From Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", The Clerk's Tale, lines 736-756

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From The Clerk's Tale, lines 722-735:
Lord Walter subjects speak ill about him

From The Canterbury Tales:
The Clerk's Tale
lines 736-756: Lord Walter orders to counterfeit and produce a papal bull that orders him to remarry

	Whan that his doghter twelf yeer was of age,
	He to the court of Rome in subtil wyse
	Enformed of his wyl sente his message,
	Comaundynge hem swiche bulles to devyse
740	As to his crueel purpos may suffyse,
	How that the pope as for his peples reste
	Bad hym to wedde another, if hym leste.

	Now when his daughter was twelve years of age,
	He to the court of Rome in subtle wise
	Informed of his design sent his message,
	Commanding them such bulls they should devise
740	As for his cruel purpose would suffice,
	How that the pope, for Walter's people's rest,
	Bade him to wed another, and the best.

I seye, he bad they sholde countrefete

The popes bulles, makynge mencioun

745 That he hath leve his firste wyf to lete

As by the popes dispensacioun,

To stynte rancour and dissencioun

Bitwixe his peple and hym, thus seyde the bulle,

The which they han publiced atte fulle.

I say, he ordered they should counterfeit

A papal bull and set it forth therein

745 That he had to leave his first wife now to quit,

By papal dispensation, with no sin,

To stop all such dissension as did win

Between his folk and him; thus said the bull,

The which thing they did publish to the full.

750 The rude peple, as it no wonder is,

Wenden ful wel that it hadde be right so;

But whan thise tidynges cam to Grisildis,

I deeme that hir herte was ful wo.

But she, ylike sad for everemo,

755 Disposed was, this humble creature,

The adversitee of Fortune al t'endure,

750 The ignorant people, as no wonder is,

Supposed of course that things were even so;

But when Griselda's ears caught word of this,

I judge that then her heart was filled with woe.

But she, for ever steadfast, still did show

755 Herself disposed, this humble meek creature,

The adversity of Fortune to endure.

Next:
From The Clerk's Tale, lines 757-784:
Lord Walter writes a letter to Bologna to send back his children and orders not to reveal their lineage