animals you see how a greyhound, or a mastiff, or a little dog, whether on the road, or at table, or in bed, always keeps near to the person from whom he takes his food, and leaves and is shy and fierce with all others; and if the dog is afar off, he always has his heart and his eye upon his master; even if his master whip him and throw stones at him, the dog follows, wagging his tail and lying down before his master, seeks to mollify him, and through rivers, through woods, through thieves and through battles follows him....  Wherefore for a better and stronger reason women, to whom God has given natural sense and who are reasonable, ought to have a perfect and solemn love for their husbands; and so I pray you to be very loving and privy with your husband who shall be.’[7] Patience is an essential quality in wives, and, however sorely tried they must never complain.  The Menagier tells three stories to illustrate how a wife should bear herself in order to win back the love of an unfaithful husband.  One of these is the famous tale of Griselda, but the two others are drawn (so he says) from his own experience.  In the first of these he tells of the wife of a famous avocat in the parlement of Paris, who saw to the nurture and marriage of her husband’s illegitimate daughter; ’nor did he ever perceive it by one reproach, or one angry or ugly word.’  The second is the charmingly told story of how John Quentin’s wife won back her husband’s heart from the poor spinner of wool to whom it had strayed.[8] All seem to show that the Menagier’s simile of the little dog was selected with care, for the medieval wife, like the dog, was expected to lick the hand that smote her.  Nevertheless, while subscribing to all the usual standards of his age, the Menagier’s robust sense, his hold upon the realities of life, kept him from pushing them too far.  The comment of another realist, Chaucer, on the tale of Patient Griselda will be remembered.

     Grisilde is deed and eek hire pacience,
     And bothe at ones buryed in Ytaille;
     For which I crie in open audience,
     No wedded man so hardy be t’assaille
     His wyves pacience in hope to fynde
     Grisildes, for in certein he shal faille!

     O noble wyves, ful of heigh prudence,
     Lat noon humylitee youre tonge naill,
     Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligence
     To write of yow a stone of swich mervaille
     As of Grisildis pacient and kynde,
     Lest Chichivache[E] yow swelwe in hire entraille!...

[Footnote E:  Chichevache, the lean cow who fed on patient wives, while her mate Bicorne grew fat on humble husbands (A.W.  Pollard).]

His creation of the Wife of Bath was an even more pointed commentary.  Here is what the Menagier has to say to his young wife on the same subject: