“Such a figure has comparatively few charms for us of these latter days. But it pleased the world once—even down to Shakespeare’s time, who himself portrayed it in one of his earliest plays: Catherine in the _Taming of the Shrew_ is a phase of Griselda. Perhaps in ages when much most ignorant abuse of women prevailed in literature—abuse springing mainly out of the vile prejudices and superstitions of the mediæval Church—some such figure might have been expected to arise. It is the figure of a reaction. The hearts of men refused to accept the dishonouring pictures so often drawn of their fellow mortals. They rose in a loyal insurrection against lying fables of essential wantonness and of shameful obstinacy. To such chivalrous rebels the pale, sad, constant face of Griselda showed itself as the image of far other experiences and histories; and they gazed on it as on the face of their saint. With an infinite reverence they saw her still calm and quiet in the midst of anguishes, with heart breaking but lips uttering no ill word, with eyes that through the tears with which kindly nature of herself would relieve the terrible drought of sorrow still looked nothing but inalienable tenderness and love.” The French have claimed for their country the origination of the story of Griselda; but their claim cannot be allowed. The Abbé de Sade in his _Life of Petrarch_ asserts that the story is to be found in a manuscript called _Le Parement des Dames_; but it appears that this manuscript was the work of Olivier de la Marche, who was not born until long after the death of Boccaccio. Boccaccio’s novel was translated into French and published at Paris about the year 1510 as _La Patience de Grisilidis_; it was published also at Troyes about 1562. Apparently, however, the French were the first to bring Griselda upon the stage; for, according to Warton, the Comedians of Paris represented a mystery in French verse entitled _Le Mystere de Griseildis, Marquis de Saluces, mis en rime françoise et par personnaiges_ in 1393. This was not printed until about 1550, when Jehan Bonfons published it at Paris. His edition was reprinted in 1832. Ralph Radcliffe, a somewhat voluminous play-writer, who flourished towards the close of the reign of Henry VIII., is said by John Bale to have written an English comedy entitled “Patient Griselde,” and Hans Sachs in Germany converted the story into a drama as early as 1550; but in Italy, the land of its birth, it was not dramatised until 1620. It was not possible for a story which had early taken such a strong hold upon the popular imagination to remain long without becoming the property of the ballad-writer, but we cannot tell if he forestalled the writer of popular histories. In the Stationers’ Registers we find three entries of Griselda as early as the year 1565–6; the following two relate to the ballad:—