The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[PART III.]

Ther fel as it bi-fel tymys mo Line 449 Whan þat þis child hath soukede but a throwe This markis in his herte longith soo To tempte his wyf hire sadnesse for to knowe Line 452 That he ne myȝte out of his herte throwe This meruelious desyr his wyf tasayee Nedles god wot he thouȝte hyre for taffraye Line 455

He hadde a-sayed hire ryȝt I-now be-fore Line 456 And fond hire eeuere good / what neded it Hire for to tempte alwey more & more Thow sum men preyse it for a subtil wit Line 459 But as for me I seye þat yuele it sit Tassaye a wyf / whan þat it is noon nede And put hire in anguys & in drede Line 462

[6-text p 418] Line 462

ffor which þis Markys / wrowt in þis manere [folio 249a] Line 463 He cam alone / a nyȝt þere as sche lay With sterne face / & with ful sturdy chere And seyd thus / Grisilde quod he þat day Line 466 That I ȝow tok / out of ȝoure pore aray And put ȝow in estat/ of hegh noblesse ȝe han not þat / forgetyn as I gesse Line 469

I sey Grisilde / this present dignete Line 470 In which þat I haue / put ȝow / as I trowe Makyth ȝow nat / forȝetful for to be þat I ȝow tok / in pore estaat ful lowe Line 473 ffor ony wele / ȝe motyn ȝoure seluyn knowe Take heed of / euery word þat I ȝow seye Ther is no wight / þat hereth it but we tweye Line 476

Ye woot youre self wel / how that ye cam heere Line 477 In-to this hous / it is nat longe a-go And thow to me / þat ye been lef & deere Vn-to myn sentens ye been nothyng so Line 480 They seyn to hem / it is greet schame & wo ffor to been subiect / & been in seruage To the þat born art / of a smal village Line 483

And nameliche / sithe thyn doughtyr was bore Line 484 These wordis han / they spoke douteles But I desire / as I haue doon by-fore To lyue myn lyf / with hem in reste & pees Line 487 I may nat in / this cas been rechelees I mot doon with thyn / doghtyr for the beste Nat as I wolde / but as myn peple leste Line 490

And ȝit god wot / it is ful looght to me Line 491 But natheles / with-outyn ȝoure wytynge I wol not don / but this wol I quod he That ȝe to me / assente as in this thyng Line 494

[6-text p 419] Line 494 Schewe now ȝoure / pacience in ȝoure werkyng That ȝe me hyȝte / & swore in ȝoure wyllage That day that maked / was oure mariage Line 497

Whan sche hadde herd al this she noght a-meued [folio 249b] Neythir in word / ne chire nor cuntenaunce ffor as it semede sche was nat agreuyd Sche seyde lord al lyth in ȝore plesaunce Line 501 Myn chyld & .I. / with hertely obey-saunce Been ȝourys al & ȝe mowe saue or spille Youre owene thyng werkyth aftyr ȝoure wylle Line 504

There may no thyng god so myn soule saue Line 505 Lykyn ȝow þat may displesyn me Ne I desyre nothyng for to haue Ne drede for to lese saue only thee Line 508 T[h]is wil is in myn herte & ay schal bee No lenthe of tyme or deth schal this defase Ne change myn corage tyl a-noþer place Line 511

Glad was this markis of this answeryng Line 512 But ȝit he feynede as it were nat so Al drery was hise chir & hise lokynge Whan þat he schulde out of the chambir goo Line 515 Sone aftyr this a furlong woy or too He pryuyly hath told al his entente Vn-to a man & to his wif hym sente Line 518

A maner seriaunt was this priue man Line 519 The whiche that fei[t]hful ofte he foundyn hadde In thyngis grete & ek swiche folk wel kan Doon execucioun / in thyngis badde Line 522 The lord knew wel that he hym louede & dradde And whan this sergeaunt / wiste this lordis wille In-to þe chaumbre / he stalke hym ful stylle Line 525

[6-text p 420] Line 525

Madame he seyde ȝe mote for-ȝeue it me Line 526 Thow I do thyng to whiche I am constreynyd Ye ben so wis that ful weel knewe ȝe That lordis hestys mowe not been I-feynyd Line 529 They moun been weel bewailyd & compleynyd But men mot nede vntyl his lust obeye And so wele I / þere is no more to seye Line 532

This child I am comaundit for to take [folio 250a] Line 533 And spek no more but out the child he hente Dispitously & gan a chire make As they he wolde a slayn it er he wente Line 536 Grysyldis muste / al suffere & al consente And as a lomb sche sittyth meke & stylle And leet this crewel seriaunt don his wille Line 539

Suspecious was / þe/ diffame of this man Line 540 Suspect his face / suspect his word also Suspect the tyme / in which that this be-gan Allas hire doghtyr that sche louede so Line 543 Sche wende he wolde a slayn it ryght tho But natheles sche neyther wept ne sikyd Conformyng hire to that þe markis lykyd Line 546

But at the laste spekyn sche be-gan Line 547 And mekely sche to the seriaunt preyde So as he was a worthi gentil man That sche muste kysse hire child er þat it deyede Line 550 And on hire barm this lytyl child sche leyde With ful sad face & gan the child to blysse And lullede it & aftyr gan it to kysse Line 553

And thus sche seyde in ful benyngne voys Line 554 ffare wel myn child I schal þe neuere se But sythe I the haue markede with the croys Of thilke fadyr blyssede mote he bee Line 557

[6-text p 421] Line 557 That for vs deyede vp-on a coroys of tree Thyn soule lytyl chyld I the be-take ffor this nyȝt schat þou deye for myn sake Line 560

I trowe that to a norys in this cas Line 561 It hadde been hard / this routhe for to see Weel myghte a modyr / þanne han cryede allas But nathelas / sad / & stedefast was sche Line 564 That sche endurede / al aduercite And to þe sergeaunt / mekelyche sayde Haue here agayn / ȝoure ȝynge lite mayde Line 567

Seth now quod sche & doth myn lordis heste [folio 250b] But on thyng wele I preye ȝow of ȝoure grace That but myn lord forbad ȝow at the leste Berieth this lite bodi in sum place Line 571 That bestis ne non oþere briddis it to-race But he no word wolde to þat purpos seye But tok the child & wente vp-on hise weye Line 574

This sergeant cam vn-to his lord a-geyn Line 575 And of grysildis wordis & hire chere He told hym word in schort pleyn And hym presentyth with his doughtyr dere Line 578 Sumwhat this lord hadde routhe in this manere But natheles his purpos held he stylle As lordys doon whan they welen han here wille Line 581

And bad this segeaunt þat he priuyly Line 582 Schulde this chyld softe wynde & wrappe With alle cyrcumstauncis tenderely And carye it in a cofere or in a lappe Line 585 But vp peyne of his hed of for to swappe That no man schulde knowe of his entente Ne whens he cam ne wheþer þat he wente Line 588

[6-text p 422] Line 588

But at boloyne he to his sustyr deere Line 589 That thilke tyme of pavyk was cuntesse He schulde it take & schewe hire this matyere Bysekynge hire to don hyre bysynesse Line 592 This child to fostere in al gentillesse And whos chyld þat it was he bad hire hyde ffrom euery wyght for ought þat may be-tyde Line 595

This sergeaunt goth & hath ful-fyld this thyng Line 596 But to the markis now rotorne we ffor now goth he ful faste ymaginyng ȝif by his wywis cheer he myghte se Line 599 Or by hire word aperceyue that sche Were chaungede but he neuere hire coude fynde But euere in on I-lyke sadde & kynde Line 602

As glad as humble as besy in seruyse [folio 251a] Line 603 And ek in loue as sche was wone to be Was sche to hym in euery manere wyse Nor of hire doughtyr nouȝt a word spak she Line 606 Non accident for noon aduersite Was seyn in hire / ne neuere hire doughtiris name Ne nemenede sche in ernest nor in game Line 609