How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #4
‘Thou standest yet,’ quod she, ‘in swich array That of thy lyf yet hastow no suretee. I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me What thing is it that women moost desiren. Be war and keep thy neke-boon from iren! And if thou kanst nat tellen it anon, Yet shal I yeve thee leve for to gon A twelf-month and a day to seche and leere An answere suffisant in this mateere. (908 – 916)
These are the rules governing the justice the queen proposes to the knight. She wants to make it very clear, as she does at this passage’s beginning, that his life is still in doubt, still not his own. She does this by reminding him that his life’s not in "suretee," or secure, and saying "I grante thee lyf" to emphasize her role as his life’s protector (or destroyer).
Quote #5
And suretee wol I han, er that thou pace, Thy body for to yelden in this place. (917 – 918)
In essence what the queen is asking for is a guarantee that the knight will return to court at the year’s end. A friend could “stand surety” for someone by agreeing to keep the friend’s promise should he fail to do so. It was kind of like co-signing on a loan.
Quote #6
Wo was this knight, and sorwefully he siketh; But what! He may nat do al as hym liketh. (919 – 920)
This passage is yet one more example of the tale’s emphasis on how the knight has forfeited his body and will once he yields to the demands of justice. It could also be an outraged exclamation along the lines of, "You can’t just rape someone and expect to go unpunished."