[419: T. 8864-8898.]
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 god 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 norishinge 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 sturdy 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, assayed,
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 god that for us deyde,
Thou art my wyf, ne noon other I have,
Ne never hadde, as god 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 tassaye in thee thy wommanhede, 1075
And nat to sleen my children, god 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 god, 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 assay.
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 god 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_.
* * * * *
_It seems to have been Chaucer’s intention, in the first instance, to
end this_ Tale _here. Hence, we find, in_ MSS. E. Hn. Cm. Dd., _the
following genuine, but rejected stanza, suitable for insertion at this
point_:—
=Bihold the merye wordes of the Hoste.=
This worthy Clerk, whan ended was his tale,
Our hoste seyde, and swoor by goddes bones,
‘Me were lever than a barel ale
My wyf at hoom had herd this legende ones;
This is a gentil tale for the nones, 5
As to my purpos, wiste ye my wille;
But thing that wol nat be, lat it be stille.’
=Here endeth the Tale of the Clerk of Oxenford.=
HEADING. E. Bihoold; murye; Hoost. 2. E. Oure hoost. 3. E. leuere.
Dd. barel of ale. 5. E. Hn. Dd. is; Cm. was. 6. E. Hn. wiste; Dd.
wyst; Cm. woste. N.B. _With_ 1. 3, _compare_ B. 3083.
* * * * *
But o word, lordinges, herkneth er I go:—
It were ful hard to finde now a dayes
In al a toun Grisildes three or two; 1165
For, if that they were put to swiche assayes, (1110)
The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes
With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at yë,
It wolde rather breste a-two than plye.
For which heer, for the wyves love of Bathe, 1170
Whos lyf and al hir secte god mayntene
In heigh maistrye, and elles were it scathe,
I wol with lusty herte fresshe and grene
Seyn yow a song to glade yow, I wene,
And lat us stinte of ernestful matere:— 1175
Herkneth my song, that seith in this manere. (1120)
=Lenvoy De Chaucer.=
Grisilde is deed, and eek hir pacience,
And bothe atones buried in Itaille;
For which I crye in open audience,
[425: T. 9056-9088.]
No wedded man so hardy be tassaille 1180
His wyves pacience, in hope to finde
Grisildes, for in certein he shall faille!
O noble wyves, ful of heigh prudence,
Lat noon humilitee your tonge naille,
Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligence 1185
To wryte of yow a storie of swich mervaille (1130)
As of Grisildis pacient and kinde;
Lest Chichevache yow swelwe in hir entraille!
Folweth Ekko, that holdeth no silence,
But evere answereth at the countretaille; 1190
Beth nat bidaffed for your innocence,
But sharply tak on yow the governaille.
Emprinteth wel this lesson in your minde
For commune profit, sith it may availle.
Ye archewyves, stondeth at defence, 1195
Sin ye be stronge as is a greet camaille; (1140)
Ne suffreth nat that men yow doon offence.
And sclendre wyves, feble as in bataille,
Beth egre as is a tygre yond in Inde;
Ay clappeth as a mille, I yow consaille. 1200
Ne dreed hem nat, do hem no reverence;
For though thyn housbonde armed be in maille,
The arwes of thy crabbed eloquence
Shal perce his brest, and eek his aventaille;
In Ialousye I rede eek thou him binde, 1205
And thou shalt make him couche as dooth a quaille.
1201. Cm. Ln. Hl. do; rest doth.
If thou be fair, ther folk ben in presence
Shew thou thy visage and thyn apparaille;
If thou be foul, be free of thy dispence,
To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille; 1210
Be ay of chere as light as leef on linde,
And lat him care, and wepe, and wringe, and waille!
=Here endeth the Clerk of Oxonford his Tale.=
1211. E. chiere; Hn. cheere. COLOPHON. _From_ Cp.
[426: T. 9089-9120.]
* * * * *