Clerk’s Tale Class Quotes

For God it woot, that children ofte been
Unlyk hir worthy eldres hem bifore;
Bountee comth al of God, nat of the streen
Of which they been engendred and ybore.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. We could be listening here to the Loathly Lady in the Wife of Bath’s tale! Walter has the very same thought as her, that all goodness comes from God and not from a person’s lineage by which they are conceived and born. For often children turn out to unlike their worthy parents and ancestors, he says, declining his nobles’ offer to select a high-born wife for him. This comment is ironic, in view of Walter’s cruel treatment of Griselda later in the story.

Noght fer fro thilke paleys honurable,
Wher as this markys shoop his mariage,
There stood a throop, of site delitable,
In which that povre folk of that village
Hadden hir beestes and hir herbergage,
And of hire labour tooke hir sustenance,
After that the erthe yaf hem habundance.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Close to the great palace where the Marquis planned his marriage was a small village full of poor and humble folk, who worked at keeping farm animals and growing crops to survive. The wealthy and the poor are practically next door neighbors.

A doghter hadde he, fair ynogh to sighte,
And Grisildis this yonge mayden highte.
But for to speke of vertuous beautee,
Thanne was she oon the faireste under sonne;
For povreliche yfostred up was she,
No likerous lust was thurgh hire herte yronne.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. When it comes to outer and inner beauty and virtue, Janicula’s daughter Griselda is said to be the fairest of all under the sun. Because she was raised in poverty, the Clerk tells the pilgrims, no wanton lust had run through her heart. Does that mean the rich classes are more prone to lust and lechery?

For thogh the peple have no greet insight
In vertu, he considered ful right
Hir bountee, and disposed that he wolde
Wedde hire oonly, if evere he wedde sholde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. In his tale the Clerk tells the pilgrims that the common people have no great insight into virtue. But Walter the Marquis of Saluzzo obviously has, for when he sees Griselda’s goodness he decides that he will wed only her – if ever he should wed. So is awareness of virtue lost on the commoners, and confined to the nobles?

This markys hath doon make
Of gemmes, set in gold and in asure,
Brooches and rynges, for Grisildis sake;
And of hir clothyng took he the mesure
By a mayde lyk to hire stature,
And eek of othere aornementes alle
That unto swich a weddyng sholde falle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. So what does it take to make a poor girl look like the wife of a marquis? Walter prepares rich garments and gems for Griselda to wear for the wedding. She will swop her poor clothing for jewels set in gold and azure, brooches and rings, and garments that Walter has specially made up for her. Of course Griselda doesn’t even know she is getting married, Walter uses the measurements of a young girl of Griselda’s statute to have her clothes made.

And for that no thyng of hir olde geere
She sholde brynge into his hous, he bad
That wommen sholde dispoillen hire right theere;
Of which thise ladyes were nat right glad
To handle hir clothes, wherinne she was clad.
But nathelees, this mayde bright of hewe
Fro foot to heed they clothed han al newe.
Hir heris han they kembd, that lay untressed
Ful rudely, and with hir fyngres smale
A corone on hire heed they han ydressed,
And sette hire ful of nowches grete and smale.
Of hire array what sholde I make a tale?
Unnethe the peple hir knew for hire fairnesse
Whan she translated was in swich richesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Do clothes make a queen in the Clerk’s Tale? When Griselda is wedded to the Marquis, she loses her glad rags and is clothed in finery. Walter orders that his servents strip her and dress her in the attire he chose for her new position. They comb her unkempt hair, place a crown on her head and set her garments full of jeweled ornaments. The people hardly know her for her beauty when she is translated into such riches, appearing as if she had been born into nobility.

God hath swich favour sent hire of his grace
That it ne semed nat by liklynesse
That she was born and fed in rudenesse,
As in a cote or in an oxe-stalle,
But norissed in an emperoures halle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. With Griselda losing her pauper’s clothes for Walter’s bejeweled and splendid wedding outfit, the Clerk comments that God had sent her such grace she seemed not likely to have been born and fed in a peasant’s hut, but nourished in an emperor’s hall.

With stierne face and with ful trouble cheere,
And seyde thus: "Grisilde," quod he, "that day
That I yow took out of youre povere array,
And putte yow in estaat of heigh noblesse –
Ye have nat that forgeten, as I gesse?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Looking all stern and troubled, Walter reminds Griselda of the day that he plucked her from poverty and raised her to a position of high nobility. You haven’t forgotten, he asks? – making sure she won’t. There appears to be a "you owe me" coming up next!

And though to me that ye be lief and deere,
Unto my gentils ye be no thyng so.
They seyn, to hem it is greet shame and wo
For to be subgetz and been in servage
To thee, that born art of a smal village.
And namely sith thy doghter was ybore
Thise wordes han they spoken, doutelees.
But I desire, as I have doon bifore,
To lyve my lyf with hem in reste and pees.
I may nat in this caas be recchelees;
I moot doon with thy doghter for the beste,
Nat as I wolde, but as my peple leste.
And yet, God woot, this is ful looth to me.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter lies to Griselda saying that the nobles are not happy with her low birth, especially since the birth of her daughter. Note that he says "thy" daughter and not "our" daughter. The Marquis is falsely suggesting that the nobles want the daughter to be killed and says he doesn’t have much choice in the matter. He has to do what his people desire even though this is hateful to him.

"My lord," quod she, "I woot, and wiste alway,
How that bitwixen youre magnificence
And my poverte no wight kan ne may
Maken comparison; it is no nay.
I ne heeld me nevere digne in no manere
To be youre wyf, no, ne youre chamberere."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda tells Walter that she always knew no one could compare his magnificence with her poverty. She deems herself unworthy to be his chambermaid, let alone his wife. This foreshadows her later role as a palace servant, when Walter aasks her to plan his wedding ceremony.

And in this hous, ther ye me lady maade –
The heighe God take I for my witnesse,
And also wysly he my soule glaade –
I nevere heeld me lady ne mistresse,
But humble servant to youre worthynesse,
And evere shal, whil that my lyf may dure.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda confesses to Walter that when he made her the lady of the house, she never saw herself as lady or mistress, but as a humble servant to his worthiness. While she lived that would always be how she saw herself.

For out of doute this olde poure man
Was evere in suspect of hir mariage;
For evere he demed, sith that it bigan,
That whan the lord fulfild hadde his corage,
Hym wolde thynke it were a disparage
To his estaat so lowe for t’alighte,
And voyden hire as soone as ever he myghte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Janicula was suspicious from the get-go about nobleman Walter’s intentions and the survivability of his marriage to the old man’s daughter Griselda, a peasant girl. As soon as Walter had satisfied his desires, he would think it a degradation to his rank to stoop so low, and would get rid of her as soon as he could, Janicula believed.

Neither by hire wordes ne hire face,
Biforn the folk, ne eek in hire absence,
Ne shewed she that hire was doon offence;
Ne of hire heighe estaat no remembraunce
Ne hadde she, as by hire contenaunce.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Back to her roots in her father’s house, Griselda is as stoical as ever, her words and face betraying no signs that she had been done any offence and no remembrance of her once high position. You have to say, there’s a touch of class about that!

And to the peples eres, alle and some,
Was kouth eek that a newe markysesse
He with hym broghte, in swich pompe and richesse
That nevere was ther seyn with mannes ye
So noble array in al West Lumbardye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Rich nobles generally like to put on a good show, and Walter is no different. Here, as before his first marriage, we are shown how concerned the Marquis is put on a splendid display the second time round as well. Full pomp and riches accompany the arrival of his new Marquesa, the like of which has never been seen in West Lombardy.

For she is fairer, as they deemen alle,
Than is Grisilde, and moore tendre of age,
And fairer fruyt bitwene hem sholde falle,
And moore plesant, for hire heigh lynage.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter’s new bride is the talk of the town when he brings her out for the people to see. They agree that she is fairer than Griselda, and younger, and fairer fruit should fall from this marriage because of her high lineage. This is ironic because she is Griselda’s daughter.

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.

"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?

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.
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