By-cause he is a man of greet honour, Shal have the firste fruit, as reson is; The noble usage of freres yet is this, (570) The worthy men of hem shul first be served; 2279

And certeinly, he hath it weel deserved.
He hath to-day taught us so muchel good
With preching in the pulpit ther he stood,
That I may vouche-sauf, I sey for me,
He hadde the firste smel of fartes three,
And so wolde al his covent hardily; 2285
He bereth him so faire and holily.'

The lord, the lady, and ech man, save the frere, (579) Seyde that Jankin spak, in this matere, As wel as Euclide or [as] Ptholomee. Touchinge this cherl, they seyde, subtiltee And heigh wit made him speken as he spak;

2291

He nis no fool, ne no demoniak. And Jankin hath y-wonne a newe goune.— My tale is doon we been almost at toune. 2294

'SIR clerk of Oxenford,' our hoste sayde, ' 'Ye ryde as coy and stille as dooth a mayde,

Were newe spoused, sitting at the bord; This day ne herde I of your tonge a word. I trowe ye studie aboute som sophyme, 5 But Salomon seith, "every thing hath tyme."

For goddes sake, as beth of bettre chere, It is no tyme for to studien here. Telle us som mery tale, by your fey; For what man that is entred in a pley, 10 He nedes moot unto the pley assente. But precheth nat, as freres doon in Lente, To make us for our olde sinnes wepe, Ne that thy tale make us nat to slepe. Telle us som mery thing of aventures;Your termes, your colours, and your figures,

16

Kepe hem in stoor til so be ye endyte Heigh style, as whan that men to kinges wryte.

Speketh so pleyn at this tyme, I yow preye,
That we may understonde what ye seye.'
This worthy clerk benignely answerde,
'Hoste,' quod he, 'I am under your yerde;
Ye han of us as now the governaunce,
And therfor wol I do yow obeisaunce,
As fer as reson axeth, hardily.

I wol yow telle a tale which that I
Lerned at Padowe of a worthy clerk,
As preved by his wordes and his werk.

25

But forth to tellen of this worthy man, That taughte me this tale, as I bigan, 40 I seye that first with heigh style he endyteth,

Er he the body of his tale wryteth,
A proheme, in the which discryveth he
Pemond, and of Saluces the contree, 44
And speketh of Apennyn, the hilles hye,
That been the boundes of West Lum-
bardye,

And of Mount Vesulus in special,

Where as the Poo, out of a welle smal,
Taketh his firste springing and his sours,
That estward ay encresseth in his cours go
To Emelward, to Ferrare, and Venyse:
The which a long thing were to devyse.
And trewely, as to my jugement,
Me thinketh it a thing impertinent,
Save that he wol conveyen his matere : 55
But this his tale, which that ye may here.'

In tyme cominge what mighte him bityde,
But on his lust present was al his thoght,
As for to hauke and hunte on every syde;
Wel ny alle othere cures leet he slyde,
And eek he nolde, and that was worst of
alle,
(27)
Wedde no wyf, for noght that may bifalle.

Only that point his peple bar so sore, 85
That flokmele on a day they to him wente,
And oon of hem, that wysest was of lore,
Or elles that the lord best wolde assente

That he sholde telle him what his peple

mente,

89 Or elles coude he shewe wel swich matere, He to the markis seyde as ye shul here.

9+

O noble markis, your humanitee Assureth us and yeveth us hardinesse, As ofte as tyme is of necessitee That we to yow mowe telle our hevinesse ; Accepteth, lord, now for your gentillesse, That we with pitous herte un-to yow pleyne,

(41)

And lete your eres nat my voys disdeyne.

ΠΟΙ

Al have I noght to done in this matere
More than another man hath in this place,
Yet for as muche as ye, my lord so
dere,
Han alwey shewed me favour and grace,
I dar the better aske of yow a space
Of audience, to shewen our requeste,
And ye, my lord, to doon right as yow
leste.

105

For certes, lord, so wel us lyketh yow (50) And al your werk and ever han doon, that we

Ne coude nat us self devysen how
We mighte liven in more felicitee,
Save o thing, lord, if it your wille be, 110
That for to been a wedded man yow leste,
Than were your peple in sovereyn hertes
reste.

In crepeth age alwey, as stille as stoon,
And deeth manaceth every age, and smit
In ech estaat, for ther escapeth noon :
And al so certein as we knowe echoon
That we shul deye, as uncerteyn we alle
Been of that day whan deeth shal on us
falle.
(70) 126
Accepteth than of us the trewe entente,
That never yet refuseden your heste,
And we wol, lord, if that ye wol assente,
Chese yow a wyf in short tyme, atte leste,
Born of the gentilleste and of the meste
Of al this lond, so that it oghte seme
Honour to god and yow, as we can deme.

Bountee comth al of god, nat of the streen Of which they been engendred and y-bore; I truste in goddes bountee, and therfore My mariage and myn estaat and reste 160 I him bitake; he may don as him leste.

Lat me alone in chesinge of my wyf, That charge up-on my bak I wol endure; But I yow preye, and charge up-on your lyf, That what wyf that I take, ye me assure To worshipe hir, whyl that hir lyf may dure, (110) 166 In word and werk, bothe here and everywhere,

As she an emperoures doghter were.

And forthermore, this shal ye swere, that

ye

And they to his comandement obeye,
And ech of hem doth al his diligence 195
To doon un-to the feste reverence.
(140)

Explicit prima pars.

Incipit secunda pars.

Noght fer fro thilke paleys honurable
Ther-as this markis shoop his mariage,
Ther stood a throp, of site delitable,

In which that povre folk of that village 200
Hadden hir bestes and hir herbergage,
And of hir labour took hir sustenance
After that th'erthe yaf hem habundance.

Amonges thise povre folk ther dwelte

a man

Which that was holden povrest of hem alle; 205

Up-on Grisilde, this povre creature,
Ful ofte sythe this markis sette his ye
As he on hunting rood paraventure; 234
And whan it fil that he mighte hir espye,
He noght with wantoun loking of folye
His yën caste on hir, but in sad wyse (181)
Up-on hir chere he wolde him ofte avyse,

Commending in his herte hir wommanhede,

And eek hir vertu, passing any wight 240 Of so yong age, as wel in chere as dede. For thogh the peple have no greet insight In vertu, he considered ful right

Hir bountee, and disposed that he wolde Wedde hir only, if ever he wedde sholde.

can

But hye god som tyme senden can
His grace in-to a litel oxes stalle :
Janicula men of that throp him calle.
A doghter hadde he, fair y-nogh to sighte,
And Grisildis this yonge mayden highte.

But for to speke of vertuous beautee, 211 Than was she oon the faireste under sonne;

For povreliche y-fostred up was she, No likerous lust was thurgh hir herte y-ronne; (158) 214 Wel ofter of the welle than of the tonne She drank, and for she wolde vertu plese, She knew wel labour, but non ydel ese.

The tyme of undern of the same day 260

Yet in the brest of hir virginitee

Ther was enclosed rype and sad corage; And in greet reverence and charitee

221

And al the paleys put was in array,
Bothe halle and chambres, ech in his