The Clerk's Tale
Folio 252v
16 of 30 folios
I wolde leue in pees ȝif that I myȝte
Wherfore I am disposed vttyrly
640
As I his sistyr seruede be nyghte
Ryȝt so thynke / I to serue hȳ piuyly
This warne I ȝow that ȝe nat sodeynly
Out of ȝoure self / for no woo schulde outraye
Beth pacient & þerof I ȝow praye
645
I haue quod sche seyd thus & euere schal
I wol nothyng / ne nyl nothyng certeyn
But as þu lyst not / greuyth me at al
Thow that myn doughtir & mȳ sone be slayn
At ȝoure comaūdement it is to seyn
650
I haue not had no part / of chyldere tweyne
But fyrst seknesse / & aftyr wo & peyne
Ye been oure lord doth wt ȝoure owene thyng
Ryȝt as ȝow leste axseth no reed at me
For as I leffte at hom al myn clothȳge
655
Whā I ferst cam to ȝow / ryȝt so quod sche
Lefte I mȳ wil / & myn liberte /
And tok ȝoure clothȳg wherfore I ȝow preye
Doth ȝoure plesaūce I wele ȝoure lust obeye
And sertis ȝif I hadde prescience
660
Ȝoure wil to knowe er ȝe ȝoure lust me tolde
I wolde it don with outyn necligence
But now I wot ȝoure lust & what ȝe wolde
Al ȝoure plesaūce ferme & stable I holde
For wiste I þt myn deth wolde don ȝoure ese
665
Ryȝt gladly wolde I deye ȝow to plese
Deth may not make non comparisoun
Vn to ȝoure loue / & whā this Markys say
The constaūce / of his wyf he casta doū
Hise eyen too / & wonderyth that sche may
670
In pacience / suffere al this a ray
And forth he goth / wt drery cuntenaūce
But to his herte it was / a ful gret plesaūce
Here waytith / ȝif be word or cuntenaūce
That sche to hȳ was chaungit of corage
710
But neuere coude he fynde varyaūce
Sche was ay on in herte & in visage
And ay þe ferthere // sche // þt was in age
The moore trewe ȝif þt it were possyble
Sche was to hȳ in loue & more penyble
715
For which it semede thus that of hē two
Nas but on wil for as waltyr leste
The same lust was hyre plesaūce also
And god be thankede al fyl for the beste
Sche schewede wel for no wordely onreste
720
A wyf as of hire self nothyng ne schulde
Wille in effect / but as hire husbonde wolde
The sclaundere ofte & wyde spradde
That of a crewel herte / he wekkedely
For he a poore woman weddid hadde
725
Hath morderyd bothe hise childere piuyly
Swich mordere was a mong hē comoūly
No wondyr is for to þe peplis ere
There cam no word / but þt they morderede were
For wych ther as his puple ther by fore
730
Hadde loued hȳ wel the slaūdere of his diffame
Maade hem þt they hȳ hatid þerfore
To been a morderere is an hateful name
But natheles for ernest ne for game
He of his crewel purpos nolde stēte
735
To tempte his wyf was set al his entente
Whan þt this doghtyr twelf ȝeer was of age
He to the court of rome in subtyl wyse
Enformede of his wil sente his massage
Comaūdynge hē sweche bullys to deuyse
740
As to his crewel purpos may suffyse
How þt the pope as for the peplis reste
Bad hȳ to wedde a nothir ȝif hȳ leste