How we cite our quotes: (Line Number)
Quote #4
But I yow preye, and charge upon youre lyf,
That what wyf that I take, ye me assure
To worshipe hire whyl that hir lyf may dure,
In word and werk, bothe here and everywhere,
As she an emperoures doghter were. (164-168)
Walter makes his lieges promise that they will worship his wife "in word and werk" as long as she is alive. This reference to the worship of someone in "words" foreshadows the rumors that begin to circulate about Walter later in the tale. It also foreshadows the way that loyalty may be shown in the way you talk about a lord as well as in your obedience to his commands. By the way, do Walter's lieges actually live up to their promise?
Quote #5
With hertely wil, they sworen and assenten,
To al this thing-ther seyde no wight nay. (176-177)
Swearing an oath was a powerful gesture in medieval feudal relationships. This passage emphasizes that Walter's nobles do so in good faith by describing how they swear "with hertely wil."
Quote #6
"Thou lovest me, I woot it wel, certeyn,
And art my feithful lige man y-bore;
And al that lyketh me, I dar wel seyn
It lyketh thee." (309-312)
Walter's definition of the loyalty a vassal owes his lord is extreme. It's not just obedience that he demands, but love and a total sublimation of his vassal's will to his own, so that "al that lyketh me […] it lyketh thee."