The Franklin’s Tale Quotes

That sith I se his grete gentillesse
To yow, and eek I se wel youre distresse,
That him were levere han shame (and that were routhe)
Than ye to me sholde breke thus youre trouthe,
I have wel levere evere to suffre wo
Than I departe the love bitwix yow two.
I yow relesse, madame, into youre hond
Quyt every serement and every bond
That ye han maad to me as heerbiforn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Squire Aurelius decides to do the right and noble thing. He sees Dorigen’s great distress and her husband’s graciousness in accepting shame rather than she should break her pledged word to Aurelius. So Aurelius releases Dorigen from her promise, saying he would rather suffer woe always than break apart the love between her and Arveragus.

This philosophre answerde, "Leeve brother,
Everich of yow dide gentilly til oother.
Thou art a squier, and he is a knyght;
But God forbede, for his blisful myght,
But if a clerk koude doon a gentil dede
As wel as any of yow, it is no drede!
Sire, I releesse thee thy thousand pound.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. The student-magician has high praise for Aurelius, Dorigen and Arveragus for dealing nobly with each other. So he forgives Aurelius his debt of one thousand pounds owed for removing the rocks from the coast of Brittany.

Lordynges, this question, thanne, wol I aske now,
Which was the mooste fre, as thynketh yow?

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. The Franklin poses the question to the group: who in their judgment was the most generous? It has to be Aurelius, we believe, because he was willing to give what he most desired – Dorigen’s love – and also to go into debt because he felt sympathy for her. The Franklin’s question suggests that the noble classes don’t have a monopoly on gentillesse or nobility. For the humble squire Aurelius showed that he could be noble too.
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