#  The Knight is Shocked 

 



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## The Book of the Knight of Latour Landry

### \[The Knight is shocked by a young lady's clever "love talk."\]  
  


*The text is lightly glossed; see the glossary in the Riverside Chaucer for words not explained here.*

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 Page 18   
   
 CHAPTER XIII.   
   
 Hit happed my frendes spake to me to be maried into a noble   
 place, and my fader brought me to see her that I shulde   
 have, and there we hadd gret chere, & my fader sette me in   
 langage with her that I shulde have knowlech of her speche and  
 langage, and so we fell in wordes of prisoners, and I saide,   
 "Dameselle, it were better to fall to be your prisoner thanne to   
 many other, for I trow your prison shuld not be so harde to me   
 as it shuld be and I were take with Englisshe men." And she  
 answered, "I have saie sum nat long sethe that I wolde were  
 my prisoner." And I asked her yif she wolde putte him in evell  
 prison; and she saide, nay, she wold kepe him as she wolde   
 her owne body; and I saide he was happy that might come into   
 so noble a prison. What shall I saie? She loved me enough,   
 and hadd a quick yee and a light, and ther was many wordes.  
 And so atte last she waxe right familier with me, for she   
 prayed me.ij. or.iij. times that I shulde not abide longe, but that   
 I shulde come and see her how ever it were; of the whiche I   
 had meruaile, seing that I mas never aqueinted with her, nor   
 hadd spoken, nor see her afore that time; and she knew well   
 that folke were aboute to marie us togedre. Whan we were   
 parted, my fader asked me, "How liketh you? telle me youre   
 avys." And I saide, she was both bote good and faire, but she shulde  
 be to me no nere than she was. And I tolde my fader how me   
 liked and of her estate and langage; and so I saide I wold nat   
 of her, for she was so pert and light of maners that caused me   
 to be discoraged from her, of the whiche I have thanked God   
 sethe diverse times. For in sothe it was not half a yerre after  
 that she was blamed; but I note whether it was fals or trewe.  
 And after she deied. And therfor, doughtres, all gentillwomen   
 and nobill maidenes comen of good kin ought to be goodly,   
 meke, wele tached, firme in estate, behaving, and maners, litell  
 softe and esy in speche, And in answere curteis & gentill, and not   
 light in lokinge. For many have lost her mariage by too moch   
 discovering hem selff, and to have many wordes; and by too gret   
   
 Page 19   
   
 semblauntes making, of the which diverse times is trowed in   
 hem that they never thougt ne dide. I wolde ye wist how   
 Amesse, the kingges doughter of Aragon, lost the king of   
 Spaine thorough her foly.   
   
 \[The tale of the King of Spain and the princess of Aragon   
 follows in Chapter XIV.\]   
 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 **conversation**   
   
   
   
 **and I = if I; with = by**  
 **seen; sum = certain one**  
 **if**   
   
   
   
 **yee = eye**   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 **opinion**   
   
   
   
   
 **since**   
 **know not**   
   
   
 **well instructed**   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   






From The Book of the *Knight of La Tour-Landry*, EETS o.s. 33, London, ed. Thomas Wright (from MS Harley 1764 and Caxton's Print) rev ed. 1903 [Widener 11472.33.3], corrected in few minor details.