To don at home, as fone as it may be, And as the wolde over the threswold gon 8160 8165 8170 This thoughtful markis spake unto this maid Ful foberly, and faid in this manere; Wher is your fader, Grifildis? he faid. And the with reverence in humble chere He by the hond than toke this poure man, Lenger the plefance of min herte hide; Thou love me, that wot I wel certain, 8175 8180 8185 It liketh thee, and fpecially therfore This foden cas this man aftoned fo.. That red he wex, abaift, and al quaking He flood; I wol no thing, min owen Lord fa dere; Than wol I, quod this markis foftely, For I wol afk hire if it hire wille be" 8190 8195 8200 I wol not fpeke out of thin audience. 8205 And in the chambre, while they were aboute The tretee, which as ye fhul after here, The peple came into the hous withoute, 8210 To fee fo gret a gest come in that place, She never was to non fwiche geftes woned, 8215 For which the loked with ful pale face. Grifilde, he faid, ye fhuln wel understond 8220 That I you wedde, and eke it may fo ftond, But thise demaundes aske I first (quod he) 8225 Wol ye affent, or elles you avife? I fay this, be ye redy with good herte To all my luft, and that I freely may, As me best thinketh, do you laugh or smerte, And never ye to grutchen, night ne day, 3230 And eke whan I fay Ya ye fay not Nay, Wondring upon this thing, quaking for drede, She faide, Lord, indigne and unworthy 8235 Am I to thilke honour that ye me bede, 8243 And to the peple he said in this manere; 8245 That women shuld defpoilen hire right there, 825 Fro foot to hed they clothed han all new. Hire heres han they kempt, that lay untressed. Ful rudely, and with hir fingres fmal A coroune on hire hed they han ydreffed, And fette hire ful of nouches gret and smal. 8256 Unneth the peple hire knew for hire fairnesse 3260 8265 V. 8258. ful of nouches] The common reading is ouches, but I have retained the reading of the beft mff. as it may poffibly affift fomebody to discover the meaning of the word. lobferve too that it is fo written in the inventory of the effects of H. V. Rot. Parl. 2. H. VI. n. 31; "Item 6 broches et nouches d'or garniz de divers garnades pois 31d d'or pris 35s. Conveyed hire; and thus the day they spende And fhortly forth this Tale for to chace, I fay that to this newe markifeffe 8270 God hath swiche favour sent hire of his grace, That it ne femeth not by likelineffe That fhe was borne and fed in rudeneffe, As in a cote or in an oxes stall, But nourished in an emperoures hall. 8275 To every wight she waxen is so dere For though that ever vertuous was the, Of thewes good, yfet in high bountee, 8280 8285 And coude fo the peples herte enbrace, That eche hire loveth that loketh on hire face. 8290 Not only of Saluces in the toun Published was the bountee of hire name, If on faith wel another faith the fame: So fpredeth of hire hie bountee the fame, |