Canterbury Tales Donegild Quotes

But who was woful, if I shal nat lye,
Of this weddyng but Donegild, and namo,
The kynges mooder, ful of tirannye?
Hir thoughte hir cursed herte brast atwo.
She wolde noght hir sone had do so;
Hir thoughte a despit that he sholde take
So strange a creature unto his make.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. King Alla and Constance decide to wed, but not everyone is happy with the happy couple, the King’s mother Donegild is strongly opposed to the match. She believes that it is an insult for her son to take so foreign a creature for his wife and queen.

This messager drank sadly ale and wyn,
And stolen were his lettres pryvely
Out of his box, whil he sleep as a swyn;
And countrefeted was ful subtilly
Another lettre, wroght ful synfully,
Unto the kyng direct of this mateere.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. While King Alla is away at war, Constance gives birth to a beautiful baby son. But the King’s evil mother Donegild intercepts a letter to him from his Constable bearing the happy news and replaces it with a counterfeited letter telling him that his son is horribly deformed.

The lettre spak the queene delivered was
Of so horrible a feendly creature
That in the castel noon so hardy was
That any while dorste ther endure.
The mooder was an elf, by aventure
Ycomen, by charmes or by sorcerie,
And every wight hateth hir compaignye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Constable’s letter to the King forged by Donegild says that Constance has delivered so horrible and fiendish a baby that no one in the castle dares go near it. The mother is an evil spirit full of charms and sorcery and every person hates her, the letter states, as the vicious Donegild attempts to turn her son against Constance.

Welcome the sonde of Crist for everemoore
To me that am now lerned in his loore!
Lord, welcome be thy lust and thy plesaunce;
My lust I putte al in thyn ordinaunce.
Kepeth this child, al be it foul or feir,
And eek my wyf, unto myn hoom-comynge.
Crist, whan hym list, may sende me an heir
Moore agreable than this to my likynge.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. King Alla writes a letter responding to the false message forged by Donagild about his fiendisly deformed new child, saying that will accept the child. He welcomes what is sent to him from Christ and his desire is to do his will. And he instructs his Constable to guard this child "be it foul or feir" and also his wife, until his home-coming.

O Donegild, I ne have noon Englissh digne
Unto thy malice and thy tirannye!
And therfore to the feend I thee resigne;
Lat hym enditen of thy traitorie!
Fy, mannysh, fy! – o nay, by God, I lye –
Fy, feendlych spirit, for I dar wel telle,
Thogh thou heere walke, thy spirit is in helle!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Man of Law has such contempt for Donegild’s malice and treachery that he is rendered speechless, saying he doesn’t have any English suitable to describe it. But he refuses to define her as human, instead he says she is a fiendish spirit straight out of hell.

Eft were his lettres stolen everychon,
And countrefeted lettres in this wyse:
"The king comandeth his constable anon,
Up peyne of hangyng, and on heigh juyse,
That he ne sholde suffren in no wyse
Custance in-with his reawme for t’ abyde."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. After plying King Alla’s messenger with drink, Donegild steals the King’s letter to his Constable directing him to guard his baby son and wife. She counterfeits a letter to falsely say that the King commands his Constable, on pain of hanging, to banish Constance and her son from the realm.

O myghty God, if that it be thy wille,
Sith thou art rightful juge, how may it be
That thou wolt suffren innocentz to spille,
And wikked folk regne in prosperitee?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The King’s Constable wonders how God, if he is a rightful judge, can allow innocents to die and wicked folk to reign in prosperity. He is dismayed by the order, contained in Donegild’s forged letter from the King, to permanently banish Constance and her son from the land and send her away in the same ship that she arrived in.

Therwith she looked bakward to the londe,
And seyde, "Farewel, housbonde routhelees!"
And up she rist, and walketh doun the stronde
Toward the ship – hir folweth al the prees –
And evere she preyeth hire child to holde his pees;
And taketh hir leve, and with an hooly entente
She blisseth hire, and into ship she wente.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. Constance and her child are banished from Northumberland on foot of a letter purporting to be from husband King Alla, but forged by his mother Donegild. Looking back on the land she bids farewell to a ruthless husband, then walks down the strand towards the ship as the crowds follow her. She blesses herself and steps on board the vessel for the start of her second sea voyage.

And thus, by wit and sotil enquerynge,
Ymagined was by whom this harm gan sprynge.
The hand was knowe that the lettre wroot,
And al the venym of this cursed dede,
But in what wise, certeinly, I noot.
Th’ effect is this: that Alla, out of drede,
His mooder slow – that may men pleynly rede –
For that she traitour was to hire ligeance.
Thus endeth olde Donegild, with meschance!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. After finding his wife and son gone on his return home King Alla, through wit and subtle questioning, learns the identify of the writer of the forged letters that had Constance banished – his mother Donegild! For her cruelty and for being a traitor, she pays the ultimate penalty – King Alla slays her.

Kyng Alla, which that hadde his mooder slayn,
Upon a day fil in swich repentance
That, if I shortly tellen shal and playn,
To Rome he comth to receyven his penance;
And putte hym in the Popes ordinance
In heigh and logh, and Jhesu Crist bisoghte
Foryeve his wikked werkes that he wroghte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. King Alla has a troubled conscience over having his mother Donegild slain, so he goes on a pilgrimage to Rome to receive his penance and seek forgiveness for his wicked deed.
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