Page:The Canterbury tales of Geoffrey Chaucer.djvu/123

 art my last woe, and eke in my life my last joy, O gem of chastity, take thou in patience thy death, for this is my judgment. For love and not for hate, thou must die. My wretched hand must smite off thy head. Alas! that ever Apius saw thee. Thus hath he falsely judged thee to-day," and told her all the case as ye have already heard; it needeth not to tell it more.

"O mercy, dear father," quoth this maid, and with that word she laid both her arms about his neck, as she wont to do. The tears burst from her eyes and she said, "Good father, shall I die? Is there no grace? Is there no help?"

"No, certes, my dear daughter," quoth he. "Then give me leisure, father mine, a little while to lament my death, for Jepthah, pardee, gave his daughter grace to lament, ere he slew her, alas! And God wot it was nothing her fault, but because she ran first to greet her father to welcome him with festivity." And with that word straightway she fell swooning, and after her swooning had left her, she riseth up and saith to her father, "Blessed be God, I shall die a maiden. Give me my death ere I have shame. Do your will with your child, for God's sake." And with that she besought him many times that with his sword he would smite softly, and thereupon she fell down in a swoon. With full sorrowful heart and will, her father smote off her head, and took it by the top and gan present it to the judge as he sat yet judging in consistory. And when the judge saw it, as saith the book, he bade men take him and hang him at once. But straightway a thousand people thronged in to save the knight for ruth and compassion, for the false iniquity was known. The people hath straightway suspected, from the manner of the churl's challenge, that this thing was by Apius' consent. They wist well that he was lustful. For which they went