Lordynges, this question, thanne, wol I aske now,
Which was the mooste fre, as thynketh yow?
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. The Franklin poses the question to the group: who in their judgment was the most generous? It has to be Aurelius, we believe, because he was willing to give what he most desired – Dorigen’s love – and also to go into debt because he felt sympathy for her. The Franklin’s question suggests that the noble classes don’t have a monopoly on gentillesse or nobility. For the humble squire Aurelius showed that he could be noble too.