That with daunger or stoutnesse Rebellith ther that he shulde plese; In such folye is litel ese. Be meek, wher thou must nedis bowe; To stryve ageyn is nought thy prowe. 1940 Come at ones, and have y-do, For I wol that it be so. Than yeld thee here debonairly.' And I answerid ful humbly, 'Gladly, sir; at your bidding, 1945 I wol me yelde in alle thing. To your servyse I wol me take; For god defende that I shulde make Ageyn your bidding resistence; I wol not doon so gret offence; 1950 For if I dide, it were no skile. Ye may do with me what ye wile, Save or spille, and also sloo; Fro you in no wyse may I go. My lyf, my deth, is in your honde, 1955 I may not laste out of your bonde. Pleyn at your list I yelde me, Hoping in herte, that sumtyme ye Comfort and ese shulle me sende; Or ellis shortly, this is the ende, 1960 Withouten helthe I moot ay dure, But-if ye take me to your cure. Comfort or helthe how shuld I have, Sith ye me hurte, but ye me save? The helthe of lovers moot be founde 1965 Wher-as they token firste hir wounde. And if ye list of me to make Your prisoner, I wol it take Of herte and wil, fully at gree. Hoolly and pleyn I yelde me, 1970 Withoute feyning or feyntyse, To be governed by your empryse. Of you I here so much prys, I wol ben hool at your devys For to fulfille your lyking 1975 And repente for no-thing, Hoping to have yit in som tyde Mercy, of that [that] I abyde.' And with that covenaunt yeld I me, Anoon doun kneling upon my knee, 1980 Profering for to kisse his feet; But for no-thing he wolde me lete, And seide, 'I love thee bothe and preyse, Sen that thyn answer doth me ese, For thou answerid so curteisly. 1985 For now I wot wel uttirly, That thou art gentil, by thy speche. For though a man fer wolde seche, He shulde not finden, in certeyn, No sich answer of no vileyn; 1990 For sich a word ne mighte nought Isse out of a vilayns thought. Thou shalt not lesen of thy speche, For [to] thy helping wol I eche, And eek encresen that I may. 1995 But first I wol that thou obay Fully, for thyn avauntage, Anon to do me here homage. And sithen kisse thou shalt my mouth, Which to no vilayn was never couth 2000 For to aproche it, ne for to touche; For sauf of cherlis I ne vouche That they shulle never neigh it nere. For curteys, and of fair manere, Wel taught, and ful of gentilnesse 2005 He muste ben, that shal me kisse, And also of ful high fraunchyse, That shal atteyne to that empryse. And first of o thing warne I thee, That peyne and gret adversitee 2010 He mot endure, and eek travaile, That shal me serve, withoute faile.