Looke what day that endelong Britayne
Ye remoeve alle the rokkes, stoon by stoon,
That they ne lette ship ne boot to goon –
I seye, whan ye han maad the coost so clene
Of rokkes that ther nys no stoon ysene,
Thanne wol I love yow best of any man;
Have heer my trouthe, in al that evere I kan.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Dorigen softens the blow of rejection for Aurelius. Wishing to remain loyal to her husband, she sets Aurelius what she believes is an impossible condition, saying that if he fulfils it then she will love him. What he must do is remove all the rocks, stone by stone, from the coast of Brittany – she fears the rocks pose a danger to her husband’s ship on his return home. If Aurelius accomplishes that, then he will receive her love, she pledges, believing this will never happen.