Wondrynge upon this word, quakynge for drede,
She seyde, "Lord, undigne and unworthy
Am I to thilke honour that ye me beede,
But as ye wole youreself, right so wol I.
And heere I swere that nevere willyngly,
In werk ne thoght, I nyl yow disobeye,
For to be deed, though me were looth to deye."
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Is this the rock Griselda will perish on? Trembling with fear and devaluing herself by saying she is unworthy and unsuitable for the honor, Griselda promises to marry Walter. And she goes on to swear an oath of unquestionedd obedience to him, saying she will never disobey him in deed or thought. Well that’s loyalty in the extreme.