Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 80

For she is fairer, as they demen alle, Than is Grisild, and more tendre of age, And fairer fruit bitwene hem sholde falle, 990 And more plesant, for hir heigh linage; Hir brother eek so fair was of visage, That hem to seen the peple hath caught plesaunce, Commending now the markis gouernaunce.--

_Auctor_. 'O stormy peple! unsad and ever untrewe! 995 Ay undiscreet and chaunging as a vane, (940) Delyting ever in rumbel that is newe, For lyk the mone ay wexe ye and wane; Ay ful of clapping, dere y-nogh a Iane; Your doom is fals, your constance yvel preveth, 1000 A ful greet fool is he that on yow leveth!'

997. E. Cm. rumbul; Hn. rumbel; Hl. rombel. 1000. Hl. yuel; Cm. euel; E. Hn. yuele.

Thus seyden sadde folk in that citee, Whan that the peple gazed up and doun, For they were glad, right for the noveltee, To han a newe lady of hir toun. 1005 Na-more of this make I now mencioun; (950) But to Grisilde agayn wol I me dresse, And telle hir constance and hir bisinesse.--

Ful bisy was Grisilde in every thing That to the feste was apertinent; 1010 Right noght was she abayst of hir clothing, Though it were rude and somdel eek to-rent.

But with glad chere to the yate is went, With other folk, to grete the markisesse, And after that doth forth hir bisinesse. 1015

1013. E. Hn. Hl. is she; _rest omit_ she. E. Hn. Ln. chiere; Hl.

chier.

With so glad chere his gestes she receyveth, (960) And conningly, everich in his degree, That no defaute no man aperceyveth; But ay they wondren what she mighte be That in so povre array was for to see, 1020 And coude swich honour and reverence; And worthily they preisen hir prudence.

1017. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. And so; Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit_ so.

[420: T. 8899-8933.]

In al this mene whyle she ne stente This mayde and eek hir brother to commende With al hir herte, in ful benigne entente, 1025 So wel, that no man coude hir prys amende. (970) But atte laste, whan that thise lordes wende To sitten doun to mete, he gan to calle Grisilde, as she was bisy in his halle.

'Grisilde,' quod he, as it were in his pley, 1030 'How lyketh thee my wyf and hir beautee?'

'Right wel,' quod she, 'my lord; for, in good fey, A fairer say I never noon than she.

I prey to G.o.d yeve hir prosperitee; And so hope I that he wol to yow sende 1035 Plesance y-nogh un-to your lyves ende. (980)

1033. E. saugh; see l. 1114.

O thing biseke I yow and warne also, That ye ne prikke with no tormentinge This tendre mayden, as ye han don mo; For she is fostred in hir noris.h.i.+nge 1040 More tendrely, and, to my supposinge, She coude nat adversitee endure As coude a povre fostred creature.'

1040. E. Hn. norissynge.

And whan this Walter say hir pacience, Hir glade chere and no malice at al, 1045 And he so ofte had doon to hir offence, (990) And she ay sad and constant as a wal, Continuing ever hir innocence overal, This st.u.r.dy markis gan his herte dresse To rewen up-on hir wyfly stedfastnesse. 1050

1044. E. saugh; see l. 1114. 1045. E. Ln. chiere.

'This is y-nogh, Grisilde myn,' quod he, 'Be now na-more agast ne yvel apayed; I have thy feith and thy benignitee, As wel as ever womman was, a.s.sayed, In greet estaat, and povreliche arrayed. 1055 Now knowe I, dere wyf, thy stedfastnesse,'-- (1000) And hir in armes took and gan hir kesse.

1056. E. goode; _rest_ dere.

[421: T. 8934-8968.]

And she for wonder took of it no keep; She herde nat what thing he to hir seyde; She ferde as she had stert out of a sleep, 1060 Til she out of hir masednesse abreyde.

'Grisilde,' quod he, 'by G.o.d that for us deyde, Thou art my wyf, ne noon other I have, Ne never hadde, as G.o.d my soule save!

1063. Cm. Cp. Ln. Hl. ne; Pt. and; E. Hn. _omit_ ne.

This is thy doghter which thou hast supposed 1065 To be my wyf; that other feithfully (1010) Shal be myn heir, as I have ay purposed; Thou bare him in thy body trewely.

At Boloigne have I kept hem prively; Tak hem agayn, for now maystow nat seye 1070 That thou hast lorn non of thy children tweye.

1067. Cp. Ln. Hl. purposed; E. Hn. Cm. supposed (_wrongly_); Pt.

disposed. 1070. E. Taak.

And folk that otherweyes han seyd of me, I warne hem wel that I have doon this dede For no malice ne for no crueltee, But for ta.s.saye in thee thy wommanhede, 1075 And nat to sleen my children, G.o.d forbede! (1020) But for to kepe hem prively and stille, Til I thy purpos knewe and al thy wille.'

Whan she this herde, aswowne doun she falleth For pitous Ioye, and after hir swowninge 1080 She bothe hir yonge children un-to hir calleth, And in hir armes, pitously wepinge, Embraceth hem, and tendrely kissinge Ful lyk a mooder, with hir salte teres She batheth bothe hir visage and hir heres. 1085

O, which a pitous thing it was to see (1030) Hir swowning, and hir humble voys to here!

'Grauntmercy, lord, that thanke I yow,' quod she, 'That ye han saved me my children dere!

Now rekke I never to ben deed right here; 1090 Sith I stonde in your love and in your grace, No fors of deeth, ne whan my spirit pace!

[422: T. 8969-9003.]

O tendre, o dere, o yonge children myne, Your woful mooder wende stedfastly That cruel houndes or som foul vermyne 1095 Hadde eten yow; but G.o.d, of his mercy, (1040) And your benigne fader tendrely Hath doon yow kept;' and in that same stounde Al sodeynly she swapte adoun to grounde.

1095. E. crueel.

And in her swough so sadly holdeth she 1100 Hir children two, whan she gan hem tembrace, That with greet sleighte and greet difficultee The children from hir arm they gonne arace.

O many a teer on many a pitous face Doun ran of hem that stoden hir bisyde; 1105 Unnethe abouten hir mighte they abyde. (1050)

Walter hir gladeth, and hir sorwe slaketh; She ryseth up, abaysed, from hir traunce, And every wight hir Ioye and feste maketh, Til she hath caught agayn hir contenaunce. 1110 Walter hir dooth so feithfully plesaunce, That it was deyntee for to seen the chere Bitwixe hem two, now they ben met y-fere.

Thise ladyes, whan that they hir tyme say, Han taken hir, and in-to chambre goon, 1115 And strepen hir out of hir rude array, (1060) And in a cloth of gold that brighte shoon, With a coroune of many a riche stoon Up-on hir heed, they in-to halle hir broghte, And ther she was honoured as hir oghte. 1120

1117. Cm. cloth; E. Hn. clooth.

Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende, For every man and womman dooth his might This day in murthe and revel to dispende Til on the welkne shoon the sterres light.

For more solempne in every mannes sight 1125 This feste was, and gretter of costage, (1070) Than was the revel of hir mariage.

[423: T. 9004-9036.]

Ful many a yeer in heigh prosperitee Liven thise two in concord and in reste, And richely his doghter maried he 1130 Un-to a lord, oon of the worthieste Of al Itaille; and than in pees and reste His wyves fader in his court he kepeth, Til that the soule out of his body crepeth.

His sone succedeth in his heritage 1135 In reste and pees, after his fader day; (1080) And fortunat was eek in mariage, Al putte he nat his wyf in greet a.s.say.

This world is nat so strong, it is no nay, As it hath been in olde tymes yore, 1140 And herkneth what this auctour seith therfore.

1140. in] E. of.

This storie is seyd, nat for that wyves sholde Folwen Grisilde as in humilitee, For it were importable, though they wolde; But for that every wight, in his degree, 1145 Sholde be constant in adversitee (1090) As was Grisilde; therfor Petrark wryteth This storie, which with heigh style he endyteth.

1147. Cm. this Petrak; _rest omit_ this. Hl. Petrark; E. Hn. Cm.

Petrak.

For, sith a womman was so pacient Un-to a mortal man, wel more us oghte 1150 Receyven al in gree that G.o.d us sent; For greet skile is, he preve that he wroghte.

But he ne tempteth no man that he boghte, As seith seint Iame, if ye his pistel rede; He preveth folk al day, it is no drede, 1155

And suffreth us, as for our excercyse, (1100) With sharpe scourges of adversitee Ful ofte to be bete in sondry wyse; Nat for to knowe our wil, for certes he, Er we were bom, knew al our freletee; 1160 [424: T. 9037-9055.]

And for our beste is al his governaunce; Lat us than live in vertuous suffraunce.

1160. E. _omits_ al; _the rest have it_.