"My newe wyf is comynge by the weye.
Be strong of herte, and voyde anon hir place;
And thilke dowere that ye broghten me,
Taak it agayn; I graunte it of my grace.
Retourneth to youre fadres hous," quod he;
"No man may alwey han prosperitee.
With evene herte I rede yow t’endure
The strook of Fortune or of aventure."
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. The Marquis unceremoniously tells his wife Griselda to clear out of the palace and return to her father’s house, because his new wife in coming. He asks Griselda to endure this stroke of fortune or chance with a tranquil heart. However, it wasn’t fortune that brought all this woe to Griselda, but Walter’s monstrous and diabolical behavior. He also tells her to take back her dowry, knowing that she had no dowry.