The Clerk's Tale
Folio 190r
34 of 35 folios
1135
¶ His sone / succedeth in his heritage
In reste and pees / after his fader day
And fortunat was eek his mariage
Al putte he nat his wyf in gret assay
This world is nat so strong it is no nay
1140
As it hath been / in olde tymes yore
And herkneth / what this Auctour seith therfore
¶ This storie is seyd / nat for þt wyues sholde
Folwen Grisilde / xx as in humylitee
For it were inpor table / thogh they wolde
1145
But for þt euery wight in his degree
Sholde be constant in aduersitee
As was Grisilde / therfore Petrak writeth
This storie / which he with heigh stile enditeth /
¶ For sith a womman / was so pacient
1150
Vn to a mortal man / wel moore vs oghte
Receyuen al in gree / that god vs sent
For gret skile is / he preue that he wroghte
But he ne tempteth / no man þt he boghte
As seith Seint Iame / if ye his pistel rede
1155
He preueth folk al day / it is no drede
¶ And suffreth vs / as for oure excercise
With sharpe scourges / of aduersitee
Ful ofte to be bete / in sondry wise
Nat for to knowe oure wyl / for certes he
1160
Er we were born / knew al oure freletee
And for oure beste / is al his gouernance
Lat vs thanne lyue / in vertuous suffrance
¶ But o word lordynges / herkneth er I go
It were ful hard / to fynde now a dayes
1165
In al a town / Grisildis thre or two
For if þt they were put to swiche assayes
The gold of hem / hath now so badde alayes
With bras / that thogh the coigne / be fair at eye
It wolde rather / breste atwo than plye