My liege Lady, generally, quod he,
Women defiren to han foverainetee,
As well over hir husbond as hir love,
And for to ben in maiftrie him above.
This is your moft defire, though ye me kille;
Doth as you lift, I am here at your wille.

6620

In all the court ne was ther wif ne maide, 6625 Ne wide we, that contraried that he faide,

But faid he was worthy to han his lif.

And with that word up ftert this olde wif

Which that the knight faw fitting on the grene.
Mercy, quod fhe, my foveraine lady Quene,

6630

Er that your court depart, as doth me right.
I taughte this answer unto this knight,

For which he plighte me his trouthe there
The firfte thing I wold of him requere

He wold it do, if it lay in his might.

6635

Before this court than pray I thee, Sire Knight,

Quod fhe, that thou me take unto thy wif,

For wel thou woft that I have kept thy lif:
If I say false say nay upon thy fay.

This knight answered, Alas and wala wa! 6640
I wot right wel that swiche was my behest.
For Goddes love as chese a new request:

Take all my good, and let my body go.
Nay than, quod fhe, I fhrewe us bothe two :
For though that I be olde, foule, and pore,

I n'olde for all the metal ne the ore

Volume 111.

E

6645

That under erthe is grave, or lith above,
But if thy wif I were and eke thy love.

My love! quod he; nay, my dampnation.
Alas! that any

of my

nation

Shuld ever fo foule difparaged be.

But all for nought; the end is this, that he
Conftrained was he nedes must hire wed,
And taketh this olde wif, and goth to bed.

Now wolden fom men sayn paraventure,

That for my negligence I do no cure
To tollen you the joye and all the array
That at the fefte was that ilke day.

6650

6655

To which thing fhortly anfweren I fhal:

I fay ther was no joye ne fefte at al,

6660

Ther n'as but hevineffe and mochel forwe;

For prively he wedded hire on the morwe,
And all day after hid him as an oule,

So wo was him his wif loked fo foule.

Gret was the wo the knight had in his thought 6665 Whan he was with his wif a-bed ybrought;

He walweth, and he turneth to and fro.

This olde wif lay fmiling evermo,

And faid, O dere hufbond, benedicite!

Fareth every knight thus with his wif as ye? 6670
Is this the lawe of King Artoures hous?
Is every knight of his thus dangerous?
I am your owen love, and eke your wif,
I am fhe which that faved hath your lif,

And certes yet did I you never unright;
Why fare ye thus with me this firfte night?
Ye faren like a man had loft his wit.

What is my gilt? for Goddes love tell it,
And it fhal ben amended if I may.

6675

Amended! quod this knight, alas ! nay, nay, 6680 It wol not ben amended never mo;

Thou art fo lothly, and fo olde alfo,

And therto comen of fo low a kind,

That litel wonder is though I walwe and wind;
So wolde God min herte wolde brest.

6685
Is this, quod fhe, the cause of your unrest ?
Ye certainly, quod he, no wonder is.
Now Sire, quod fhe, I coude amend all this,

If that me lift, er it were dayes three,

So wel ye mighten bere you unto me.

But for ye speken of swiche gentilleffe
As is defcended out of old richeffe,
That therfore fhullen ye be gentilmen ;
Swiche arrogance n'is not worth an hen.

Loke who that is moft vertuous alway,
Prive and apert, and most entendeth ay
To do the gentil dedes that he can,
And take him for the greteft gentilman.
Crift wol we claime of him our gentilleffe,
Not of our elders for hir old richeffe;
For though they yeve us all hir heritage,
For which we claime to ben of high parage,

6690

6695

6700

Yet may they not bequethen for no thing
To non of us hir vertuous living,

That made hem gentilmen called to be,

6705

And bade us folwen hem in fwiche degree.

Wel can the wife poet of Florence,
That highte Dant, fpeken, of this fentence:
Lo in fwiche maner rime is Dantes tale.

Ful felde up rifeth by his branches fmale
Proweffe of man, for God of his goodneffe
Wol that we claime of him our gentilleffe;
For of our elders may we nothing claime

6710

But temporel thing, that man may hurt and maime.
Eke every wight wot this as wel as I,

If gentilleffe were planted naturelly
Unto a certain linage doun the line,

6715

Prive and apert, than wold they never fine
To don of gentilleffe the faire office;

They mighten do no vilanie or vice.

6720

Take fire, and bere it into the derkeft hous

Betwix this and the Mount of Caucafus,

And let men fhette the dores, and go thenne,
Yet wol the fire as faire lie and brenne

. 6710. Ful folde up rifeth] Dante, Purg. vii. 1215

Rade volte rifurgo per, li rami

L'humana probitate: et quefto vuole
Quei che la das perche da fe fi chiami.

Is not annexed to poffeffion,
Sith folk ne don hir operation

6730

Alway, as doth the fire, lo, in his kind:
For God it wot men moun ful often find
A lordes fone do fhame and vilanie.
And he that wol han pris of his genterie,
For he was boren of a gentil hous,
And had his elders noble and vertuous,

6735

And n'ill himselven do no gentil dedes,

Ne folwe his gentil aunceftrie that ded is,
He n'is not gentil, be he duk or crl,
For vilains finful dedes make a cherl:
For gentilleffe n'is but the renomee
Of thin aunceftres for hir high bountée,
Which is a strange thing to thy persone:

Thy gentilleffe cometh fro God alone;

6740

Than cometh our veray gentilleffe of grace; 6745 It was no thing bequethed us with our place.

Thinketh how noble, as faith Valerius,

Was thilke Tullius Hoftilius,

That out of poverte rofe to high nobleffe.

Redeth Senek, and redeth eke Boece,

Ther fhull ye feen expreffe that it no dred is
That he is gentil that doth gentil dedis:

6750

.6741. For gentillefe] A great deal of this reasoning is copied from Boethius de Confol. 1. iii. pr. 6. See also R. R. 2180, et feq.;

For villanie maketh villeine,

And by his dedes a chorle is feine, c.