And heer-vp-on he to his officeres
Comaundeth for the feste to purveye,
And to his priuee knyghtes and squieres
Swich charge yaf, as him liste on hem leye;
And they to his comandement obeye,
And ech of hem doth al his diligence
To doon vn-to the feste reuerence.
Noght fer fro thilke paleys honurable
Ther as this markis shoop his mariage,
Ther stood a throp, of site delytable,
In which that poure folk of that village
Hadden her bestes and her herbergage,
And of her labour tooke her sustenance
After that the erthe yaf hem habundance.
Amonges this poure folk ther dwelte a man
Which that was holden pourest of hem alle;
But hye god som tyme senden can
His grace in-to a litel oxes stalle:
Ianicula men of that thrope him calle.
A doughter hadde he fair ynough to syghte,
And Grisildis this yonge mayden hyghte.
But for to speke of vertuous beautee1,
Than was she oon the faireste vnder sonne;
For poureliche yfostred vp was she,
No [sinful] lust was thurgh hir herte yronne;
Wel ofter of the welle than of the tonne
She drank, and for she wolde vertu plese,
She knew wel labour, but noon ydel ese.
1 E. bountee; the rest beautee, beute.
But though this mayde tendre were of age,
Yet in the brest of hir virginitee
Ther was enclosed rype and sad corage;
And in greet reuerence and charitee
Hir olde poure fader fostred she;
A fewe sheep spinning on feeld she kepte,
She wolde nought been ydel til she slepte.
And whan she homward cam, she wolde bringe
Wortes or othere herbes tymes ofte,
The whiche she shredde and seeth for hir liuinge,
And made hir bed ful harde and no thing softe;
And ay she kepte hir fadres lyf on-lofte
With euerich obeisaunce and diligence
That child may doon to fadres reuerence.
Vp-on Grisild this poure creature
Ful ofte sythe this markis sette1 his yë
As he on hunting rood parauenture;
And whan it 2 fil that he myghte hir espye,
He nought with wantoun loking of folye
His yën caste on hir, but in sad wyse
Vp-on hir chere he wolde 3 him ofte auyse,
Commending in his herte hir wommanhede,
And eek hir vertu, passing any wyght
Of so yong age, as wel in chere as dede.
For though the peple haue no greet insyght
In vertu, he considered ful ryght
Hir bountee, and disposed that he wolde
Wedde hir oonly, if euer he wedde sholde.
1 E. caste; the rest sette.
2 E. that it; the rest omit that.
3 E. gan; the rest wolde. 4 E. hadde; Hn. Cm. hath; Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. haue.
The day of wedding cam, but no wyght can
Telle what womman that it sholde be;
For which merueille wondred many a man,
And seyden, whan they were in priuetee,
'Wol nat our lord yet leue his vanitee?
Wol he nat wedde? allas, allas the whyle!
Why wol he thus him-self and vs bigyle?'
But natheles this markis hath doon make
Of gemmes, set in gold and in asure,
Broches and ringes, for Grisildis sake,
And of hir clothing took he the mesure
By a mayde, lyk to hir stature,
And eek of othere ornamentes alle
That vn-to swich a wedding sholde falle.
The tyme of vndern of the same day
Approcheth, that this wedding sholde be;
And al the paleys put was in array,
Bothe halle and chambres, ech in his degree;
Houses of office stuffed with plentee
Ther maystow seen of deynteuous vitaille,
That may be founde, as fer as last Itaille.
This roial markis richely arrayed,
Lordes and ladyes in his companye,
The whiche vnto the feste were yprayed,
And of his retenue the bachelrye,
With many a soun of sondry melodye,
Vn-to the village, of the which I tolde,
In this array the ryghte wey han holde.
Grisilde of this, god wot, ful innocent,
That for hir shapen was al this array,
To fecchen water at a welle is went,
And cometh hoom as soone as euer she may.
For wel she had herd seyd, that thilke day
The markis sholde wedde, and, if she myghte,
She wolde fayn han seyn som of that syghte.
She thoughte, 'I wol with othere maydens stonde,
That been my felawes, in our dore, and se
The markisesse, and therfor wol I fonde
To doon at hoom, as soone as it may be,
The labour which that longeth vn-to me;
And than I may at leyser hir biholde,
If she this wey vn-to the castel holde.'
And as she wolde ouer hir threshfold goon,
The markis cam and gan hir for to calle;
And she sette doun hir water-pot anoon
Bisyde the threshfold, in an oxes stalle,
And doun vp-on hir knees she gan to falle,
And with sad contenance kneleth stille
Til she had herd what was the lordes wille.
This thoughtful markis spak vn-to this mayde
Ful sobrely, and seyde in this manere,
Wher is your fader', Grisildis?' he sayde,
And she with reuerence, in humble chere,
Answerde, lord, he is al redy here.'
And in she gooth with-outen lenger lette,
And to the markis she hir fader fette.
1 E. Hn. Cm. insert o after fader.
He by the hond than took this olde man,
And seyde thus, whan he him hadde asyde,
'Ianicula, I neither may ne can
Lenger the plesance of myn herte hyde.
If that thou vouche sauf, what so bityde,
Thy doughter wol I take er that I wende
As for my wyf, vn-to hir lyues ende.
Thou louest me, I wot it wel certeyn,
And art my feithful lige man ybore;
And al that lyketh me, I dar wel seyn,
It lyketh thee, and specially therfore
Tel me that poynt that I haue seyd bifore,
If that thou wolt vn-to that purpos drawe,
To take me as for thy sone in lawe?'
This sodeyn cas this man astonied so,
That reed he wex, abayst, and al quaking
He stood; vnnethes seyde he wordes mo,
But only thus: 'lord,' quod he, my willing
Is as ye wole, ne ayeins youre lyking
I wol no-thing; ye be my lord so dere;
Ryght as yow lust gouerneth this matere.'
Yet wol I,' quod this markis softely,
'That in thy chambre I and thou and she
Haue a collacion, and wostów why?
For I wol axe if it hir wille be
To be my wyf, and reule hir after me;
And al this shal be doon in thy presence,
I wol nought speke out of thyn audience.'
And in the chambre whyl they were aboute
Her tretys, which as ye shal after here,
The peple cam vn-to the hous with-oute,
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