I have no wommen suffisaunt, certayn,
The chambres for t’arraye in ordinaunce
After my lust, and therfore wolde I fayn
That thyn were al swich manere governaunce.
Thou knowest eek of old al my plesaunce;
Thogh thyn array be badde and yvel biseye,
Do thou thy devoir at the leeste weye.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. In what is to be her final test and humiliation, Walter summons Griselda to the palace to prepare his chambers for his new wife. A stickler for dressing well himself, the Marquis goes out of his way to disparage Griselda’s bad clothing. But he wants her dressed like that to see how she behaves in her poor garb.