The Clerk’s Tale
Patient Griselda
The clerk said, “My story is about a patient wife”
Once, in a beautiful part of Italy, there lived a great lord, a marquis. His name was Walter. He was good to look at, and he was kind to poor people. He was young and strong, but he had no wife. This made his people very sad.
At last, they came to him, and they asked him to listen to them. A wise old man spoke for them all.
“Great marquis, we come to you because you are good. You will not be angry with us if we tell you what is in our hearts. Please take a wife. Then we will be happy. It is right for you to marry. You will have someone to love you and care for you. And you will have children.”
Then the wise old man said, “If you wish, we will find a wife for you. She will be both beautiful and rich!”