore / what dostow? ¶ And she answerde / sire what eyleth yow? Line 2368 Haue pacience / and reson in youre mynde I haue yow holpe / on bothe youre eyen blynde Vp peril of my soule / I shal nat lyen As me was taught / to heele with youre eyen Line 2372 Was no thyng bet to make yow to see Than strugle with a man / vp on a tree God woot I dide it / in ful good entente ¶ Strugle quod he? ye algate In it wente Line 2376 God yeue yow bothe / on shames deth to dyen He swyued thee / I saugh it. with myne eyen And elles / be I hanged by the hals ¶ Thanne is quod she / my medicyne fals Line 2380 ffor certeinly / if that ye myghte se Ye wolde nat seyn / thise wordes vn to me Ye han som glymsyng and no parfit sighte ¶ I se quod he / as wel as euere I myghte Line 2384 Thonked be god / with bothe myne eyen two And by my trouthe / me thoughte he dide thee so ¶ Ye maze / maze / goode sire quod she This thank haue I / for I haue maad yow see Line 2388

[6-text p 475] Line 2388 Allas quod she / that euere I was so kynde ¶ Now dame quod he / lat al passe out of mynde Com doun my lief and if I haue myssayd God helpe me so / as I am yuele apayd Line 2392 But by my fader soule / I wende han seyn How that this Damyan / hadde by thee leyn And þat thy smok hadde leyn vp on his brest ¶ Ye sire quod she / ye may wene as yow lest Line 2396 But sire / a man / þat waketh out of his sleepe He may nat sodeynly / wel taken keepe Vp on a thyng ne seen it parfitly Til þat he be / adawed verraily Line 2400 ¶ Right so a man / þat longe hath blynd ybe Ne may nat sodeynly / so wel yse ffirst whan his sighte / is newe come ageyn As he þat hath / a day or two yseyn Line 2404 Til that youre sighte / ysatled be a while Ther may / ful many a sighte yow bigile Beth war I prey yow / for by heuene kyng [folio 119a] fful many a man / weneth to seen a thyng Line 2408 And it is / al another / than it semeth He þat mysconceyueth / he mysdemeth And with that word / she leepe doun fro the tree ¶ This Ianuarie / who is glad but he Line 2412 He kisseth hire / and clippeth hire ful ofte And on hire wombe / he stroketh hire ful softe And to his palays / hoom he hath hire lad Now goode men / I pray yow be glad Line 2416 Thus endeth heere / my tale of Ianuarie God blesse vs / and his mooder Seinte Marie Line 2418

¶ Heere is ended / the Marchantes tale of Ianuarie.

[6-text p 476]

¶ The Prologe of the Squieres tale. [on leaf 119]

Ey goddes mercy / seyde oure Hoost tho Now swich a wyf/ I pray god kepe me fro Line 2420 Lo whiche sleightes / and subtiltees In wommen been / for ay as bisy as bees Been they / vs sely men for to deceyue And from a sooth / euere wol they weyue Line 2424 By this Marchauntes tale / it preueth weel But doutelees / as trewe as any steel I haue a wyf/ though þat she poure be But of hir tonge / a labbyng shrewe is she Line 2428 And yet she hath / an heepe of vices mo Ther-of no fors / lat alle swiche thynges go But wyte ye what in conseil be it seyd Me reweth soore / I am vn-to hire teyd Line 2432 ffor and I sholde / rekenen euery vice Which þat she hath / ywis I were to nyce And cause why / it sholde reported be And toold to hire / of somme of this meynee Line 2436 Of whom / it nedeth nat for to declare Syn wommen / konnen outen swich chaffare And eek my wit suffiseth nat ther to To tellen al / wherfore my tale is do [[No break in the MS.]] Line 2440

[6-text p 477] Line 2440