Unto my fader gladly wil I wende,
And with him duelle unto my lyves ende.
"Ther I was fostred as a child ful smal,
Til I be deed my lyf ther wil I lede,
A widow clene in body, hert, and al;
For sith I gaf to yow my maydenhede,
And am your trewe wyf, it is no drede,
God schilde such a lordes wyf to take
Another man to housbond or to make.
"And of your newe wif, God of his grace
So graunte yow wele and prosperite;
For I wol gladly yelden hir my place,
In which that I was blisful wont to be.
For sith it liketh yow, my lord," quod sche,
"That whilom were al myn hertes reste,
That I schal gon, I wil go whan yow leste.

"But ther as ye profre me such dowayre
As I ferst brought, it is wel in my mynde,
It were my wrecchid clothes, no thing faire,
The whiche to me were hard now for to fynde.
O goode God! how gentil and how kynde
Ye semed by your speche and your visage,
That day that maked was our mariage!

"But soth is sayd, algate I fynd it trewe, For in effect it proved is on me,

Love is nought old as whan that it is newe.
But certes, lord, for noon adversite
To deyen in the caas, it schal not be
That ever in word or werk I schal repente
That I yow gaf myn hert in hol entente.

"My lord, ye wot that in my fadres place
Ye dede me strippe out of my pore wede,
And richely me cladden of your grace;
To yow brought I nought elles out of drede,
But faith, and nakednesse, and maydenhede;
And her agayn my clothyng I restore,
And eek my weddyng ryng for evermore.

"The remenant of your jewels redy be
Within your chambur dar I saufly sayn.
Naked out of my fadres hous," quod sche,
"I com, and naked moot I torne agayn.
Al your pleisauns wold I fulfille fayn;
But yit I hope it be not youre entent,
That I smocless out of your paleys went.

"Ye couthe not doon so dishonest a thing,
That thilke wombe, in which your children leye,
Schulde byforn the poeple, in my walkyng,
Be seye al bare: wherfore I yow pray
Let me not lik a worm go by the way;
Remembre yow, myn oughne lord so deere,
I was your wyf, though I unworthy were.

"Wherfor, in guerdoun of my maydenhede,
Which that I brought and nought agayn I bere,
As vouchethsauf to geve me to my meede
But such a smok as I was wont to were,

That I therwith may wrye the wombe of here
That was your wif; and here take I my leve

Of yow, myn oughne lord, lest I yow greve.'

"The smok," quod he, "that thou hast on thy bak,

Let it be stille, and ber it forth with the."

But wel unnethes thilke word he spak,
But went his way for routhe and for pite.
Byforn the folk hirselven strippith sche,
And in hir smok, with heed and foot al bare,
Toward hir faderhouse forth is sche fare.

The folk hir folwen wepyng in hir weye,
And fortune ay thay cursen as thay goon;
But sche fro wepyng kept hir eyen dreye,
Ne in this tyme word ne spak sche noon.
Hir fader, that this tyding herd anoon,
Cursed the day and tyme, that nature
Schoop him to ben a lyves creature.

For out of doute this olde pore man Was ever in suspect of hir mariage;

For ever he deemed, sith that it bigan,
That whan the lord fulfilled had his corrage,
Him wolde think that it were disparage
To his estate, so lowe for to light,
And voyden hire as sone as ever he might.
Agayns his doughter hastily goth he;
For he by noyse of folk knew hir comyng;
And with hir olde cote, as it might be,
He covered hir ful sor'wfully wepyng;
But on hir body might he it nought bringe,
For rude was the cloth, and mor of age
By dayes felel1 than at hir mariage.

Thus with hir fader for a certeyn space
Dwellith this flour of wifly pacience,
That neyther by her wordes ne by hir face,
Byforn the folk, nor eek in her absence,
Ne schewed sche that hir was doon offence,
Ne of hir highe astaat no remembraunce
Ne hadde sche, as by hir countenaunce.
No wonder is, for in hir gret estate
Hir gost was ever in playn humilite;
Ne tender mouth, noon herte delicate,
Ne pompe, ne semblant of realte;
But ful of pacient benignite,

Discrete, and prideles, ay honurable,

And to hir housbond ever meke and stable.

Men speke of Job, and most for his humblesse,
As clerkes, whan hem lust, can wel endite,
Namely of men, but as in sothfastnesse,
Though clerkes prayse wommen but a lite,
Ther can no man in humblesse him acquyte
As wommen can, ne can be half so trewe
As wommen ben, but it be falle of newe.

1 Fele is the Anglo-Saxon for many; modern German, viel, pro nounced fiel.

PARS SEXTA.

FRO Boloyne is this erl of Panik y-come,
Of which the fame up-sprong to more and lasse,
And to the poeples eeres alle and some

Was couth eek, that a newe marquisesse

He with him brought, in such pomp and richesse,
That never was ther seyn with mannes ye

So noble array in al West Lombardye.

The marquys, which that schoop and knew al this,
Er that this erl was come, sent his message
For thilke1 cely pore Grisildis;

And sche with humble hert and glad visage,
Not with no swollen hert in hir corrage,
Cam at his hest, and on hir knees hir sette,
And reverently and wyfly sche him grette.

"Grisild," quod he, "my wil is outrely,
This mayden, that schal weddid be to me,
Receyved be to morwe as really
As it possible is in myn hous to be;
And eek that every wight in his degre
Have his estaat in sittyng and servyse,
In high plesaunce, as I can devyse.

"I have no womman suffisant certeyne
The chambres for tarray in ordinance
After my lust, and therfor wold I feyne,
That thin were al such maner governaunce;
Thow knowest eek of al my plesaunce;

Though thyn array be badde, and ille byseye;

Do thou thy dever atte leste weye."

"Nought oonly, lord, that I am glad," quod sche,

"To don your lust, but I desire also

Yow for to serve and plese in my degre,

Withoute feyntyng, and schal evermo;
Ne never for no wele, ne for no wo,

1 The final has been added to thilk, as more correct, grammatically, and necessary for the metre.

Five Centuries.

F

Ne schal the gost withinne myn herte stente
To love yow best with al my trewe entent."
And with that word sche gan the hous to dight,
And tables for to sette, and beddes make,
And peyned hir to doon al that sche might,
Preying the chamberers for Goddes sake
To hasten hem, and faste swepe and schake;
And sche the moste servisable of alle

Hath every chamber arrayed, and his halle.
Abouten undern1 gan this lord alight,
That with him brought these noble children tweye;
For which the peple ran to se that sight
Of her array, so richely biseye.

And than at erst amonges hem thay seye,

That Walter was no fool, though that him lest
To chaunge his wyf; for it was for the best.
For sche is fairer, as thay demen alle,
Than is Grisild, and more tender of age,
And fairer fruyt bitwen hem schulde falle,
And more plesaunt for hir high lynage;
Hir brother eek so fair was of visage,

That hem to seen the peple hath caught plesaunce,
Comending now the marquis governaunce.
O stormy poeple, unsad and ever untrewe,
And undiscret, and chaunging as a fane,
Delytyng ever in rombel that is newe,
For lik the moone ay wax ye and wane!
Ay ful of clappyng, dere y-nough a jane,2
Youre doom is fals, your constaunce yvel previth;
A ful gret fool is he that on yow leevith.
Thus sayde saad folke in that citee,
Whan that the poeple gased up and doun;
For thay were glad right for the novelte,
To have a newe lady of her toun.

1 Undern the third hour of the day, i. e. nine o'clock

2 Jane is a small coin of Genoa (Janua). The meaning is, Your praise is dear enough at a farthing.