Constrained was, that needs he must her wed,
And take this oldë wife, and go to bed.
Now wouldë some men say paráventure,2078
That for my negligence I do no cure2079
To tell you all the joy and all th’ array
That at the feast was made that ilkë2080 day.
To which thing shortly answeren I shall:
I say there was no joy nor feast at all,
There was but heaviness and muchë sorrow:
For privily he wed her on the morrow;
And all day after hid him as an owl,
So woe was him, his wifë look’d so foul.
Great was the woe the knight had in his thought
When he was with his wife to bed y-brought;
He wallow’d, and he turned to and fro.
This oldë wife lay smiling evermo’,
And said, “Dear husband, benedicite,
Fares every knight thus with his wife as ye?
Is this the law of king Arthoúrë’s house?
Is every knight of his thus dangerous?2081
I am your owen love, and eke your wife,
I am she, which that saved hath your life,
And certes yet did I you ne’er unright.
Why fare ye thus with me this firstë night?
Ye farë like a man had lost his wit.
What is my guilt? for God’s love tell me it,
And it shall be amended, if I may.”
“Amended!” quoth this knight; “alas, nay, nay,
It will not be amended, never mo’;
Thou art so loathly, and so old also,
And thereto2082 comest of so low a kind,
That little wonder though I wallow and wind;2083
So wouldë God, mine heartë wouldë brest!”2084
“Is this,” quoth she, “the cause of your unrest?”
“Yea, certainly,” quoth he; “no wonder is.”
“Now, Sir,” quoth she, “I could amend all this,
If that me list, ere it were dayës three,
So well ye mightë bear you unto me.2085
But, for ye speaken of such gentleness
As is descended out of old richéss,
That therefore shallë ye be gentlemen;
Such arrogancy is not worth a hen.2086
Look who that is most virtuous alway,
Prive and apert,2087 and most intendeth aye
To do the gentle deedës that he can;
And take him for the greatest gentleman.
Christ will,2088 we claim of him our gentleness,
Not of our elders2089 for their old richéss.
For though they gave us all their heritage,
For which we claim to be of high parage,2090
Yet may they not bequeathë, for no thing,
To none of us, their virtuous living
That made them gentlemen called to be,
And bade us follow them in such degree.
Well can the wisë poet of Florence,
That hightë Dante, speak of this senténce:2091
Lo, in such manner2092 rhyme is Dante’s tale.
‘Full seld’ upriseth by his branches smale
Prowess of man, for God of his goodness
Wills that we claim of him our gentleness;’2093
For of our elders may we nothing claim
But temp’ral things that man may hurt and maim.
Eke every wight knows this as well as I,
If gentleness were planted naturally
Unto a certain lineage down the line,
Prive and apert, then would they never fine2094
To do of gentleness the fair offíce;
Then might they do no villainy nor vice.
Take fire, and bear it to the darkest house
Betwixt this and the mount of Caucasus,
And let men shut the doorës, and go thenne,2095
Yet will the fire as fair and lightë brenne2096
As twenty thousand men might it behold;
Its office natural aye will it hold—2097
On peril of my life—till that it die.
Here may ye see well how that gentery2098
Is not annexed to possessión,
Since folk do not their operatión
Alway, as doth the fire, lo, in its kind.2099
For, God it wot, men may full often find
A lordë’s son do shame and villainy.
And he that will have price2100 of his gent’ry,
For2101 he was boren of a gentle house,
And had his elders noble and virtuoús,
And will himselfë do no gentle deedës,
Nor follow his gentle ancestry, that dead is,
He is not gentle, be he duke or earl;
For villain sinful deedës make a churl.
For gentleness is but the renomée2102
Of thine ancéstors, for their high bounté,2103
Which is a strangë thing to thy persón:
Thy gentleness cometh from God alone.
Then comes our very2104 gentleness of grace;
It was no thing bequeath’d us with our place.
Think how noble, as saith Valerius,
Was thilkë2105 Tullius Hostilius,
That out of povert’ rose to high nobless.
Read in Senec, and read eke in Boece,
There shall ye see express, that it no drede2106 is,
That he is gentle that doth gentle deedës.
And therefore, levë2107 husband, I conclude,
Albeit that mine ancestors were rude,
Yet may the highë God—and so hope I—
Grant me His grace to live virtuously:
Then am I gentle when that I begin
To live virtuously, and waivë2108 sin.
“And whereas ye of povert’ me repreve,2109
The highë God, on whom that we believe,
In wilful povert’ chose to lead his life:
And certes, every man, maiden, or wife
May understand that Jesus, heaven’s king,
Ne would not choose a virtuous living.
Glad povert’2110 is an honest thing, certáin;
This will Senec and other clerkës2111 sayn.
Whoso that holds him paid of2112 his povért’,
I hold him rich, though he hath not a shirt.
He that covéteth is a poorë wight
For he would have what is not in his might.
But he that nought hath, nor covéteth t’ have,
Is rich, although ye hold him but a knave.2113
Very povért’ is sinnë, properly.2114
Juvenal saith of povert’ merrily:
The poorë man, when he goes by the way,
Before the thievës he may sing and play.2115
Povért’ is hateful good;2116 and, as I guess,
A full great bringer out of business;2117
A great amender eke of sapience
To him that taketh it in patience.
Povert’ is this, although it seem elenge,2118
Possessión that no wight will challénge.
Povert’ full often, when a
