The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ Incipit Tercia pars.

Ther fel as fallith many tymes mo Line 449 whan þat þis child haþ souked but a þrowe This marquys in his herte longith so Tempte his wyf . hir sadnesse for to knowe That he ne might out of his herte þrowe Line 453 This meruaylous desir his wyf tassaye Now god wot he þought hir to affraye Line 455

He had assayed hir ynough bifore Line 456 And fond hir euer good what needith it/ hire to tempte . and alway more and more Though som men prayse it for a subtil wit But as for me I say that euel it sit Line 460 Tassay a wyf whan þat it is no neede And putte hir in anguysch and in dreede Line 462

[6-text p 418] Line 462

For which þis marquis wrouȝt in þis manere Line 463 he com aloone a night þer as sche lay / wiþ sterne face and with ful trouble cheere And sayde þus Grisild quod he þat day / Þat I ȝow took out of ȝour pore array / Line 467 And putte ȝow in estat of heigh noblesse Ȝe haue not þat . forgeten as I gesse / Line 469

I say Grisild þis present dignite Line 470 In which þat I haue put ȝow as I trowe Makith ȝow not . forȝetful for to be Þat I ȝow took in pore estat ful lowe For eny wele ȝe moot ȝour selue knowe / Line 474 Tak heed of euery word þat/ I ȝow say / Ther is no wight þat herith it but we tway / Line 476

Ȝe wot ȝour self . how ȝe comen heere Line 477 In to þis hous it is nought long ago And þough to me þat ȝe be leef and deere vnto my gentils ȝe be no þing so Thay seyn to hem it is gret schame and wo Line 481 For to ben subiect/ . and ben in seruage / To the þat born art of a smal village [folio 123a] Line 483

And namely syn þy doughter was I-bore Line 484 These wordes han þay spoken douteles But I desire as I haue doon byfore To lyue my lif with hem in rest and pees I may not in þis caas be reccheles Line 488 I moot do with þy doughter for þe best/ Not as I wolde but as my pepul lest Line 490

And ȝit god wot þis is ful loth to me Line 491 But naþeles wiþoute ȝoure witynge wol I not doon . but þis wold I quod he / That ȝe to me assent as in þis þing /

[6-text p 419] Schew now ȝour paciens in ȝour wirching Line 495 Þat þou me hightest and swor in ȝon village That day þat maked was oure mariage Line 497

Whan sche had herd al þis sche nouȝt ameeuyd Line 498 Neyþer in word in cheer or countenaunce For as it semed sche was nought agreeued She sayde lord al lith in ȝour plesaunce My child and I with hertly obeisaunce Line 502 Ben ȝoures al . and ȝe may saue or spille Ȝour oughne þing . werkiþ after ȝour wille / Line 504

Ther may no þing so god my soule saue Line 505 liken to ȝow þat may displesen me Ne I desire no þing for to haue Ne drede for to lese saue oonly ȝe This wil is in myn hert and ay schal be Line 509 No length of tyme or deþ may þis deface / Ne chaunge my corrage to oþer place / Line 511

Glad was this marquis of hir answeryng Line 512 But ȝit he feyned as he were not so Al dreery was his cheer and his lokyng whan þat he schold out of þe Chambre go Soon after þis a forlong way or tuo Line 516 he priuely haþ told al his entent vnto aman . and vnto his wyf him sent Line 518

A maner Sergeant was þis priue man Line 519 The which þat faithful oft he founden hadde In þinges grete . and eek such folk wel can [folio 123b] Don execucioun in þinges badde The lord knew wel þat he him loued and dradde Line 523 And whan þis sergeant wist his lordes wille In to þe chamber he stalked him ful stille. Line 525

[6-text p 420] Line 525

Ma dame he sayd ȝe most forȝiue it me Line 526 Though I do þing . to which I am constreynit. Ȝe ben so wys þat ful wel knowe ȝe Þat lordes hestes mow not ben I-feynit Thay mowe wel biwayl it or compleyn it/ Line 530 But men moot neede vnto her lust obeye And so wol I þer is no more to seye Line 532

This child I am comaundid for to take / Line 533 And spak no more. but out þe child he hent Dispitously and gan a chiere make As þough he wold han slayn it er he went Grisild moot al suffer and al consent Line 537 And as a lamb sche sitteth meeke and stille / And let þis cruel sergeant doon his wille Line 539

Suspecious was þe defame of þis man Line 540 Suspect his face. suspect his word also / Suspect þe tyme. in which he þis bigan Allas hir doughter þat she loued so Sche wend he wold han slayen it right þo Line 544 But naþeles sche neyþer weep ne siked Conformyng hir to þat þe marquis liked Line 546

But atte last speke sche bigan Line 547 And mekely sche to þe sergeant preyde So as he was a worþy gentil man That she most kisse hir child er þat it deyde And on hir arm þis litel child sche leyde Line 551 wiþ ful sad face. and gan þe child to blesse And lullyd it and after gan it kesse / Line 553

And þus sche sayd in hir benigne vois Line 554 Far wel my child I schal þe neuer see / But sith I þe haue marked wiþ þe croys / Of þilke fader blessed mot þou be

[6-text p 421] That for vs deyde vpon a cros of tre Line 558 Thy soule litel child. I him bytake [folio 124a] For þis night schaltow deyen for my sake / Line 560

I trowe þat to a norice in þis caas Line 561 It had ben hard þis rewthe for to see wel might a moder þan haue cryed allas But naþeles so sad stedefast was sche Þat she endured al aduersite Line 565 And to þe sergeant mekely sche sayde / Haue her agayn ȝour litel ȝonge mayde Line 567

Goth now quod sche and doþ my lordes heste Line 568 But o þing wil I pray ȝow of ȝour grace Þat but my lord forbede ȝow atte leste Burieth þis litel body in som place That bestes ne no briddes it to-race / Line 572 But he no word wil to þe purpos say / But took þe child and went vpon his way Line 574

This sergeant com vnto þis lord agayn Line 575 And of Grisildes wordes and hir cheere He tolde poynt for poynt in schort and playn And him presentith with his douȝter deere Som what þis lord hath rewthe in his manere Line 579 But naþeles his purpos huld he stille / As lordes doon whan þay woln haue her wille Line 581

And bad þe sergeaunt þat he priuely Line 582 Scholde þis childe softe wynde and wrappe / with alle circumstaunces tendurly And cary it in a cofre or in his lappe Vpon peyne his heed of for to swappe Line 586 That no man schulde knowe of þis entent Ne whens he com. ne whider þat he went Line 588

[6-text p 422] Line 588

But at Boloyne to his suster deere Line 589 That þilke tyme of panik was Countesse He schuld it take and schewe hir þis matiere Byseching her to doon hir busynesse This child to fostre in alle gentilesse Line 593 And whos child þat it was he bad hir hyde From euery wight for ought þat mighte bytyde Line 595

The sergeant goþ and haþ fulfild þis þing Line 596 But to þis marquys now retourne we [folio 124b] For now goþ he ful fast ymaginyng If by his wyues cher he mighte se Or by hir word apparceyue þat sche Line 600 were chaunged. but he hir neuer couþe fynde But euer in oon y-like sad and kynde / Line 602

As glad as humble as busy in seruise / Line 603 And eek in loue as sche was wont to be was sche to him in euery maner wyse / Ne of hir doughter nouȝt o word spak sche Non accident/ for noon aduersite Line 607 was seyn in hir ne neuer hir doughter name Ne nempnyd sche. in ernest ne in game [[No break in the MS.]] Line 609