- The Earl of Panago has come from Bologna, and the word has spread all over.
- The people hear that the earl has brought with him a new wife for Walter in more pomp and richness than has ever been seen in all of West Lombardy.
- When Walter hears that the earl has come, he sends for Grisilde.
- With humble heart, a happy face, and no resentment at all, Grisilde comes at Walter's call and greets him on her knees.
- Walter introduces Grisilde to his "new wife" and then says—get this, Shmoopers—that he doesn't have anyone around who can clean the castle, so he'd like Grisilde to do it. After all, she knows just how he likes everything.
- "Oh, and by the way," Walter adds, "I know your clothes are so ugly that nobody wants to see them, but it's all good. You can do the cleaning in them. No problem."
- Grisilde, of course, is totally up for it.
- Grisilde begins to clean house, set the tables, and make the beds. She makes an effort to do everything she can, asking the chambermaids to go quickly and shake and sweep everything.
- Grisilde, the most servant-like of all, has decked out every chamber and Walter's hall.
- Around mid-morning, the Earl arrives in town with the two children.
- The people run to see the sight of the new bride's rich clothing.
- The people say that Walter is no fool: his wish to change his wife was clearly for the best. This woman is even more beautiful than Grisilde, they say and she's younger. And she'll bear worthy children for Walter, since she's got noble lineage, too (or so they think).
- The brother is also so beautiful that the people have pleasure in looking at him. They commend the Marquis's government.
- Some wise people dis these other, changeable people, always so unsteadfast and so unfaithful, changing their minds all the time and delighting in the new. They're just like the moon, which waxes and wanes all the time. They're full of gossip, and their judgment stinks.
- Anyway, Grisilde is very busy preparing the feast.
- Grisilde is not ashamed of her clothing. She happily goes to the gate with the other people to greet Walter's new wife. After that, she goes back to her work.
- Nobody can find any fault with Grisilde, since she receives the guests so politely and happily.
- The people do kind of wonder who Grisilde is, since she seems too good for her poor clothing. They praise her highly.
- At last, when everyone sits down to eat, Walter calls Grisilde to him. He asks her how she likes his new wife.
- "I'm down with her," says Grisilde. "I never saw anyone better. I wish her prosperity until her life's end.
- "There's just one thing I ask: don't get all nasty with her the way you did with me. She's more nobly born, and she won't be able to endure it as well as a poor wretch like me."
- When Walter sees Grisilde's patience, happy expression, and lack of malice, and thinks how he has often tormented her and she has remained ever steadfast and faithful, he is struck to the heart.
- "That's enough, Grisilde," he says. "Don't be sad anymore. I've tested you more than any other woman has ever been tested.Now I know your steadfastness."
- Walter takes Grisilde in his arms and plants one on her lips.
- Grisilde's so flabbergasted she hears pretty much none of this.
- Walter spills all the beans: the girl is their daughter, and the boy is their son. Walter's kept them secretly in Bologna.
- Then Walter's all like, "Hey, crowd, just a reminder: everything I did was legit. I just did it test my wife's character. There was nothing, like, mean about it."
- When Grisilde hears this, she runs for the hills, screaming...Oh, wait: just kidding. She faints for joy.
- After Grisilde's recovered from her faint, she calls her children to her and embraces them and kisses them, weeping. She thanks Walter for saving her children.
- Then Grisilde faints again.
- Even in her faint, Grisilde keeps her children so tight in her embrace that only with great difficulty are they taken from her.
- There are lots of tears all around. People are so moved they can barely stand up.
- Walter comforts Grisilde, and she rises from her faint.
- Everyone cheers Grisilde, until she gets hold of herself.
- Walter so honors her that it is a pleasure to observe their interaction now that they are together again.
- Grisilde is blinged up again, and everyone celebrates. It's even better than the day Grisilde and Walter got married.
- Grisilde and Walter live happily together for many years.
- Walter and Grisilde's daughter marries a rich lord, one of the worthiest in Italy.
- Walter keeps Janicula in his court until he dies.
- Walter and Grisilde's son succeeds Walter as Marquis of Salucia.
- The son makes a good marriage but doesn't test his wife the way Walter did... because the world isn't as strong as it used to be.
- Seriously. Listen to what this authority has to say about it:
- This story is not told in order to encourage women to follow Grisilde's example; even if they wanted to, it would be hard to do.
- The story is told to encourage people to be constant in the face of adversity, like Grisilde.
- Since a woman proved it was possible to be so patient toward a mortal man, we should even more patiently put up with whatever God sends us.
- Because, you know, God has a right to test those he made. He doesn't do this to find out our will but to test us and make us better. It's all for the good, so let's live in virtual patience.
- That's what our narrator says, anyway.
- Our narrator's got a few more things to say, though:
- It's hard to find even two or three Grisildes in a town these days.
- Grisilde is dead, and so is her patience.
- Both are buried in Italy.
- So, says our narrator, the fellas shouldn't test their ladies like this, and the ladies shouldn't take crap from the fellas.
- Well, okay...
- Oh, wait. There's more.
- Our narrator says that the ladies should badmouth and talk back to their husbands; the pretty ones should make their husbands jealous by showing off their looks; the not-so-pretty ones should make friends by spending lots of money; and all of them should be cheerful, carefree, and make their husbands worry, weep, and wail.
- You almost had us there, Chaucer.