- There's a delightful little village not far from Walter's palace.
- The poor folks live there and make their living off their animals and off the earth.
- Among these poor people lives a man who is held to be poorest of them all.
- But hey, Chaucer reminds us: sometimes God sends his grace into a lowly oxen stall.
- So this poorest-of-the-poor dude is called Janicula.
- Janicula's got a hot daughter named Grisilde.
- Did we say hot? We mean hot. When it comes to virtuous beauty, Grisilde is the fairest under the sun.
- Grisilde was raised in poverty, so there are no illicit desires in her heart. She drinks more often from the well than from the ale-cask. She wants to live virtuously. She is familiar with hard labor and not with idle pleasures.
- Grisilde may be young, but she's got a strong character. She cares for her father with great respect and charity. She keeps a few sheep grazing in a field. She is never idle, except when she's sleeping.
- When Grisilde comes home, she brings roots and herbs, which she shreds and boils for food. She makes her bed very hard and not at all soft. She keeps her father's life pleasant with all the obedience and care a child may undertake for her father.
- You get the idea.
- Lord Walter often sees Grisilde when he's out hunting.
- Walter looks at Grisilde with a sober eye (totally not a lustful one, we swear). He wants to, you know, "assess her countenance."
- In his heart, Walter commends Grisilde's womanhood and virtue. She totally surpasses anyone else her age, both in countenance and deed.
- Walter is like, "Search is off, folks! I've found the one."
- Actually, he doesn't say anything. On the day of his wedding, he still hasn't told anybody whom he's planning to marry.
- The people are all like, "Won't Lord Walter leave off his selfishness and just get married already? Why deceive us like this?"
- Whatever: Walter's too busy getting brooches and rings of gems set in gold and azure for Grisilde to care what those fools are saying.
- Walter also gets wedding clothes and other adornments ready for Grisilde.
- Mid-morning of the wedding day approaches, and the whole palace is decked out.
- The kitchens are stuffed with food. It might even be the most delicious food available in Italy, we tell you.
- Splendidly dressed, with lords, ladies, and his bachelor retinue behind him, Walter goes to the village followed by the sound of music.
- Grisilde, unaware that she's, like, getting married—and that this whole array has been prepared just for her—goes to fetch water at the well.
- Grisilde hurries home, for she has heard that Lord Walter plans to wed that same day and wants to see the spectacle. Wow, is she in for a surprise.
- Grisilde plans to get all her work done quickly so she can stand with the other maidens in her door and watch Walter's new wife if she passes on her way to the castle.
- As Grisilde is about to go inside her house, Walter calls for her.
- Grisilde sets down her water-pot next to the doorway in an ox-stall.
- Grisilde falls down on her knees and with a sober face kneels in silence until she hears Walter's command.
- Walter asks Grisilde where her father is. She says he's inside and goes to fetch him.
- Walter takes Janicula by the hand and asks him for Grisilde's hand in marriage.
- Janicula has a moment. He turns red and trembles. He's totally taken aback by the suddenness of Walter's proposal.
- Janicula's like, "Uhh, I guess if that's what you want, you should have it, since you're, like, the Lord around here."
- Walter asks for a meeting so the three of them can talk together. He wants Grisilde to be part of the discussion.
- Everyone is amazed by how honestly and tenderly Grisilde cares for her father.
- But Grisilde is astonished; she's never seen anything like this. She's never dealt with these kinds of people. Because of this, she observes everything with a pale face.
- Here's what Lord Walter says to Grisilde:
- "Hey girl, your dad and I want me to marry you. Oh, and I guess you probably want to marry me, too, right? I mean, who wouldn't?
- "But I have some conditions. Do you consent? Or do you want to hear more?
- "So, hey, will you do everything I say? Will you do everything I ask of you? Will you do whatever I think best, whether it gives pain or pleasure, and never whine about it?
- "Oh, yeah, and also: if I give you a command, I don't want you going around undermining it. That means no complaining and no, like, making faces or anything.
- "If you do all of this, you can marry me. I'm telling you, it's a great deal."
- Grisilde wonders at all this and quakes in fear. She replies:
- "Lord, I'm totally unsuited and unworthy of this honor. But as you wish, so I wish.
- "I swear I'll never willingly disobey you in words or in thoughts, even if it kills me."
- "Awesome," says Walter. "Wedding's on."
- Walter leaves the house in a serious manner. Grisilde follows him out the door.
- Walter tells everybody that Grisilde is going to be a wife now, so they should all honor her and love her.
- Walter doesn't want Grisilde to bring any of her old clothes into his house, so he calls women to undress her right there. They dress her in new clothes. Then they comb her hair (it was kind of a mess before) and place a crown on her head. Finally, they put a bunch of jewels on her.
- Total makeover complete.
- Walter marries Grisilde with a ring brought for this purpose.
- Then Walter sets Grisilde upon a snow-white horse and takes her to his palace without delay, with happy people surrounding her. Happily ever after, right?
- Haha. Not this time.
- But Walter and Grisilde don't know that yet. They spend the day in celebration until the sun sets.
- Grisilde is so pretty and so nice that people have a hard time believing she was raised in an ox-stall. Even people from her village barely recognize her.
- Grisilde's always been virtuous, but now she's got even better manners—she's as eloquent, gentle, and worshipful as the best of them.Everyone who sees her loves her.
- We're not talking just Salucia: Grisilde is a big deal even in the neighboring regions.
- Men and women, young and all, all travel to Salucia just to see Grisilde.
- Thus, says our narrator, does Walter marry lowly but royally, with honesty.
- Walter lives in God's grace and peace.
- Because Walter sees that virtue can often be hiding among the lower classes, people believe him to be a prudent man, and that is something very rare.
- Grisilde isn't just a good wife; she's also good at redressing people's wrongs.
- There's no rancor, discord or other trouble in Salucia that she can't fix. She brings everyone together in peace.
- Not long after Grisilde and Walter marry, she bears a daughter.
- Although Grisilde would rather the child had been a boy, Walter and the people are glad. She'll probably soon bear a son, after all; they know she's not barren.