Clerk’s Tale Quotes

A markys whilom lord was of that lond,
As were his worthy eldres hym bifore;
And obeisant, ay redy to his hond,
Were alle his liges, bothe lasse and moore.
Thus in delit he lyveth, and hath doon yoore,
Biloved and drad, thurgh favour of Fortune,
Bothe of his lordes and of his commune.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. We are introduced to Walter, Marquis of Saluzzo in Italy, who is both loved and feared by his lords and the common people over whom he rules. His loyal subjects of all ranks are ready to do what he commands.

I blame hym thus: that he considered noght
In tyme comynge what myghte hym bityde,
But on his lust present was al his thoght,
As for to hauke and hunte on every syde.
Wel ny alle othere cures leet he slyde,
And eek he nolde – and that was worst of alle –
Wedde no wyf, for noght that may bifalle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter is a confirmed bachelor and is wedded to his single ways. All his thoughts are on his immediate pleasures, such as hawking and hunting. Consequently he neglected his duty to the people he ruled, such as ensuring an heir by marrying. He determined that he would not wed any woman for anything.

Ay fleeth the tyme; it nyl no man abyde.
And thogh youre grene youthe floure as yit,
In crepeth age alwey, as stille as stoon,
And deeth manaceth every age, and smyt
In ech estaat, for ther escapeth noon;
And al so certein as we knowe echoon
That we shul deye, as uncerteyn we alle
Been of that day whan deeth shal on us falle.
Modern English (Prose translation by R.M. Lumiansky):
The time always flees; it will wait for no man. And through you are still in the flower of your young manhood, age creeps on steadily, as quiet as a stone, and death menaces every age and strikes in every rank, for no one escapes. As surely as we know that we will die, so we are uncertain of the day when death shall fall on us.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Here a representative of Walter’s nobles speaks to him and pleads with him to choose a wife. He is warned that while his green youth if flowering at the moment, age creeps in and death hits people of all ranks and there is no escape.

For if it so bifelle, as God forbede,
That thurgh youre deeth youre lyne sholde slake,
And that a straunge successour sholde take
Youre heritage, O wo were us alyve!
Wherfore we pray you hastily to wyve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Urging Walter to marry quickly, his nobles warn of the woe that will befall them if through his death his line should die out and a foreign successor take over. Having served Walter’s family loyally down the years, they believe such an event would be a disaster.

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.

Lat me allone in chesynge of my wyf –
That charge upon my bak I wole endure.
But I yow preye, and charge upon youre lyf,
What wyf that I take, ye me assure
To worshipe hire, whil that hir lyf may dure,
In word and werk, bothe heere and everywheere,
As she an emperoures doghter weere.
And forthermoore, this shal ye swere: that ye
Agayn my choys shul neither grucche ne stryve.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. While Walter agrees to his noblemen’s request that he get married, he declines their offer to select him a wife and insists that they accept his choice of wife. He demands that they take an oath to worship her in word and deed as if she were an emperor’s daughter, and never to grouch or strive against his choice. In this we see the power that had been with the nobles, transfer back to Walter.

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?

Wel ofter of the welle than of the tonne
She drank, and for she wolde vertu plese,
She knew wel labour but noon ydel ese.
She knew well labor but no idle ease.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. They say opposites attract and Griselda is certainly the polar opposite of Walter in many ways. She the virtuous woman who knows well the value of work, but not idle leisure, and more often drinks from the well than the wine barrel. He the man who lives a life of pleasure, filling his days with hawking and hunting.

He noght with wantown lookyng of folye
His eyen caste on hire, but in sad wyse
Upon hir chiere he wolde hym ofte avyse,
Commendynge in his herte hir wommanhede,
And eek hir vertu, passynge any wight
Of so yong age, as wel in chiere as dede.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda catches Walter’s eye when he sees her while out hunting. But he doesn’t look at her in any lecherous way, but rather her virtue and womanly qualities in a person of such a young age attract him.

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.

Thou lovest me, I woot it wel certeyn,
And art my feithful lige man ybore,
And al that liketh me, I dar wel seyn
It liketh thee, and specially therfore
Tel me that poynt that I have seyd bifore,
If that thou wolt unto that purpos drawe,
To take me as for thy sone-in-lawe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter likes to flex his marquis muscles when it comes to demanding complete loyalty and obedience from his subjects. He gives Griselda’s father an offer he can’t refuse. I know for certain that you love me and are my faithful liege, he tells him, and all that pleases me it pleases you. So will you take me for your son-in-law, Walter asks? Now how can poor Janicula refuse? This is forecasting of how Walter will later treat Griselda, expecting her to submit totally to his will in a series of brutal trials of her loyalty.
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