Canterbury Tales Clerk Quotes

O thyng biseke I yow, and warne also,
That ye ne prikke with no tormentynge
This tendre mayden, as ye han doon mo;
For she is fostred in hire norissynge
Moore tendrely, and, to my supposynge,
She koude nat adversitee endure
As koude a povre fostred creature.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda shows her true devotion to Walter with her sympathetic and gracious comments about his new young bride. Do not distress with any tormenting this tender maiden, as you have done to others, she pleads. For she is reared more tenderly and could not ensure adversity like a poorly reared creature, she adds. It is these comments on his richly-dressed and aristocratic bride that wins Walter over to end his testing of Griselda.

And whan this Walter saugh hire pacience,
Hir glade chiere, and no malice at al,
And he so ofte had doon to hire offence,
And she ay sad and constant as a wal,
Continuynge evere hire innocence overal,
This sturdy markys gan his herte dresse
To rewen upon hire wyfly stedfastnesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Job was only a novice in the patience department, compared to Griselda. When Walter sees her patience, steadfastness, innocence and lack of malice, in the face of all the offence he had done to her, the stern Marquis’s heart feels pity towards her.

"I have thy feith and thy benyngnytee,
As wel as evere womman was, assayed,
In greet estaat and povreliche arrayed.
Now knowe I, dere wyf, thy stedfastnesse" –
And hire in armes took and gan hire kesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter confesses to Griselda about the tests he put her through of her faith, goodness and steadfastness, both in high rank and in poverty. He now knows how steadfast she is, he reveals, and takes her in her arms and kisses her. Is there a glimmer of real love there for somebody else from this selfish and self-centered man?

This is thy doghter, which thou hast supposed
To be my wyf; that oother feithfully
Shal be myn heir, as I have ay disposed;
Thou bare hym in thy body trewely.
At Boloigne have I kept hem prively;
Taak hem agayn, for now maystow nat seye
That thou hast lorn noon of thy children tweye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter comes completely clean to Griselda. The devious game-player reveals that the woman he supposedly is marrying is their daughter and his heir and their two children are alive and well and were secretly being cared for in Bologna. All part of Walter’s test of Griselda! This tale reads like a modern-day TV reality show.

I have doon this deede
For no malice, ne for no crueltee,
But for t’assaye in thee thy wommanheede,
And nat to sleen my children – God forbeede! –
But for to kepe hem pryvely and stille,
Til I thy purpos knewe and al thy wille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. OK why did you do it Walter – put your wife through unimaginable hell and stress with your stupid loyalty tests? Walter’s defense is that he didn’t do it for malice or cruelty, but to test her womanhood, her purpose and all her will. Which really doesn’t make being cruel, behaving like an a-hole and making her believe her children had been slain, all right.

Thise ladyes, whan that they hir tyme say,
Han taken hire and into chambre gon,
And strepen hire out of hire rude array,
And in a clooth of gold that brighte shoon,
With a coroune of many a riche stoon
Upon hire heed, they into halle hire broghte,
And ther she was honured as hire oghte.
Thus hath this pitous day a blisful ende.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Last time at her wedding the palace ladies didn’t like touching Griselda’s poor clothes when they had to strip her and dress her in the finery of a Marquesa. This time there is no such reluctance as poor girl is transformed into rich girl. This wedding banquet is even grander than the first one, as the ladies dress her in a cloth of gold with a crown of rich stones for her head.

This storie is seyd nat for that wyves sholde
Folwen Grisilde as in humylitee,
For it were inportable, though they wolde,
But for that every wight, in his degree,
Sholde be constant in adversitee
As was Grisilde; therfore Petrak writeth
This storie, which with heigh stile he enditeth.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Clerk cautions that other wives should not follow Griselda’s example in her humility, for that would be intolerable. He explains that the tale, which comes from Petrarch, is not about how wives should behave, but about how Christians should behave. For a Christian it means being constant in adversity, like Griselda. Well thank goodness for that!
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