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

¶ Lenvoye . de Chaucer.

GRisild is deed and eek hir pacience Line 1177 And bothe at oones buried in Itayle For whiche I crye in open audience / Line 1179 No weddid man so hardy be to assayle his wyues pacience in hope to fynde Grisildes for in certeyn he schal fayl Line 1182

[6-text p 441] Line 1182

O noble wyues ful of heigh prudence / Line 1183 let noon humilite ȝour tonges nayle Ne lat no clerk haue cause or diligence Line 1185 To write of ȝow a story of such meruayle / As of Grisildes pacience and kynde Lest Chichiuache ȝow swolwe in hir entraile Line 1188

Folwith Ecco þat holdith no silence Line 1189 But euer answereth at þe countretayle Beþ nouȝt bydaffed for ȝour Innocence Line 1191 But scharply tak on ȝow þe gouernayle Empryntith wel þis lessoun in ȝour mynde For comun profyt sith it may auayle Line 1194

Ȝe archewyues stondith at defens Line 1195 Syn ȝe ben strong as is a greet/ Chamayle Ne suffre not þat men ȝow don offens Line 1197 And sclendre wydewes felle as in batayle Beth egre as is a Tyger ȝond in Inde Ay clappith as a mylle I ȝow counsaile Line 1200

Ne drede hem not . do hem no reuerence [folio 132b] Line 1201 For þough þin housbond armed be in mayle The arwes of þy crabbid eloquence Line 1203 Schal perse his brest and eek his aduentayle / In gelousy I rede eek þou him bynde And þou schalt make him couche as doth a quayle Line 1206

If þou be fair þer folk ben in presence Line 1207 Schew þou þy visage and þin apparaile If þou be foul be fre of þy despense Line 1209 To gete þe frendes do ay þy trauayle / Be ay of chier as light as lef on lynde / And let hem care and wepe and wryng and wayle Line 1212

Explicit.