To don at home, as fone as it may be,
The labour which that longeth unto me,
And than I may at leiser hire behold,
If the this way unto the Caftel hold.

And as the wolde over the threswold gon
The markis came and gan hire for to call,
And she fet doun hire water-pot anon
Befide the threfwold in an oxes stall,
And doun upon hire knees she gan to fall,
And with fad countenance kneleth ftill,
Til fhe had herd what was the lordes will.

8160

8165

8170

This thoughtful markis spake unto this maid

Ful foberly, and faid in this manere;

Wher is your fader, Grifildis? he faid.

And the with reverence in humble chere
Answered, Lord, he is al redy here..m/
And in fhe goth withouten lenger lette,
And to the markis she hire fader fette.

He by the hond than toke this poure man,
And faide thus whan he him had afide;
Janicola, I neither may ne can

Lenger the plefance of min herte hide;
If that thou vouchefauf, what so betide,
Thy doughter wol I take or that I wend
As for my wif unto hire lives end.

Thou love me, that wot I wel certain,
And art my faithful liegeman ybore,
And all that liketh me, I dare wel sain,

8175

8180

8185

It liketh thee, and fpecially therfore
Tell me that point that I have faid before,
If that thou wolt unto this purpos drawe,
To taken me as for thy fon in lawe?

This foden cas this man aftoned fo..

That red he wex, abaift, and al quaking
unnethes faid he wordes mo

He flood;
But only thus; Lord, quod he, my willing
Is as ye wol, ne ageins your liking

I wol no thing, min owen Lord fa dere;
Right as you lift governeth this matere.

Than wol I, quod this markis foftely,
That in thy chambre I, and thou, and she,
Have a collation; and woft thou why?

For I wol afk hire if it hire wille be"
To be my wif, and reule hire after me?
And all this fhal be don in thy presence;

8190

8195

8200

I wol not fpeke out of thin audience.

8205

And in the chambre, while they were aboute

The tretee, which as ye fhul after here,

The peple came into the hous withoute,
And wondred hem in how honeft manére
Ententifly fhe kept hire fader dere:
But utterly Grifildis wonder might,
For never erft ne faw fhe fwiche a fight.
No wonder is though that she be aftoned

8210

To fee fo gret a gest come in that place,

She never was to non fwiche geftes woned,

8215

For which the loked with ful pale face.
But fhortly forth this matere for to chace,
Thife arn the wordes that the markis faid
To this benigne veray faithful maid.

Grifilde, he faid, ye fhuln wel understond
It liketh to your fader and to me

8220

That I you wedde, and eke it may fo ftond,
As I fuppofe, ye wol that it so be:

But thise demaundes aske I first (quod he)
That fin it shal be don in hasty wife

8225

Wol ye affent, or elles you avife?

I fay this, be ye redy with good herte

To all my luft, and that I freely may,

As me best thinketh, do you laugh or smerte,

And never ye to grutchen, night ne day,

3230

And eke whan I fay Ya ye fay not Nay,
Neither by word ne frouning countenance?
Swere this, and here I fwere our alliance.

Wondring upon this thing, quaking for drede,

She faide, Lord, indigne and unworthy

8235

Am I to thilke honour that ye me bede,
But as ye wol yourself right fo wol I:
And here I fwere that never willingly
In werk ne thought I n'ill you disobeie
For to be ded, though me were loth to deie.
This is ynough, Grifilde min, quod he.
And forth he goth with a ful fobre chere
Out at the dore, and after than came she,

8243

And to the peple he said in this manere;
This is my wif, quod he, that stondeth here;
Honoureth her, and loveth hire, I pray,
Who fo me loveth; ther n'is no more to say.
And for that nothing of hire olde gere
She fhulde bring into his hous, he had

8245

That women shuld defpoilen hire right there, 825
Of which thise ladies weren nothing glad
To handle hire clothes wherin fhe was clad :
But natheles this maiden bright of hew

Fro foot to hed they clothed han all new.

Hire heres han they kempt, that lay untressed.

Ful rudely, and with hir fingres fmal

A coroune on hire hed they han ydreffed,

And fette hire ful of nouches gret and smal.
Of hire array what shuld I make a tale?

8256

Unneth the peple hire knew for hire fairnesse 3260
Whan fhe tranfmewed was in fwiche richesse.
This markis hath hire spoused with a ring
Brought for the fame caufe, and than hire fette
Upon an hors fnow-white and wel ambling,
And to his paleis, or he lenger lette,
(With joyful peple that hire lad and mette)

8265

V. 8258. ful of nouches] The common reading is ouches, but I have retained the reading of the beft mff. as it may poffibly affift fomebody to discover the meaning of the word. lobferve too that it is fo written in the inventory of the effects of H. V. Rot. Parl. 2. H. VI. n. 31; "Item 6 broches et nouches d'or garniz de divers garnades pois 31d d'or pris 35s.

Conveyed hire; and thus the day they spende
In revel til the fonne gan defcende.

And fhortly forth this Tale for to chace,

I fay that to this newe markifeffe

8270

God hath swiche favour sent hire of his grace,

That it ne femeth not by likelineffe

That fhe was borne and fed in rudeneffe,

As in a cote or in an oxes stall,

But nourished in an emperoures hall.

8275

To every wight she waxen is so dere
And worshipful, that folk ther she was bore,
And fro hire birthe knew hire yere by yere,
Unnethes trowed they, but dorft han fwore
That to Janicle, of which I spake before,
She doughter, n'as; for as by conjecture
Hem thoughte fhe was another creature.

For though that ever vertuous was the,
She was encrefed in fwiche excellence:

Of thewes good, yfet in high bountee,
And fo difcrete, and faire of eloquence,
So benigne, and fo digne of reverence,

8280

8285

And coude fo the peples herte enbrace,

That eche hire loveth that loketh on hire face.

8290

Not only of Saluces in the toun

Published was the bountee of hire name,
But eke befide in many a regioun ;

If on faith wel another faith the fame:

So fpredeth of hire hie bountee the fame,