How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #10
And he that wole han pris of his gentrye,
For he was boren of a gentil hous
And hadde hise eldres noble and vertuous,
And nel hym-selven do no gentil dedis,
Ne folwen his gentil auncestre that deed is,
He nys nat gentil, be he duc or erl;
For vileyns synful dedes make a cherl.
(1158 – 1164)
Just like gentle deeds make a gentleman, the lady is saying that villainous deeds make a villain. She's also implying, interestingly, that it's a "vileyns synful dede" to boast of one's gentility just because of one's ancestry, without doing gentle deeds to back it up.
Quote #11
For gentillesse nys but renomee
Of thyne auncestres for hire heigh bountee,
Which is a strange thyng to thy persone.
(1165 – 1167)
Here the lady is basically saying that the renown that one's ancestors win has nothing to do with you – it's a "strange thyng to thy persone." Not only that, we might add, but that renown may or may not have had anything to do with their gentilesse, and it certainly doesn't have anything to do with their descendants'.
Quote #12
Thy gentillesse cometh fro God allone.
Thanne comth oure verray gentillesse of grace,
It was no thyng biquethe us with oure place.
(1168 – 1170)
Here the lady is saying that gentillesse is a gift 'of grace.' This idea contrasts somewhat with her assertion that gentilesse accrues to someone because of gentle actions. In the latter explanation of gentilesse's origin, a person's own agency is important. When gentillesse is a gift of grace, a person has less control over whether or not he possesses it.