Allas, unto the Barbre nacioun
I moste anoon, syn that it is youre wille;
But Crist, that starf for our redempcioun
So yeve me grace his heestes to fulfille!
I, wrecche womman, no fors though I spille!
Wommen are born to thraldom and penance,
And to been under mannes governance.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. In the last two lines, Constance laments the fact that women are born to slavery and penance and to be under men’s rule. This refers to penance for the role Eve played in the Fall. Constance prays to Christ, who died for our redemption, to give her the grace to fulfill her father’s command for her to go to a pagan land.