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

[PART IV.]

IN þis . astate þere ben passed foure ȝere Line 610 Er sche wiþ childe was Bot as god wolde A knaue childe sche bare be þis waltere Ful gracious and faire to be-holde Line 613 And whan þat folke it to his fader tolde Nouht onlyche he but al þe contre mury Was for þis and god þei þonke and hery Line 616

¶ Whan it was tuo ȝere olde and fro þe breste Line 617 Departid of his norice on a daye þis Markes cauht ȝit anoþere leste

[6-text p 423] To tempte his wif ȝit ofter if he maie Line 620 O nedeles was sche tempted in assaie Bot wedded men knowen no mesure Whan þat þei finde a pacient creature Line 623

¶ Wif quod þis Markes ȝe haue herde of þis Line 624 My peple sekely bereþ heuye of oure mariage And namely seþ my son borne is Nowe is wers þan euer in al oure age Line 627 The mormure sleþe myn herte and myne corage For to myne eres commeþ voice so smarte That it wel nyhe destruyde hathe myne herte Line 630

¶ Nowe seye þei þus whan Waltier is a-gone Line 631 Than schal þe blode of Ianicle succede And bien oure lorde for oþere haue we none Suche wordes seiþe my peple it is no drede Line 634 Wele ouhte .I. of suche murmure taken hede For certeinly .I. drede suche sentence Þouhe þei nouht pleine speke in myne audience Line 637

¶ I wolde leue in pes if þat .I. myhte Line 638 Where-fore .I. am disposed vtterlye As .I. his suster serued be nyhte Riht so þenke .I. to serue him priuely [folio 122a] Line 641 Thus warne .I. ȝowe for ȝe nouht sodanly Oute of ȝoure selue for no woo scholde outraie Beþe pacient and þerfore .I. ȝow preie Line 644

¶ .I. haue quod sche saide and euer schal Line 645 .I. will no þinge certeigne Bot as ȝoue luste nouht greueþe me al Þouhe þat my douhter and my son bue sleine Line 648 Att ȝoure commandement þis is to seine .I. haue nouht had no parte of childern tweyne Bot first sekenesse and after woo and peine Line 651

[6-text p 424] Line 651

¶ Ȝe bene oure lorde do wiþ ȝoure owen þinge Line 652 Riht as ȝowe liste axeþe no rede att me For as .I. left att home al my cloþinge Whan .I. first came to ȝowe riht so quod sche Line 655 Lest .I. my wil and al my liberte And toke ȝoure cloþinge where-fore .I. ȝowe preie Doþe ȝoure plesance .I. wil ȝoure lust obeie Line 658

¶ And certes if .I. had prescience Line 659 Ȝoure will to knowe ar ȝe ȝoure lust me tolde .I. wolde it do wiþ-outen necligence Bot nowe .I. wote ȝoure luste and what ȝe wolde Line 662 Al ȝoure plesance ferme and plesance .I. holde For wist .I. þat my deþe wolde do ȝowe ese Riht gladly wolde .I. deie ȝowe to plese Line 665

¶ Deþ maie nouht make no comparisone Line 666 Vnto owre loue and whan þis Markis seye Þe Countenance. of his wif he cast a-doune His eyȝen tuo and wonderþ þat sche maye Line 669 In paciens suffur al þis araye And forþe he goþ wiþ drery countenance Bot to his hert it was riht grete plesance Line 672

¶ Þis Ogel seriant in þe same wise Line 673 Þat he hir douhte cauht riht so he Or wers. if men wers can deuise Haþe hente hire son þat ful was of beute Line 676 And euer in oone so paciente was sche That sche no chiere made of heuinesse Bott kissed hir son and after gan it blesse Line 679

¶ Saue þis sche praide him if þat he myht Line 680 Hir litel son he wolde in erþe graue His tendre limes delicate to siht Fro foules and fro bestes forto saue [folio 122b] Line 683

[6-text p 425] Line 683 Bot sche none ansewere of him myht haue He went his waie as he no þinge rouht Bot to Boleigne he tendurly it brouht Line 686

¶ This Markes wondreþ euer lenger þe more Line 687 Vpon hire paciens and if þat he Ne hadde soþely knowe þere before Þat perfitly hir cheldern loued sche Line 690 He wolde haue wende þat of summe subtilite And of Males or for cruel curage Þat sche hadde sufferd þis wiþ sadde visage Line 693

¶ Bot wele he knewe next him selue certeigne Line 694 Sche loued hir childern best in euery wise Bot nowe of wemmen wolde .I. axe feine If þes assaies myht nouht suffise Line 697 What couþe a stordy husbonde more deuyse to preue his wif and hir stedfastnesse And he continuinge euer in stordenesse Line 700

¶ Bot þere buen folke of suche condicione Line 701 þat whan þe haue a certeine purpos take þei can nouht stinte of hire entencion Bot riht as þei were bounden to a stake Line 704 þai wil nouht of þat first purpos slake Riht so þis ma[r]kes fully haþe purposyd To tempt his wif as he was firste disposyd Line 707

¶ He waiteþ if be worde or countenance Line 708 That sche to him was chaunged of Corage Bot neuer couþe he finde variance Sche was aie oon in hert and in visage Line 711 And aie þe forþer sche was in age The more trewe if þat it were possible Sche was to him loue and more pesible Line 714

[6-text p 426] Line 714

¶ For whiche it semed þus þat of hem tuo Line 715 Þer nas bot o will for as Waltier luste Þat same lust was hir plesance also And god he þonked as fel for þe beste Line 718 Sch schewed wele for no werldly vnreste A wif as of hire self no þinge ne scholde Wille in effecte bot as hir husbonde wolde Line 721

¶ The sclander of Walter oft and wide spradde Line 722 That of a cruel hert he wikkedly For he a pouer womman wedded hadde Had murdred boþ his childern priuely [folio 123a] Line 725 Suche murmur was ymonge hem comunly No wonder is for to þe peples ere Þere come no worde bot þat þei murdred were Line 728

¶ ffor whiche þer as his peple þere before Line 729 Had loued him wel þe sclaunder of his defame Maade hem þat þei hated him þer-fore To biene a Mordrer is an hateful name Line 732 Bot naþeles for ernest ne for game He of his crewel purpos nold stint To tempte his wif was sette al his entent Line 735

¶ Whan þat his douhter . xij. ȝere was of age Line 736 He to þe Courte of Rome in soubtile wise Enformed of his will and sente his message Commandeinge hem suche bulles to douise Line 739 In þis manere and in þis same gise Howe þat þe pope for his peple rest Bat him to wedde anoþer wif ȝif þat him lest Line 742

¶ I saie he badde þei scholde countrefete Line 743 The popes bulles makeinge mencione þat haþe leue his first wif to lete As by þe popes despensacione Line 746

[6-text p 427] Line 746 To stinte Rancor and discencione Be-twix his peple and him þus spake þe bulle The whiche þei han publisced att þe fulle Line 749

¶ The rode peple as it no wonder is Line 750 Wenden ful wel þat it hadd be riht so Bot whan þis tiþinges came to Crisildis .I. deme þat hire hert was ful woo Line 753 Bot sche ylike sadde for euer moo Disposed was þis humble creature To aduersite of fortune al to endure Line 756

¶ Abideinge euer his lust and his plesaunce Line 757 To wham sche was ȝeuen hert and al As to hir werldly verray suffisance Bot schortly ȝif þis storie tell .I. schal Line 760 This Marqwys writen haþe in special A lettre in whiche he scheweþ his entent And secretely he to Boleigne it sent Line 763

¶ To þe erle of pauyke whiche þat hadde þo Line 764 Wedded his suster prayede he specialy To bringe home aȝeine his childerne two Bot he o þinge praide vtterly [folio 123b] Line 767 Wiþ all his hert ful affectuously Þat he to no wight þouh man wolde enquere Schol nouht tellen whos childen þat þei were Line 770

¶ Bot seie þe maiden schold y-wedde be Line 771 Vn-to þe Markes of Salucez riht anone And as þis Erle was preide riht so dide For att þe daie sette . he on his waie is gone Line 774 To-wardes Salutz and lordes many one In riche Araie þis Mayden for to Gyde Hir ȝonge broþer rideynge be hire side Line 777

[6-text p 428] Line 777

¶ Araide was to-warde hir mariage Line 778 This frische maide ful of gemmes clere Hire broþer whiche þat seuen ȝere was of age Araide eke ful frische in his manere Line 781 And þus in grete noblesse and wiþ gladde chiere To-ward Saluces schapinge hire Iornaie Fro daie to daie þei rideinge in hire weie. Line 784

[Explicit] Quarta pars fabule