Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 78

Whan it was two yeer old, and fro the brest Departed of his norice, on a day This markis caughte yet another lest To tempte his wyf yet ofter, if he may. 620 O needles was she tempted in a.s.say!

But wedded men ne knowe no mesure, Whan that they finde a pacient creature.

'Wyf,' quod this markis, 'ye han herd er this, My peple sikly berth our mariage, 625 And namely, sith my sone y-boren is, (570) Now is it worse than ever in al our age.

The murmur sleeth myn herte and my corage; For to myne eres comth the voys so smerte, That it wel ny destroyed hath myn herte. 630

626. Hl. y-boren; E. Hn. Cm. yborn.

Now sey they thus, "whan Walter is agoon, Then shal the blood of Ianicle succede And been our lord, for other have we noon;"

Swiche wordes seith my peple, out of drede.

Wel oughte I of swich murmur taken hede; 635 For certeinly I drede swich sentence, (580) Though they nat pleyn speke in myn audience.

I wolde live in pees, if that I mighte; Wherfor I am disposed outerly, As I his suster servede by nighte, 640 Right so thenke I to serve him prively; This warne I yow, that ye nat sodeynly Out of your-self for no wo sholde outraye; Beth pacient, and ther-of I yow preye.'

640. Cm. Cp. Hl. seruede; _rest_ serued. 643. E. outreye.

'I have,' quod she, 'seyd thus, and ever shal, 645 I wol no thing, ne nil no thing, certayn, (590) But as yow list; noght greveth me at al, Thogh that my doghter and my sone be slayn, At your comandement, this is to sayn.

I have noght had no part of children tweyne 650 But first siknesse, and after wo and peyne.

[409: T. 8528-8562.]

Ye been our lord, doth with your owene thing Right as yow list; axeth no reed at me.

For, as I lefte at hoom al my clothing, Whan I first cam to yow, right so,' quod she, 655 'Left I my wil and al my libertee, (600) And took your clothing; wherfor I yow preye, Doth your plesaunce, I wol your l.u.s.t obeye.

And certes, if I hadde prescience Your wil to knowe er ye your l.u.s.t me tolde, 660 I wolde it doon with-outen necligence; But now I woot your l.u.s.t and what ye wolde, Al your plesaunce ferme and stable I holde; For wiste I that my deeth wolde do yow ese, Right gladly wolde I dyen, yow to plese. 665

Deth may noght make no comparisoun (610) Un-to your love:' and, whan this markis sey The constance of his wyf, he caste adoun His yen two, and wondreth that she may In pacience suffre al this array. 670 And forth he gooth with drery contenaunce, But to his herte it was ful greet plesaunce.

667. MSS. say.

This ugly sergeant, in the same wyse That he hir doghter caughte, right so he, Or worse, if men worse can devyse, 675 Hath hent hir sone, that ful was of beautee. (620) And ever in oon so pacient was she, That she no chere made of hevinesse, But kiste hir sone, and after gan it blesse;

Save this; she preyed him that, if he mighte, 680 Hir litel sone he wolde in erthe grave, His tendre limes, delicat to sighte, Fro foules and fro bestes for to save.

But she non answer of him mighte have.

He wente his wey, as him no-thing ne roghte; 685 But to Boloigne he tendrely it broghte. (630)

680. Cm. preyede; Hl. prayed; E. Hn. preyde.

[410: T. 8563-8597.]

This markis wondreth ever lenger the more Up-on hir pacience, and if that he Ne hadde soothly knowen ther-bifore, That parfitly hir children lovede she, 690 He wolde have wend that of som subtiltee, And of malice or for cruel corage, That she had suffred this with sad visage.

687. E. wondred; _rest_ wondreth. 692. E. crueel.

But wel he knew that next him-self, certayn, She loved hir children best in every wyse. 695 But now of wommen wolde I axen fayn, (640) If thise a.s.sayes mighte nat suffyse?

What coude a st.u.r.dy housbond more devyse To preve hir wyfhod and hir stedfastnesse, And he continuing ever in st.u.r.dinesse? 700

699. E. or; _rest_ and. E. stede-.

But ther ben folk of swich condicioun, That, whan they have a certein purpos take, They can nat stinte of hir entencioun, But, right as they were bounden to a stake, They wol nat of that firste purpos slake. 705 Right so this markis fulliche hath purposed (650) To tempte his wyf, as he was first disposed.

704. E. Hn. Cm. that; _the rest_ a.

He waiteth, if by word or contenance That she to him was changed of corage; But never coude he finde variance; 710 She was ay oon in herte and in visage; And ay the forther that she was in age, The more trewe, if that it were possible, She was to him in love, and more penible.

For which it semed thus, that of hem two 715 Ther nas but o wil; for, as Walter leste, (660) The same l.u.s.t was hir plesance also, And, G.o.d be thanked, al fil for the beste.

She shewed wel, for no worldly unreste A wyf, as of hir-self, no-thing ne sholde 720 Wille in effect, but as hir housbond wolde.

[411: T. 8598-8630.]

The sclaundre of Walter ofte and wyde spradde, That of a cruel herte he wikkedly, For he a povre womman wedded hadde, Hath mordred bothe his children prively. 725 Swich murmur was among hem comunly. (670) No wonder is, for to the peples ere Ther cam no word but that they mordred were.

For which, wher-as his peple ther-bifore Had loved him wel, the sclaundre of his diffame 730 Made hem that they him hatede therfore; To been a mordrer is an hateful name.

But natheles, for ernest ne for game He of his cruel purpos nolde stente; To tempte his wyf was set al his entente. 735

731. Cp. Hl. hatede; _rest_ hated. 734. E. crueel.

Whan that his doghter twelf yeer was of age, (680) He to the court of Rome, in subtil wyse Enformed of his wil, sente his message, Comaunding hem swiche bulles to devyse As to his cruel purpos may suffyse, 740 How that the pope, as for his peples reste, Bad him to wedde another, if him leste.

740. E. crueel.

I seye, he bad they sholde countrefete The popes bulles, making mencioun That he hath leve his firste wyf to lete, 745 As by the popes dispensacioun, (690) To stinte rancour and dissencioun Bitwixe his peple and him; thus seyde the bulle, The which they han publiced atte fulle.

749. E. publiced; Cp. publisshed; Hn. publissed.

The rude peple, as it no wonder is, 750 Wenden ful wel that it had been right so; But whan thise tydinges cam to Grisildis, I deme that hir herte was ful wo.

But she, y-lyke sad for evermo, [412: T. 8631-8660.]

Disposed was, this humble creature, 755 Thadversitee of fortune al tendure. (700)

751. Cm. been; Hn. ben; _rest_ be.

Abyding ever his l.u.s.t and his plesaunce, To whom that she was yeven, herte and al, As to hir verray worldly suffisaunce; But shortly if this storie I tellen shal, 760 This markis writen hath in special A lettre in which he sheweth his entente, And secrely he to Boloigne it sente.

To the erl of Panik, which that hadde tho Wedded his suster, preyde he specially 765 To bringen boom agayn his children two (710) In honurable estaat al openly.

But o thing he him preyede outerly, That he to no wight, though men wolde enquere, Sholde nat telle, whos children that they were, 770

764. Hl. panyk; Cp. Panyke; _rest_ Pavyk, Pauyke, Pavie. 770. E. Hn.

Cp. Ln. that they; _the rest omit_ that.

But seye, the mayden sholde y-wedded be Un-to the markis of Saluce anon.

And as this erl was preyed, so dide he; For at day set he on his wey is goon Toward Saluce, and lordes many oon, 775 In riche array, this mayden for to gyde; (720) Hir yonge brother ryding hir bisyde.

773. Cp. Cm. preyed; E. preyd; Hn. Hl. prayd.

Arrayed was toward hir mariage This fresshe mayde, ful of gemmes clere; Hir brother, which that seven yeer was of age, 780 Arrayed eek ful fresh in his manere.

And thus in greet n.o.blesse and with glad chere, Toward Saluces shaping hir Iourney, Fro day to day they ryden in hir wey.

EXPLICIT QUARTA PARS. SEQUITUR QUINTA PARS.

[413: T. 8661-8695.]

Among al this, after his wikke usage, 785 This markis, yet his wyf to tempte more (730) To the uttereste preve of hir corage, Fully to han experience and lore If that she were as stedfast as bifore, He on a day in open audience 790 Ful boistously hath seyd hir this sentence: