19.

To all this thing. There saide* no wight, "Nay;"
Beseeching him of grace, ere that they wenten,
That he would granten them a certain day
Of his spousail, as soon as ever he may.
For yet alway the people somewhat dread
Lest that the marquis would no wife wed.

He granted them a day, such as him lest,
On which he would be wedded securely;
And said he did all this at their request;
And they with humble heart, full buxomly,
Kneeling upon their knees full reverently,
Him thanken all; and thus they have an end
Of their intent, and home again they wend.
20. And hereupon he to his officers
Commandeth for the feste to purvey;
And, to his privy knightes and squieres,
Such charge he gave as him list on them lay.
And they to his commandement obey,
And each of them doth all his diligence

To do unto the feast all reverence.

* Saide. Dissyl.-Wight (A. S. wiht, a creature; wagian, to move; whence wight and whit), person.-Spousail, marriage. Acc. 2d syl.-Him lest, pleased him.-Securely. Acc. 1st syl.-Buxomly (A. S. bugan, to bow, bend, yield; A. S. sum, Gr. ouós, Lat. similis, Goth. sama, like, same; Ger. biegsam, O. Eng. bocsom, A. S. bocsum, pliable; A. S. lic, like), obediently. -Feste (Lat. festum, plu. festa; O. Fr. feste; Fr. fete, festival, holiday), feast. Feste is dissyl. —Privy (Lat. privare, to separate; privus, single; Fr. prive), private.-Knightes (A. S. cniht, a boy, attendant, military follower). Dissyl. A knight was a man admitted in feudal times to a certain military rank, and entitled to be addressed as Sir. "When the order of knighthood was conferred by the sovereign in the leisure of a court, imposing preliminary ceremonies were required of the candidate. He prepared himself by prayer and fasting, watched his arms at night in a chapel, and was then admitted with the performance of religious rites. Knighthood was conferred by the accolade, which, from the derivation of the name, should appear to have been originally an embrace; but afterwards consisted, as it still does, in a blow of the flat of a sword on the back of the kneeling candidate." Brande.-Squieres (Fr. ecuyer, shield-bearer; from escu, shield; Lat. scutum), shield-bearers, or armor-bearers attendant on a knight. Dissyl. Acc. 2d syl.—As him list, etc., as it pleased him to lay on them. List is A. S. lystan, lustan, to incline, to desire. Hence lust.-Commandement. Quadrisyllable.-Thilke (A. S. thylc, thus lic, thuslike; as A. Ward would say, "Thusly." The demonstrative element th, found in this, that, the, there, they, etc., is perhaps connected radically with the element of the second person singular, th, in thou), this same.-Honorable. Acc. 1st and 3d syllables. "The tendency of English accentuation has been to get as far back in words as it is possible for it to go."—Corson.

Not far from thilke palace honorable. N, as in not, denotes negation; e. g., Gr. v in výπɩos; Lat. ne, non; Ger. nicht, nein; Welsh na, ni, not; Russian ne; It. na, ni; Sans. na; Pers. neh; Eng. no, nor, nay. The explanation of this fact I do not find; but I conceive it to be the rejection, by the nose, of disagreeable odors; whence all rejection, áll refusal, comes to be expressed in the same way. The n is naturally prominent in the name of the nose, and in some operations in which that organ is used; as, sneeze, sneer, snort, snuff, sniff. Other examples ?

22.

23.

24.

25.

Where as this marquis schope his marriage,
There stood a thorp of sighte delitable,
In which that poore folk of that village
Hadden their beastes and their herbergage,
And of their labor took their sustenance,
After the earthe gave them abundance.

Among this poore folk there dwelt a man
Which that was holden poorest of them all;
But highe God sometime senden can
His grace unto a little oxe stall.
Janicula, men of that thorp him call.
A daughter had he, fair enough to sight,
And Griseldes this younge maiden hight.
But for to speak of virtuous beauty,
Then was she one the fairest under sun;
Full poorely yfostered up was she,
No licorous lust was in her heart yrun;
Well ofter of the well than of the tun

She drank, and, for she woulde virtue please,
She knew well labor, but none idle ease.

But though this maiden tender were of age,
Yet, in the breast of her virginity,

There was enclosed ripe and sad courage;
And in great reverence and charity

Her olde poore father fostered she;

A few sheep, spinning, on the field she kept;

She woulde not been idle till she slept.

And, when she homeward came, she woulde bring

Wortes and other herbes times oft,

The which she shred and seethe for hir living;

* Where as, just where.-Schope (A. S. scapan; Ger. schaffen), shaped.-Marriage. Trisyl. -Thorp (Dan. thorp; A. S. thorp; Lat. turba ? Gr. rúpßn ?), hamlet.-Delitable. The same as in the first stanza.-Herbergage, pasture.-In which that poore, in which poor.-Sometime. E final is often a syllable in Chaucer, as here.-Oxe. Dissyl.-Younge. Dissyl.-Hight. See 1st stanza.-Poorely. Trisyl.-Yfostered. The prefix y, so common in the old writers, as already remarked, grew out of the fuller form ge, the usual prefix of the past participle. A. S. ge; 0. Sax. gi; Moso-Gothic, ga. G in the A. S. is often changed to y in Eng.-Licorous (A. S. liccian; Ger. lecken; Fr. lecher; Lat. lingere; Gr. λéxew, to lick), lickerish, greedy, lecherous.-Yrun, run.-Tun (A. S. tunne; Ger. tonne; Fr. tonne, tonneau), cask (of liquor).-For she woulde, because she would, etc. Woulde is a dissyl.-Sad (A. S. sad, sated, weary, sick; Ger. satt, sated; Lat. sat, satis, enough), steady, grave.—Been, be.-Wortes (A. S. wyrt, wirt, herb, root, as in liverwort, motherwort), worts, plants. Dissyl.-Times. Dissyl.-Shred (A. S. screadian, Ger. schroten, to tear or cut), to cut into small pieces or strips, to shred.-Seethe (A. S. seodhan), boiled, seethed. -Hir, their. The pos. sing. masc, and neut. of he was in A. S. his; the pos. fem. was hire or hyre; the pos. plu. of all genders was hira, heora, often shortened to hir, her.

She woulde not been idle till she slept. T, as in till, points out, or demonstrates, and so is akin to th. E. g., Sans. tat, it; Gr. Tó, thê, TOûTo, that; Lat. tot, so many, talis, such, tantus, so great, tendere, to stretch; Eng. to, tend, tell. Other instances?

26.

27.

28.

And made her bed full hard and nothing soft;
And aye she kept her father's life on loft*
With every obeisance and diligence
That child may do to father's reverence.

Upon Griseldes, this poor creature,
Full often sithe this marquis set his eye,
As he on hunting rode peraventure;
And when it fell that he might her espy,
He, not with wanton looking of folly,
His eyen cast on her, but, in sad wise,
Upon her cheer he would him oft avise.

Commending in his heart her womanhead
And eke her virtue, passing any wight
Of so young age, as well in cheer as deed;
For though the people have no great insight
In virtue, he considered aright

Her bountee, and disposed that he would
Wed her only, if ever he wedden should.

The day of wedding came, but no wight can
Tellen what woman that it shoulde be;
For which mervaille wondered many a man,
And saiden, when they were in privity,
"Will not our lord yet leave his vanity?
Will he not wed? Alas, alas, the while!

Why will he thus himself and us beguile ?

* On loft (A. S. an, on; lyft, the air), aloft.--Obeisance. Acc. 1st and 3d syl.-Creature. Acc. 1st and 3d syl.-Sithe (A. S. sidh, path, time, occasion), times.-Peraventure, by chance. Acc. 2d and 4th syl.-Fell, fell out, happened.--Eyen (A. S. eage; Ger. auge; Lat. oculus; D. oog, the eye; Gr. oσσe, two eyes), eyes. In A. S. the plu. very often ended in n, as oxan, oxen.Cheer (Gr. kápa, head; It. ciera, mien, face; Sp. cara, face; Gr. xapá? joy; Fr. chere, entertainment, fare), countenance, mien.-Avise (Lat. ad, to, videre, to see), to see to, observe, reflect.-Him oft avise, often take counsel with himself (a reflexive use of avise).-Womanhead (A. S. wif; Ger. weib, woman; Sans. ma, to measure; man, to think, mann, the thinker, man; A. S. wifman, wimman; A. S. had, state; hadian, to ordain; Ger. heit? state, habit, condition), womanhood, womanly character.-Wight, person.-Bountee. See Index.-Disposed, arranged, determined.-Mervaille (Fr. fr. Lat. mirabilis, wonderful), marvel.-The while (A. S. hwil, Ger. weile, time), the time.-Beguile (be is orig. same as by; A. S., Ger., Sw., Dan., D., be, near, by, at; Goth., O. S., O. Ger., bi, Ger. bei. Sometimes this prefix gives emphasis, as in bespatter, bedeck. Guile is A. S. wile, Ice. viel, Eng. wile, fraud, deceit), cheat, deceive.

Upon Griseldes, this poor creature. The sound of oo in poore is soft and smooth. Hence it sometimes denotes softness and smoothness; as soothe, smooth, cool, poor. Other examples ?

Will he not wed? Alas, alas, the while. The second a in alas has a sound naturally expressive of pain or grief. Its enunciation requires little besides the ordinary position of the organs of speech in a child, with the simple opening of the mouth and breathing. It is an unpleasant sound to the ear, perhaps from its association with the cries of infants and of sheep and calves. So the sound of a in ah; e. g. Heb. ahh; Gr. ά; Lat., Sans., Pers., Eng., Ger., ah; Ger. ach; Welsh a; Ir. a. As it is little more than a forcible breathing, it enters into some words denoting to breathe, breath, air; as Gr. äw, äŋui; Lat. halare, to breathe; aer, air; Eng. air. Give other examples in illustration of these principles.

29.

30.

31.

32.

But natheless* this marquis hath done make
Of gemmes, set in gold and in azure,
Brooches and ringes for Griseldes sake;
And of her clothing took he the measure
Of a maiden like unto her in stature;
And eke, of other ornamentes, all
That unto such a wedding shoulde fall.
The time of undern of the same day
Approacheth that this wedding shoulde be,
And all the palace put was in array,

Both hall and chambers, each in his degree;
Houses of office stuffed with plenty.
There mayest thou see of dainteous vitaille
That may be found as fer as lasteth Itaille.
This real marquis, really arrayed,

Lordes and ladies in his company,
The which unto the feste weren prayed,
And of his retinue the bachelerie,
With many a sound of sundry melody,
Unto the village of the which I told,
In this array the righte way they hold.
Griseld of this, God wot, full innocent
That for her shapen was all this array,
To fetchen water at a well is went,

And cometh home as soon as ever she may;

* Natheless. See Index.-Done make, caused to make, got made. Make is here properly an infinitive.-Gemmes (Lat. gemma, gem, jewel). Dissyl.-Azure (Per. lajuward, azure; Ar. azraq, azure; Ger. lasur, azure-color; Sp. azul, the lapis lazuli, Ger. lasurstein, the stone of blue color). Azure or blue, the color of the sky, is the color of truth. So in Hudibras, "Presbyterian true blue." See Spenser's Epithalamium, 3d stanza.-Brooches (Lat. brochus, a projecting tooth; W. proc, a stab; Fr. broche, a spit, pin; Eng. brooch, a clasp, so called from the pin which fastens it), clasps.-Ringes. Dissyl.-Undern (A. S.), the third hour of the day, or nine in the morning.-Same. Dissyl.-His degree, its degree. The form its, as possessive, is quite modern, being very rarely found as early as in Shakespeare's time. In King James's version of the Bible, his is used instead of its.-Stuffed. Dissyl.-Fer (A. S.), far.-Lasteth. Monosyl.-Real (0. Fr. real; Lat. regalis, kingly, rex, king; Fr. royal), royal. -Bachelerie (W. bach, little, young; W. baches, a pretty little woman; O. Fr. bacheler, a young man; L. Lat. baccalarius, a soldier not old or rich enough to lead his retainers into battle with a banner), knights of the lowest order, or young knights.-Righte. Dissyl.-Shapen (see schope, st. 21), made.—Went (A. S. wendan, to turn, go; imperf. went), gone.-Home. A. S. hâm; 0. Sax., O. Friesic, Sw., hem; Dan. hiem; Ice. heimr; Ger., D., heim; Goth. haims; Gr. кŵμn? village; Lith. kaimas ?

To fetchen water at a well is went. The sound of w, in water, well, went, being a weak and flowing sound, is adapted to express gentle motion, gentleness, weakness. E. g. Lat. vado (for v in Latin often corresponds to w, the latter not being found in that language), Eng. wade; Lat. vert-ĕre, Eng. -wards, Ger. -wärts; Lat. veho, Eng. way, wagon, wain; Ger. wallen, to spring up, Eng. well; Ger. wandern, Eng. wander; Ger. wehen, to blow, Eng. wind, Lat. vent-us; Ger. wenden, to turn, Eng. wend, went; Ger. winden, Eng. wind; Eng. wave, welter, wallow, warble, waddle, waft, wax, wane. Give other illustrations.

33.

34.

! 35.

36.

For well she had heard say that thilke* day
The marquis shoulde wed, and, if she might,
She woulde fain have seen some of that sight.

She thought, "I will with other maidens stand
That be my fellows, in our door and see
The marquisesse, and therefore will I fond
To done at home, as soon as it may be,
The labor which that longeth unto me;
And then I may at leisure her behold,
If she this way unto the castle hold."

And as she would over the threshold gon,
The marquis came and gan her for to call.
And she set down her water-pot anon
Beside the threshold of this oxe stall,
And down upon her knees she gan to fall,
And with sad countenance she kneeleth still,
Till she had heard what was the lordes will.

This thoughtful marquis spake unto this maid

Full soberly, and said in this mannere,
"Where is your father, Griseldes?" he said,
And she with reverence and humble cheer
Answered, "Lord, he is all ready here."
And in she goeth, withouten longer let,
And to the marquis she her father fet.

He by the hand then taketh this old man,
And saide thus, when he him had aside:
"Janicula, I neither may nor can
Longer the pleasance of mine herte hide.

If that thou vouchesafe what so betide,

* Thilke, this same. See st. 21.-Fellows (A. S. felow, fr. fyligan, fylian, to follow), companions.-Fond (Ice. fana, to act sillily; Scot. fone, to fondle; fon, to play the fool; O. Eng. fond, to dote on, fondle, caress), be eager.-Which that, which.--Longeth, belongeth.-Leisure (Lat. licere, to be at liberty; Fr. loisir, permission).-Threshold (A. S. threscan, to thresh; wald, weald, wood; A. S. threscwald).—Gan, began. A. S. ginnan, gynnan, begin. "The original sense of ginnan is to cut, split." Webster.-Oxe, dissyl. In Italy and some other countries the peasantry sometimes live under the same roof with their cattle.-Sad. See st. 24.-Withouten (A. S. widh, with; utan, out), without.-Let (A. S. lettan, to retard, make late; lät, late), hindrance, delay.--Fet (A. S. fetian, to bring), fetched.-Pleasaunce (Lat. placere, to please; Fr. plaisir, to please; plaisance), pleasure.-Vouchesafe (vouch fr. Lat. vocare, the c changed to ch by Grimm's law; vocare, to call; O. Fr. vocher; Lat. salvus, Fr. sauf, safe; vouchesafe, vouch for safety, permit to be done safely), permit. Trisyl.-What so betide, what [I pray] may happen so. Betide, A. S. tidan, to happen. In the note on beguile, st. 28, it was shown that the prefix besometimes gives emphasis. Here observe another effect of the prefix; viz., it renders intransitive verbs transitive. E. g., belie, befall. Let the student look up other examples to illustrate both these points.

And down upon her knees she gan to fall. The sound of kn, in knee (and of gn, in the Lat. genu, knee, Gr. yóvu, knee), was originally a broken sound, and so expressed a breaking off suddenly. E. g., knot, knock, knell, knap, knit, knag, knead, knuckle, knurly. So gnarl. Other examples?