72.

73.

74.

75.

And in her barm* this little child she leid
With full sad face, and gan the child to bless,
And lulled it, and after gan it kiss.

And thus she said in her benigne voice :
"Farewell, my child, I shall thee never see !
But sith I have thee marked with the crois,
Of thilke father blessed mote thou be,
That for us died upon a cross of tree :
Thy soule, little child, I him betake,

For this night shalt thou dien for my sake."

I trow that to a norice in this case

It had been hard this routhe for to see:
Well might a mother then have cried, "Alas!"
But natheless so sad steadfast was she

That she endured all adversity,

And to the sergeant meekely she said,
"Have here again your little younge maid.

"Goth now," quoth she, "and doth my lordes hest.

And one thing would I pray you of your grace,
But if my lord forbade you, at the lest,
Burieth this little body in some place,
That beastes ne no briddes it to-race."
But he no word will to the purpose say,
But took the child and went upon his way.
This sergeant came unto his lord again,
And of Griseldes wordes and her cheer
He told him point for point, in short and plain,
And him presented with his daughter dear.
Somewhat this lord had ruth in his mannere ;
But natheless his purpose held he still,

As lordes don, when they will have their will;

* Barm (A. S. beorma, bearm; Ger. barme; fr. A. S. beoran, beran, to bear: fr. Lat. Jerre, by Grimm's law; Gr. φέρειν), bosom, lap. Leid (A. S. lecgan; O. Eng. leggen; Lat. leg-ere, to lay), laid.-Lulled (Lat. lallare, to sing lalla, or lullaby; Ger. lallen), soothed, quieted.-Crois (O. Fr. crois; Lat. cruz, cross), cross. - Mote, must.-Him betake, entrust to him. Trow, believe. See Index. Norice (A. S., fr. Fr. nourrice; Lat. nutriz, nurse, fr. nutrire, to nourish), nurse.Routhe (A. S. hreow, grief), ruth, grief. See ruth, Index. Goth (impera. plu. for sing.), go.Hest, command. See hestes, Index. But if, unless. Lest (A. S. lytel, little; lassa, less; last, lasest, least), least. At least, unless my lord forbade you. --Ne, nor.- Burieth. Impera.-Briddes (A. S. bird or brid, fr. bredan, to nourish), birds. -To-race (Gr. ῥάκος, a rag; ῥήγνυμι, to tear, to break; Lat. f-reg-i, fr. frango, whence, by Grimm's law, break), to rags, in pieces.

And in her barm this little child she leid. The sound of i, in little, being very minute, is excellently adapted by nature to express diminutives. Hence the great majority of diminutives have this sound prominent. The effect is heightened in little by the sound of I, which, itself, often has a diminutive force. Pill, little, nit, flit, whittle, giggle, illustrate this principle, which is of very extensive application. See the word diminutive, in the Index.

Well might a mother then have cried, "Alas!" The sound of m, in mother, is very easily made by infants. Hence it is used to express the mother or nurse. E. g., Heb. em, mother; Eng. ma, mamma; Ger. amme, nurse. Other examples of this and the preceding?

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

And bade the sergeant that he privily
Shoulde this childe softe wind and wrap
With alle circumstances tenderly,
And carry it in a coffer,* or in his lap;
But, upon peyne his head off for to swap,
That no man shoulde know of his intent,

Ne whence he came, ne whither that he went;

But at Boloygne, to his suster dear,
That thilke time of Panic was countess,
He should it take and show her this matiere,
Beseeching her to don her business

This child to foster in all gentleness;
And whose child that it was, he bade her hide
From every wight, for aught that might betide.

The sergeant goeth and hath fulfilled this thing;
But to the marquis now returne we;
For now goeth he full fast imagining,
If by his wifes cheer he mighte see,
Or by her wordes apperceive that she
Were changed; but he never could her find
But ever in one ylike sad and kind.

As glad, as humble, as busy in service,
And eke in love as she was wont to be,
Was she to him, in every manner wise ;
Ne of her daughter not a word spake she ;
Non accident for non adversity
Was seen in her, ne never her daughter name
Ne nempyned she in earnest ne in game.

In this estate there passed ben four year
Ere she with childe was; but, as God wold,
A knave child she bare by this Waltier,

* Coffer (Gr. κόφινος, a basket; Ger. and Dan. koffer), a chest, trunk. - Peyne (Gr. ποινή; Lat. pana, penalty; A. S. pin; Ger. pein; O. Eng. peyne, paine), penalty, pain.-Swap (Ger. schwappen, to strike; whence 'swop,' to strike a bargain, to barter), to strike. -Boloygne (Lat. Bononia; Fr. Bologne; Ital. Bologna), a famous city of Italy, S.S.W. of Venice, N.N.W. of Rome, capital of the province of Bologna. Its population is about 90,000.- Suster (A. S. sweoster, swyster, suster; Ger. schwester; Lat. soror), sister.-Don, etc. (A. S. don, to do), to make it her business, take pains. -Wifes (A. S. wif; Ger. weib), wife's. -Apperceive (Fr. appercevoir; Lat. ad, percipere, fr. per, through, thoroughly, wholly, and capère, to take), perceive. -Ever in one, continually.-Ylike (A. S. gelic, fr. ge-, intensive, very, and -lic, like), alike.-Non, no. - Every manner wise - every way. -Nempyned (A. S. nemnan, namian, to name; Lat. nominare; Gr. ὀνομάζω; Ger. nennen; fr. root no or gno, by Grimm's law, Eng. kno-w; Sans. naman), named.-Game (A. S. gamen, game; fr. gamian, to play), sport. -Year, years. -Wold, would, willed. See wolde, Index.-Knave, boy. -Daughter name, in st. 79, must be considered equivalent to daughter's name. Daughter is A. S. dohtor; Ger. tochter; Gr. θυγάτηρ.

Shoulde this childe softe wind and wrap. The sound of wr in wrap, denotes twisting or distorted motion; as in wrest, wring, wrong, wriggle, wrap, wreck, wrangle, wrench, wrist, wrestle, wreck, wrath, writhe, wry. Give other illustrations of this.

81.

82.

83.

84.

Full gracious and fair for to behold;
And when that folk it to his father told,

Not only he, but all his country, merry
Was for this child, and God they thank and hery.*
When it was two year old, and from the breast
Departed from his norice, on a day
This marquis caughte yet another lest
To tempt his wife yet after, if he may.

Oh, needless was she tempted in assay!
But wedded men ne knowen no measure,

When that they find a patient creature.

"Wife," quoth this marquis, "ye have heard ere this,
My people sikely bearen our marriage;
And, namely, sin my son yboren is,
Now is it worse than ever in all our age;
The murmur sleth mine heart and my courage;
For to mine eares cometh the voice so smart
That it well nigh destroyed hath mine heart.
"Now say they thus: 'When Walter is agone,
Then shall the blood of Janicle succeed
And ben our lord, for other have we none.'
Such wordes saith my people, out of dread,
Well ought I of such murmur taken heed;
For certainly I dreade such sentence,
Though they not plainen in my audience.

"I wolde live in peace, if that I might;
Wherefore I am disposed utterly,
As I his sister served ere by night,
Right so think I to serve him privily.
This warn I you, that ye not suddenly,
Out of yourself for nothing should outraye.

Beth patient, and thereof I you pray."

See st. 73.-After

*Hery (A. S. herian, to praise; Goth. hazjan), praise. -Norice, nurse. (A. S. aft, eft, after, behind, again. "After seems to be the comparative degree of af or aft." Webster. -R, or -er, the comparative ending, seems to be allied to Lat. -ior, and Gr. -ότερ-ος), again.-Sikely (A. S. sican, to sigh: O. Eng. sike; Ger. seufzen), sorrowfully, with sighs.-Sin, since. Sleth, slayeth. See slaien, Index. - Smart (A. S. smeortan; Ger. schmerzen; perhaps akin to Lat. mors, death), painful.-Audience, hearing. Plainen (Fr. plaindre; Lat. plangere, to beat the breast, to bewail), complain. Woulde. Dissyl. Ere. See erst, Index.-Outraye (Lat. ultra, beyond; Fr. outrer, to go beyond reason, to exaggerate; outre, extravagant), be excessive, be outrageous. - Beth, be ye. Impera. plu. The plu. of the impera, in Early Eng. ended in-eth or -th; but in Chaucer this ending is occasionally shortened to e; and frequently it is omitted altogether. The sing. of the impera. in O. Eng. is the same as the root of the verb.

The murmur sleth mine heart and my courage. The sound of u in murmur, being indistinct and produced low in the chest, expresses, when soft, gentleness; when loud, harshness, discontent, muttering, smothered wrath. E. g., Lat. murmuro, murmur; Ger. murren; Rus. murtshu; Gr. μύζω; Lat. mutio, musso; Eng. mutter; Eng. grumble; Dan. and Eng. grum; Welsh grwm; Gr. γρύζω, Lat. grundio, Ger. grunzen, Eng. grunt. Give other examples.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

"I have," quoth * she, "said thus and ever shall,

I will nothing, ne nill no thing certain,
But as you list. Nought grieveth me at all,
Though that my daughter and my son be slain
At your commandement; that is to sayen,
I have not had no part of children twain,
But first sickness, and, after, wo and pain.

"Ye been our lord, doth with your owen thing
Right as you list, asketh no rede of me.
For as I left at home all my clothing
When I first came to you, right so," quoth she,
"Left I my will and all my liberty

And took your clothing. Wherefore I you pray
Doth your pleasaunce; I will your lust obey.
"And certes, if I hadde prescience

Your will to know, ere ye your lust me told,
I would it do withouten negligence.
But now I wot your lust, and what ye wold,
All your pleasaunce firm and stable I hold;
For wist I that my death would do you ease,
Right gladly would I dien, you to please.

"Death may not maken no comparison
Unto your love." And when this marquis say
The constance of his wife, he cast adown
His eyen two, and wondreth how she may
In patience suffer all this array.
And forth he goeth with dreary countenance,
But to his heart it was full great pleasaunce.
This ugly sergeant in the same wise
That he her daughter fette, right so he,
Or worse, if men can any worse devise,
Hath hent her son, that full was of beauty;
And ever in one so patient was she,

* Quoth. See Index.-Nill (A. S. nillan or nyllan, fr. ne, not, and willan, to will), not will, refuse, reject.-Grieveth (Lat. gravare, to burden; fr. gravis, heavy).--Owen, own. - Rede (A. S. rædan, to advise; ræd, counsel), counsel. - Certes, surely. See Index. Lust, pleasure.Wot, know. Wold, would, would have.-Wist, knew. -Dien (O. Eng. infin, ending -en), die.Say (A. S. seon, to see; Ger. sehen; A. S. sehwan, to see), saw. -Cast (Dan. kaste; Ice. and Sw. kasta), cast.-Eyen, eyes. See Index. -Patience. Trisyl.-Fette, brought. See Index.Hent, seized. See Index. -Ever in one, ever in one way, continually. See st. 78.

Though that my daughter and my son be slain. The sound of m in my, being made with closed lips, is pre-eminently internal and personal to every one. It expresses the personal pronoun of the first person, on account of its subjective importance. E. g., Sans. mam; Gr. μέ; Lat. me; Eng. me, my, mine. Other examples? Other significance of this sound?

Hath hent her son, that full was of beauty. The sound of fl, as in full (corresponding by Grimm's law to πλ in Gr., pl in Lat., and vl in Ger.), is said to denote fullness or extension, from its swelling the cheeks, and filling the mouth. E. g. Gr. πλέος, πλήρης, πίμπλημι; Lat. plere, to fill; plenus, full; Ger. füllen, voll; Eng. fill, full. Other examples?

90.

91.

92.

93.

That she no cheere* made of heaviness,
But kissed her son, and after gan it bless.

Save this she prayed him, if that he might,
Her little son he would in earthe grave,
His tender limmes, delicate to sight,
From fowles and from beastes for to save.
But she none answer of him mighte have,
He went his way, as him nothing ne rought,
But to Boloygne he tenderly it brought.

This marquis wondreth ever lenger the more
Upon her patience, and if that he
Ne hadde soothly knowen therebefore
That parfitly her children loved she,
He would have weened that of some subtlety
And of malice, or of cruel courage,

That she had suffered this with sad visage.

But well he knew that, next himself, certain
She loved her children best in every wise.
But now of women would I aske fain
If these assayes mighten not suffice.
What could a sturdy husband more devise
To prove her wifehood and her steadfastness,
And he continuing ever in sturdiness?

But there ben folk of such condition
That, when they have a certain purpose take,
They cannot stint of their intention,

But, right as they were bounden to a stake,
They will not of their firste purpose slake.
Right so this marquis fully hath purposed
To tempt his wife, as he was first disposed.
He waiteth, if by word or countenance,
That she to him was changed of courage.
But never could he finden variance;
She was aye one in heart and in visage,