From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Clerk's Tale, lines 449-462

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From The Clerk's Tale, lines 442-448:
Griselda gives birth to a daughter

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Clerk's Tale
lines 449-462: Lord Walter intends to test his wife Griselda

Incipit tercia pars.
Here begins the third part

	Ther fil, as it bifalleth tymes mo,
450	Whan that this child had souked but a throwe,
	This markys in his herte longeth so
	To tempte his wyf, hir sadnesse for to knowe,
	That he ne myghte out of his herte throwe
	This merveillous desir his wyf t'assaye.
455	Nedelees, God woot, he thoghte hir for t'affraye.

	It happened, as it has sometimes before,
450	That when this child had sucked a month or so,
	This marquis in his heart such longing bore
	To test his wife, her patience thus to know,
	He could not in his heart the chance forgo
	This marvelous desire his wife to try;
455	Needless it is, God knows, thus to peek and pry

He hadde assayed hir ynogh bifore,

And foond hir evere good; what neded it

Hir for to tempte and alwey moore and moore?

Though som men preise it for a subtil wit,

460 But as for me, I seye that yvele it sit

To assaye a wyf, whan that it is no nede,

And putten hir in angwyssh and in drede.

He had sufficiently tried her before

And found her ever good; what needed it

That he should test her ever more and more?

Though some men praise it for a subtle wit,

460 Yet I say that to him 'twas no credit

To try his wife when there was never need,

Putting her heart to anguish and to dread.

Next:
From The Clerk's Tale, lines 463-497:
Lord Walter says to Griselda he has to do with her daughter 'what is best'