Deth may noght make no comparisoun
Un-to youre love;" and whan this markys say1
The constance of his wyf, he caste adoun
Hise eyen two, and wondreth that she may
In pacience suffre al this array;2
And forth he goth with drery contenance,
But to his herte it was ful greet plesance.
This ugly sergeant, in the same wyse
That he hire doghter caughte, right so he,
Or worse, if men worse kan devyse,
Hath hent hire sone that ful was of beautee.
And evere in oon so pacient was she (8553 T.) That she no chiere maade of hevynesse,
But kiste hir sone, and after gan it blesse ;
Save this she preyde hym, that if he myghte,
Hir litel sone he wolde in erthe grave,
His tendre lymes, delicaat to sighte,
Fro foweles and fro beestes for to save;
But she noon answere of hym myghte have;
He wente his wey, as hym no-thyng ne roghte,
But to Boloigne he tendrely it broghte. 13,022
This markys wondred evere lenger the moore
Up-on hir pacience, and if that he
Ne hadde soothly knowen ther bifoore
That parfitly hir children loved she,
He wolde have wend that of som subtiltee,
And of malice, or for crueel corage,*
That she hadde suffred this with sad visage ;
But wel he knew, that next hym-self, certayn
1 Saw. 2 Ordinance. Recked. • Inclination.
She loved hir children best in every wyse.
But now of wommen wolde I axen fayn 13,032
If thise assayes myghte nat suffise?
What koude a sturdy housbonde moore devyse
To preeve hire wyfhod, or hir stedefastnesse,
And he continuynge evere in sturdinesse?
But ther been folk of swich condicioun
That whan they have a certein purpos take,
They kan nat stynte of hire entencioun,
But right as they were bounden to that stake
They wol nat of that firste purpos slake.
Right so this markys fulliche hath purposed
To tempte his wyf as he was first disposed.
He waiteth,1 if by word or contenance, 13,044
That she to hym was changed of corage;
But nevere koude he fynde variance ;
She was ay oon in herte and in visage,
And the forther that she was in age
The moore trewe, if that it were possible,
She was to hym in love, and moore penyble;2
For which it semed thus that of hem two
Ther nas but o wyl, for as Walter leste,
The same lust was hire plesance also; 13,053
And, God be thanked, al fil for the beste.
She shewed wel,8 for no worldly unreste
A wyf, as of hir self, no thing ne sholde
Wille in effect, but as hir housbonde wolde.
The sclaundre of Walter ofte and wyde
spradde,
1 Watcheth. 2 Painstaking. Made it clear that. Ill repute.
That of a crueel herte he wikkedly,
For 1 he a povre womman wedded hadde,
Hath mordred bothe his children prively.
Swich murmure was among hem comunly.
No wonder is, for to the peples ere
Ther cam no word but that they mordred were;
For which, where-as his peple ther bifore
Hadde loved hym wel, the sclaundre of his
(8606 T.) Made hem that they hym hatede therfore. To been a mordrere is an hateful name, But nathelees, for ernest ne for game, He of his crueel purpos nolde stente; To tempte his wyf was set al his entente. Whan that his doghter twelf yeer was of age He to the court of Rome, in subtil wyse Enformed of his wyl, sente his message,2 Comaundynge hem swiche bulles to devyse As to his crueel purpos may suffyse, How that the pope, as for his peples reste, Bad hym to wedde another if hym leste. I seye, he bad they sholde countrefete The popes bulles, makynge mencioun That he hath leve his firste wyf to lete, As by the popes dispensacioun,
To stynte rancour and dissencioun
Bitwixe his peple and hym; thus seyde the bulle,
The which they han publiced atte fulle.
1 Because. 2 Messenger. Leave.
The rude peple, as it no wonder is,
Wenden 1ful wel that it hadde be right so ;
But whan thise tidynges cam to Grisildis
I deeme that hire herte was ful wo;
But sheylike sad 2 for everemo—
Disposed was, this humble creature,
The adversitee of Fortune al tendure,
Abidynge evere his lust and his plesance
To whom that she was geven herte and al,
As to hire verray worldly suffisance.
But, shortly if this storie I tellen shal,
This markys writen hath in special
A lettre, in which he sheweth his entente,
And secreely he to Boloigne it sente.
To the erl of Panyk, which that hadde tho
Wedded his suster, preyde he specially 13,10I
To bryngen hoom agayn hise children two
In honurable estaat al openly;
But o thyng he hym preyde outrely,
That he to no wight, though men wolde en
Sholde nat telle whos children that they were;
But seye, the mayden sholde ywedded be
Un-to the markys of Saluce anon.
And as this erl was preyd, so dide he ;
For at day set he on his wey is goon
Toward Saluce, and lordes may oon
In riche array, this mayden for to gyde,
Hir yonge brother ridynge hire bisyde.
1 Thought. 2 Constant. 3 Then.
Arrayed was toward hir mariage
This fresshe mayde ful of gemmes cleere.
Hir brother, which that seven yeer was of age,
Arrayed eek ful fressh in his manere ;
And thus in greet noblesse and with glad cheere,
Toward Saluces shapynge hir journey,.
Fro day to day they ryden in hir wey.
Among al this, after his wikke usage,
This markys, yet his wyf to tempte moore,
To the outtreste preeve of hir corage,
Fully to han experience and loore
If that she were as stidefast as bifoore,
He on a day, in open audience,
Ful boistously hath seyd hire this sentence:
"Certes, Grisilde, I hadde ynogh plesance
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:
But now knowe I in verray soothfastnesse
That in greet lordshipe, if I wel avyse, 13,133
Ther is greet servitute, in sondry wyse.
I may nat doon as every plowman may,
My peple me constreyneth for to take
Another wyf, and crien day by day,
And eek the pope, rancour for to slake,
Consenteth it, that dar I undertake;
And treweliche thus muche I wol yow seye,
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