Fro Boloigne is this erl of Pavie come, Of which the fame up sprang to more and lesse : And to the peples eres all and some Was couth eke, that a newe markisesse He with him brought, in swiche pomp and richesse, That never was ther seen with mannes eye So noble array in al West Lumbardie.

The markis, which that shope and knew all this,
Er that this erl was come, sent his message
For thilke poure sely Grisildis;

And she with humble herte and glad visage,
Not with no swollen thought in hire corage,
Came at his hest, and on hire knees hire sette,
And reverently and wisely she him grette.

Grisilde, (quod he) my will is utterly,
This maiden, that shal wedded be to me,
Received be to-morwe as really
As it possible is in myn hous to be:
And eke that every wight in his degree
Have his estat in sitting and service,
And high plesance, as I can best devise.

I have no woman suffisant certain
The chambres for to array in ordinance
After my lust, and therfore wolde I fain,
That thin were all swiche manere governance:
Thou knowest eke of old all my plesance;
Though thin array be bad, and evil besey,
Do thou thy devoir at the leste wey.

Not only, lord, that I am glad (quod she)
To don your lust, but I desire also
You for to serve and plese in my degree,
Withouten fainting, and shal evermo:
Ne never for no wele, ne for no wo,
Ne shal the gost within myn herte stente
To love you best with all my trewe entente.

And with that word she gan the hous to dight,
And tables for to sette, and beddes make,
And peined hire to don all that she might,
Praying the chambereres for Goddes sake
To hasten hem, and faste swepe and shake,
And she the moste serviceable of all
Hath every chambre arraied, and his hall.

Abouten undern gan this erl alight,

For she is fairer, as they demen all, Than is Grisilde, and more tendre of age, And fairer fruit betwene hem shulde fall, And more plesant for hire high linage: Hire brother eke so faire was of visage, That hem to seen the peple hath caught plesance, Commending now the markis governance.

O stormy peple, unsad and ever untrewe, And undiscrete, and changing as a fane, Delighting ever in rombel that is newe, For like the mone waxen ye and wane: Ay ful of clapping, dere ynough a jane, Your dome is fals, your constance evil preveth, A ful gret fool is he that on you leveth.

Thus saiden sade folk in that citee,
Whan that the peple gased up and doun :
For they were glad, right for the noveltee,
To have a newe lady of hir toun.

But to Grisilde agen I wol me dresse,
No more of this make I now mentioun,
And telle hire constance, and hire besinesse.

Ful besy was Grisilde in every thing,
That to the feste was appertinent;
Right naught was she abaist of hire clothing,
Though it were rude, and somdel eke to-rent,
But with glad chere to the yate is went
With other folk, to grete the markisesse,
And after that doth forth hire besinesse.

With so glad chere his gestes she receiveth, And conningly everich in his degree, That no defaute no man apperceiveth, But ay they wondren what she mighte be, That in so poure array was for to see, And coude swiche honour and reverence, And worthily they preisen hire prudence.

In all this mene while she ne stent This maide and eke hire brother to commend With all hire herte in ful benigne entent, So wel, that no man coud hire preise amend : But at the last whan that thise lordes wend To sitten doun to mete, he gan to call Grisilde, as she was besy in the hall.

Grisilde, (quod he, as it were in his play)
How liketh thee my wif, and hire beautee?
Right wel, my lord, quod she, for in good fay,
A fairer saw I never non than she :
I pray to God yeve you prosperitee;
And so I hope, that he wol to you send
Plesance ynough unto your lives end.

O thing beseche I you and warne also,
That ye ne prikke with no turmenting
This tendre maiden, as ye han do mo:
For she is fostred in hire norishing
More tendrely, and to my supposing
She mighte not adversitee endure,
As coude a poure fostred creature.

And whan this Walter saw hire patience,

For which the peple ran to see the sight

Of hir array, so richely besey:
And than at erst amonges hem they sey,
That Walter was no fool, though that him lest
To change his wif; for it was for the best.

And he so often hadde hire don offence, And she ay sade and constant as a wall, Continuing ever hire innocence over all, This sturdy markis gan his herte dresse To rewe upon hire wifly stedefastnesse.

This is ynough, Grisilde min, quod he,
Be now no more agast, ne evil apaid,
I have thy faith and thy benignitee,
As wel as ever woman was, assaid
In gret estat, and pourelich arraied:
Now know I, dere wif, thy stedefastnesse,
And hire in armes toke, and gan to kesse.

And she for wonder toke of it no kepe;
She herde not what thing he to hire said:
She ferde as she had stert out of a slepe,
Til she out of hire masednesse abraid.
Grisilde, quod he, by God that for us deid,
Thou art my wif, non other I ne have,
Ne never had, as God my soule save.

This is thy doughter, which thou hast supposed
To be my wif; that other faithfully
Shal be min heir, as I have ay disposed;
Thou bare hem of thy body trewely:
At Boloigne have I kept hem prively:
Take hem agen, for now maist thou not say,
That thou hast lorn non of thy children tway.

And folk, that otherwise han said of me,
I warne hem wel, that I have don this dede
For no malice, ne for no crueltee,
But for to assay in thee thy womanhede :
And not to slee my children (God forbede)
But for to kepe hem prively and still,
Til I thy purpos knew, and all thy will.

Whan she this herd aswoune doun she falleth
For pitous joye, and after hire swouning
She bothe hire yonge children to hire calleth,
And in hire armes pitously weping
Embraceth hem, and tendrely kissing
Ful like a moder with hire salte teres
She bathed both hir visage and hir heres.

O, which a pitous thing it was to see
Hire swouning, and hire humble vois to here!
Grand mercy, lord, God thank it you (quod she)
That ye han saved me my children dere:
Now rekke I never to be ded right here,
Sin I stond in your love, and in your grace,
No force of deth, ne whan my spirit pace.

O tendre, o dere, o youge children mine,
Your woful mother wened stedfastly,
That cruel houndes, or som foul vermine
Had eten you; but God of his mercy,
And your benigne fader tendrely
Hath don you kepe: and in that same stound
Al sodenly she swapt adoun to ground.

And in hire swough so sadly holdeth she
Hire children two, whan she gan hem embrace,
That with gret sleight and gret difficultee
The children from hire arm they gan arrace
O many a tere on many a pitous face
Doun ran of hem that stoden hire beside,
Unnethe abouten hire might they abide.

Walter hire gladeth, and hire sorwe slaketh,
She riseth up abashed from hire trance,
And every wight hire joye and feste maketh,
Til she hath caught agen hire contenance.
Walter hire doth so faithfully plesance,
That it was deintee for to seen the chere
Betwix hem two, sin they ben met in fere.

Thise ladies, whan that they hir time sey, Han taken hire, and into chambre gon, And stripen hire out of hire rude arrey, And in a cloth of gold that brighte shone, With a coroune of many a riche stone Upon hire hed, they into hall hire broughte: And ther she was honoured as hire ought.

Thus hath this pitous day a blisful end;
For every man, and woman, doth his might
This day in mirth and revel to dispend,
Til on the welkin shone the sterres bright:
For more solempne in every mannes sight
This feste was, and greter of costage,
Than was the revel of hire mariage.

Ful many a yere in high prosperitee
Liven thise two in concord and in rest,
And richely his doughter maried he
Unto a lord, on of the worthiest

Of all Itaille, and than in pees and rest
His wives fader in his court he kepeth,
Til that the soule out of his body crepeth.

His sone succedeth in his heritage,
In rest and pees, after his fadres day :
And fortunat was eke in mariage,
Al put he not his wif in gret assay:
This world is not so strong, it is no nay,
As it hath ben in olde times yore,
And herkneth, what this auctour saith therfore.

This story is said, not for that wives shuld
Folwe Grisilde, as in humilitee,
For it were importable, tho they wold;
But for that every wight in his degree
Shulde be constant in adversitee,

As was Grisilde, therfore Petrark writeth
This storie, which with high stile he enditeth.

For sith a woman was so patient
Unto a mortal man, wel more we ought
Receiven all in gree that God us sent.
For gret skill is he preve that he wrought:
But he ne tempteth no man that he bought,
As saith seint Jame, if ye his pistell rede;
He preveth folk al day, it is no drede :

And suffreth us, as for our exercise,
With sharpe scourges of adversitee
Ful often to be bete in sondry wise;
Not for to know our will, for certes he,
Or we were borne, knew all our freeletee;
And for our best is all his governance;
Let us than live in vertuous suffrance.

But o word, lerdings, herkeneth, or I go : It were ful hard to finden now adayes In all a toun Grisildes three or two: For if that they were put to swiche assayes, The gold of hem hath now so bad alayes With bras, that though the coine be faire at eye, It wolde rather brast atwo than plie.

For which here, for the wives love of Bathe, Whos lif and al hire secte God maintene In high maistrie, and elles were it scathe, I wol with lusty herte fresslie and grene, Say you a song to gladen you, I wene: And let us stint of ernestful matere. Herkneth my song, that saith in this manere.

To kepe him, sike and hole, as is his make?
For wele or wo she n'ill him not forsake:
She n'is not wery him to love and serve,
Though that he lie bedrede til that he sterve.
And yet som clerkes sain, it is not so,
Of which he Theophrast is on of tho
What force though Theophrast list for to lie?
Ne take no wif, quod he, for husbondrie,
As for to spare in houshold thy dispence:
A trewe servant doth more diligence
Thy good to kepe, than doth thin owen wif,
For she wol claimen half part al hire lif.
And if that thou be sike, so God me save,
Thy veray frendes or a trewe knave
Wol kepe thee bet than she, that waiteth ay
After thy good, and hath don many a day.

This sentence, and an hundred things werse
Writeth this man ther God his bones curse.
But take no kepe of al swiche vanitee,
Defieth Theophrast, and herkeneth me.
A wif is Goddes yefte veraily;
All other maner yeftes hardely,
As londes, rentes, pasture, or commune,
Or mebles, all ben yeftes of fortune,
That passen as a shadow on the wall:
But drede thou not, if plainly speke I shal,
A wif wol last and in thin hous endure,
Wel lenger than thee list paraventure.

Mariage is a ful gret sacrament;

He which that hath no wif I hold him shent ;
He liveth helples, and all desolat:
(I speke of folk in seculer estat)

And herkneth why, I say not this for nought,
That woman is for mannes help ywrought.
The highe God, whan he had Adam maked,
And saw him al alone belly naked,
God of his grete goodnesse saide than,
Let us now make an helpe unto this man
Like to himself, and than he made him Eve.
Here may ye see, and hereby may ye preve,
That a wif is mannes helpe and his comfort,
His paradis terrestre and his disport :
So buxom and so vertuous is she,
They mosten nedes live in unitee:
O flesh they ben, and o flesh, as I gesse,
Hath but on herte in wele and in distresse.
A wif? a seinte Marie, benedicite,
How might a man have any adversite
That hath a wif? certes I cannot seye.
The blisse the which that is betwix hem tweye
Ther may no tonge telle or herte thinke.
If he be poure, she helpeth him to swinke;
She kepeth his good, and wasteth never a del;
All that hire husbond doth, hire liketh wel;
She saith not ones nay, whan he saith ye;
Do this, saith he; al redy, sire, saith she.
O blisful ordre, o wedlok precious,
Thou art so mery, and eke so vertuous,
And so commended, and approved eke,
That every man that holt him worth a leke,
Upon his bare knees ought all his lif
Thanken his God, that him hath sent a wif,
Or elles pray to God him for to send
A wif, to last unto his lives end.
For than his lif is set in sikernesse,
He may not be deceived, as I gesse,
So that he werche after his wives rede;
Than may he boldly beren up his hede,
They ben so trewe, and therwithal so wise.
For which, if thou wilt werchen as the wise,

Do alway so, as women wol thee rede.

Lo how that Jacob, as thise clerkes rede,
By good conseil of his mother Rebekke
Bounde the kiddes skin about his nekke ;
For which his fadres benison he wan.

Lo Judith, as the storie eke tell can,
By good conseil she Goddes peple kept,
And slow him Holofernes while he slept.
Lo Abigail, by good conseil how she
Saved hire husbond Nabal, whan that he
Shuld han be slain. And loke, Hester also
By good conseil delivered out of wo
The peple of God, and made him Mardochec
Of Assuere enhaunsed for to be.

Ther n'is no thing in gree superlatif
(As saith Senek) above an humble wif.
Suffer thy wives tonge, as Caton bit,
She shal command, and thou shalt suffren it,
And yet she wol obey of curtesie.

A wif is keper of thin husbondrie:
Wel may the sike man bewaile and wepe,
Ther as ther is no wif the hous to kepe.
I warne thee, if wisely thou wilt werche,
Love wel thy wif, as Crist loveth his cherche :
If thou lovest thyself, love thou thy wif
No man hateth his flesh, but in his lif
He fostreth it, and therfore bid I thee
Cherish thy wif, or thou shalt never the.
Husbond and wif, what so men jape or play,
Of worldly folk holden the siker way:
They ben so knit, ther may non harm betide,
And namely upon the wives side.

For which this January, of whom I told,
Considered hath within his dayes old
The lusty lif, the vertuous quiete,
That is in mariage hony-swete.
And for his frendes on a day he sent
To tellen hem th' effect of his entent.

With face sad, his tale he hath hem told:
He sayde, frendes, I am hore and old,
And almost (God wot) on my pittes brinke,
Upon my soule somwhat most I thinke.
I have my body folily dispended,
Blessed be God that it shal ben amended:
For I wol ben certain a wedded man,
And that anon in all the hast I can.
Unto som maiden, faire and tendre of age,
I pray you shapeth for my mariage
All sodenly, for I wol not abide:
And I wol fonde to espien on my side,
To whom I may be wedded hastily.
But for as moche as ye ben more than I,
Ye shullen rather swiche a thing espien
Than I, and wher me beste were to allien.
But o thing warn I you, my frendes dere,
I wol non old wif han in no manere :
She shal not passen twenty yere certain.
Old fish and yonge flesh wold I have fain.
Bet is (quod he) a pike than a pikerel,
And bet than old beef is the tendre veel.
I wol no woman thirty yere of age,
It is but benestraw and gret forage.
And eke thise olde widewes (God it wote)
They connen so moch craft on Wades bote,
So mochel broken harm whan that hem lest,
That with hem shuld I never live in rest.
For sondry scoles maken subtil clerkes ;
Woman of many scoles half a clerk is.
But certainly, a yong thing men may gie,
Right as men may warm wax with handes plie.

Wherfore I say you plainly in a clause,
I wol non old wif han right for this cause.
For if so were I hadde swiche meschance,
That I in hire ne coude have no plesance,
Than shuld I lede my lif in avoutrie,
And so streight to the devil whan I die.
Ne children shuld I non upon hire geten:
Yet were me lever houndes had me eten,
Than that min heritage shulde fall

In straunge hondes: and this I tell you all.
I dote not, I wot the cause why

Men shulden wedde: and furthermore wot I,
Ther speketh many a man of mariage,
That wot no more of it than wot my page,
For which causes a man shuld take a wif.
If he ne may not liven chast his lif,
Take him a wif with gret devotion,
Because of leful procreation

Of children, to the honour of God above,
And not only for paramour or love;
And for they shulden lecherie eschue,
And yeld hir dette whan that it is due:
Or for that eche of hem shuld helpen other
In meschefe, as a suster shal the brother,
And live in chastitee ful holily.

But, sires, (by your leve) that am not I,
For God be thanked, I dare make avaunt,
I fele my limmes stark and suffisant
To don all that a man belongeth to:
I wot myselven best what I may do.
Though I be hoor, I fare as doth a tre,
That blosmeth er the fruit ywoxen be;
The blosmy tre n'is neither drie ne ded:
I fele me no wher hoor but on my hed.
Min herte and all my limmes ben as grene,
As laurer thurgh the yere is for to sene.
And sin that ye han herd all min entent,
I pray you to my will ye wolde assent.
Diverse men diversely him told
Of mariage many ensamples old;
Som blamed it, som praised it certain ;
But atte laste, shortly for to sain,
(As all day falleth altercation
Betwixen frendes in disputison)
Ther fell a strif betwix his brethren two,
Of which that on was cleped Placebo,
Justinus sothly called was that other.

Placebo sayd; O January brother,
Ful litel nede han ye, my lord so dere,
Conseil to aske of any that is here:
But that ye ben so ful of sapience,
That you ne liketh for your high prudence,
To weiven fro the word of Salomon.
This word sayd he unto us everich on;
Werke alle thing by conseil, thus sayd he,
And than ne shalt thou not repenten thee.
But though that Salomon spake swiche a word,
Min owen dere brother and my lord,
So wisly God my soule bringe at rest,
I hold your owen conseil is the best.

For, brother min, take of me this motif,
I have now ben a court-man all my lif,
And God it wot, though I unworthy be,
I have stonden in ful gret degree
Abouten lordes of ful high estat:
Yet had I never with non of hem debat,
I never hem contraried trewely.

I wot wel that my lord can more than I ;

What that he saith, I hold it firme and stable, I say the same, or elles thing semblable.

A ful gret fool is any conseillour,
That serveth any lord of high honour,
That dare presume, or ones thinken it,
That his conseil shuld passe his lordes wit.
Nay, lordes be no fooles by my fay.
Ye han yourselven shewed here to-day
So high sentence, so holily, and wel,
That I consent, and confirme every del
Your wordes all, and your opinioun.
By God ther n'is no man in all this toun
Ne in Itaille, coud bet han ysayd:
Crist holt him of this conseil wel apaid.
And trewely it is an high corage
Of any man that stopen is in age,
To take a young wif, by my fader kin :
Your herte hongeth on a joly pin.

Doth now in this matere right as you lest,
For finally I hold it for the best.

Justinus, that ay stille sat and herd,
Right in this wise he to Placebo answerd.
Now, brother min, be patient I pray,
Sin ye han said, and herkneth what I say.

Senek among his other wordes wise
Saith, that a man ought him right wel avise,
To whom he yeveth his lond or his catel.
And sith I ought avisen me right wel,
To whom I yeve my good away fro me,
Wel more I ought avisen me, parde,
To whom I yeve my body: for alway
I warne you wel it is no childes play
To take a wif without avisement.
Men must enqueren (this is min assent)
Wheder she be wise and sobre, or dronkelewe,
Or proud, or elles other waies a shrew,
A chidester, or a wastour of thy good,
Or riche or poure, or elles a man is wood.

Al be it so, that no man finden shal
Non in this world, that trotteth hol in al,
Ne man, ne beste, swiche as men can devise,
But natheles it ought ynough suffice
With any wif, if so were that she had
Mo goode thewes, than hire vices bad:
And all this axeth leiser to enquere.
For God it wot, I have wept many a tere
Ful prively, sin that I had a wif.
Praise who so wol a wedded mannes lif,
Certain I find in it but cost and care,
And observances of alle blisses bare.
And yet, God wot, my neighebours aboute,
And namely of women many a route,
Sain that I have the moste stedefast wif,
And eke the mekest on that bereth lif.
But I wot best, wher wringeth me my sho.
Ye may for me right as you liketh do.
Aviseth you, ye ben a man of age,
How that ye entren into mariage;
And namely with a yong wif and a faire.
By him that made water, fire, erthe, and aire,
The yongest man, that is in all this route,
Is besy ynow to bringen it aboute
To han his wif alone, trusteth me:
Ye shul not plesen hire fully yeres three,
This is to sain, to don hire ful plesance.
A wif axeth ful many an observance.
pray you that ye be not evil apaid.

Wel, quod this January, and hast thou saide! Straw for Senek, and straw for thy proverbes,

I counte not a panier ful of herbes

Of scole termes; wiser men than thou,

As thou hast herd, assented here right now