The History of Patient Grisel, 1619

“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:—

Rd. of Owyn Rogers, for his lycense for pryntinge of a ballett intituled the sounge of pacyente Gressell unto hyr make [mate]

iiij d.

Rd. of Wylliam greffeth, for his lycense for pryntinge of ij ballettes to the tune of pacyente gressell

iiij d.

Now the second of these entries seems to point to an earlier ballad, as it must have taken some time for the tune of Patient Grissell to become so popular; and therefore there is great probability in Mr. Chappell’s conjecture that the original ballad was published before 1557, in which year the Registers commence.

All the ballads of Griselda now in existence are essentially the same as that printed in The Garland of Goodwill by Thomas Deloney; and, as the same ballad, divided into chapters with prose chapters at the beginning and end, is printed in The Pleasant and Sweet History of Patient Grissell (reprinted by Mr. Collier for the Percy Society), it has been suggested that this tract was also written by Deloney. This famous ballad-monger is supposed to have commenced writing about the year 1586, so that it is probable that the ballad of 1565–6, and the even earlier one suggested above, have ceased to exist. The following is a list of the different titles of Deloney’s ballad:—

A most pleasant Ballad of patient Grissell, to the tune of “The Bride’s Good-morrow.”

The earliest known edition, printed in Collection of Seventy-nine Black-Letter Ballads and Broadsides, 1870. P. 17. (Roxburghe Ballads, ed. W. Chappell, vol. ii. p. 268.)

Of Patient Grissel and a Noble Marquess. To the tune of “The Bride’s Good-morrow.”

T. Deloney’s Garland of Good-Will. 1678. Part 2. (Percy Society. No. 112. 1851.)

The earliest edition of the Garland must have been published before 1600, as Deloney died in that year.

A most excellent and vertuous Ballad of the Patient Grissell. To the tune of “The Bride’s Good-morrow.” London. Printed by John Wright. [1640?] (Roxburghe Ballads, vol. i. pp. 302–3.)

There is a copy of the ballad (in one, not two parts) in the Percy Folio Manuscript. See Hales and Furnivall’s edition, 1868, vol. iii. p. 421.

An excellent Ballad of a Noble Marquiss and Patient Grissel. (Collection of Old Ballads, 1723, vol. i. p. 252.)

The following entries in the Stationers’ Registers would appear to refer to the Ancient, True, and Admirable History printed in this volume. It is stated to be translated from the French, but this statement is of no value, and it is evidently of pure English manufacture. The edition of 1619 is the earliest known to exist:—

1565–6. Rd. of Thomas Colwell, for his lycense for prynting of an history of meke and pacyent Gresell

iiij d.

1568–9. Rd. of Thomas Colwell, for his lycense for pryntinge of the hystory of pacyent gresell, &c.

viij d.

The History of the Noble Marquis of Salus, or Patient Grissel. Printed and sold in London. [1780?] 12mo. Pp. 24. Another edition. Aldermary Churchyard, n. d.

A reduced chap-book edition of the History printed in this volume. It seems to have been published in this form as early as 1703.

When Mr. J. Payne Collier edited for the Percy Society “The History of Patient Grisel, two early Tracts in Black-Letter, with an Introduction and Notes,” 1842, he printed after the Ancient, True, and Admirable History “The Pleasant and Sweet History of Patient Grissell, shewing how she from a poore man’s daughter came to be a great lady of France, being a Patterne to all vertuous women. Translated out of Italian. London. Printed by E. P. for John Wright, dwelling in Giltspur Street at the Signe of the Bible.”

This is divided into eleven chapters, of which 1, 2, 10, and 11, are in prose; chapters 3 to 9 contain the ballad referred to previously, and it is most probable that the whole tract was the production of Deloney. The date is cut off, but the pamphlet was probably printed about 1630, and it is doubtless a late edition of a popular chap-book. The copy in the British Museum is apparently the same as that used by Mr. Collier. It is handsomely bound in morocco, and in the inside is written in pencil, “Cost me eight pounds unbound.” There are two titles: the first is “The History of the Noble Marques,” with a woodcut of Griselda at the spinning-wheel. On the back of this is the woodcut of Elizabeth, reproduced on the title of the Percy Society reprint.

The play of Ralph Radcliffe is now lost, so that the comedy published in 1603 and reprinted in 1841 is the only one known to exist. We have here a curious instance of the danger of asserting of any particular book that it is unique. When Mr. Collier reprinted the play for the Shakespeare Society he said that there was no copy in the British Museum, and that the only copies he knew of were one in the Bodleian and another in the possession of the Duke of Devonshire, who also had an imperfect copy which he presented to Collier. There is now a copy in the British Museum, and in it is this note in ink: “The only copy extant.—J. B. 1788.” Under this is a pencil note: “I have seen another copy, but it was imperfect—G. N.” On the title-page is written “William Shakespeare,” apparently one of the Ireland forgeries.