Comparison of Geoffrey Chaucer Melibee's Tale to William Shakespeare

Up roos thanne an advocat that was wys, by leve and by conseil of othere that were wyse, and seyde: 'Lordinges, the nede for which we been assembled in this place is a ful hevy thing and an heigh matere, by-cause of the wrong and of the wikkednesse that hath be doon, and eek by resoun of the grete damages that in tyme cominge been possible to fallen for this same cause; and eek by resoun of the grete richesse and ...

Forther-more, ye knowen wel that, after the comune sawe, "it is a woodnesse a man to stryve with a strenger or a more mighty man than he is him-self; and for to stryve with a man of evene strengthe, that is to seyn, with as strong a man as he, it is peril; and for to stryve with a weyker man, it is folie." And therfore sholde a man flee stryvinge as muchel as he mighte. For Salomon seith: "it is a greet worship to a man to kepen him fro noyse and stryf." And if it so bifalle or happe that a man of gretter might and strengthe than thou art do thee grevaunce, studie and bisie thee rather to stille the same grevaunce, than for to venge thee. For Senek seith: that "he putteth him in greet peril that stryveth with a gretter man than he is him-self." And Catoun seith: "if a man of hyer estaat or degree, or more mighty than thou, do thee anoy or grevaunce, suffre him; for he that ones hath greved thee may another tyme releve thee and helpe." Yet sette I caas, ye have bothe might and licence for to venge yow. I seye, that ther be ful manye thinges that shul restreyne yow of vengeance-takinge, and make yow for to enclyne to suffre, and for to han pacience in the thinges that han been doon to yow. First and foreward, if ye wole considere the defautes that been in your owene persone, for whiche defautes god hath suffred yow have this tribulacioun, as I have seyd yow heer-biforn. For the poete seith, that "we oghte paciently taken the tribulacions that comen to us, whan we thinken and consideren that we han deserved to have hem." And Seint Gregorie seith: that "whan a man considereth wel the nombre of hise defautes and of his sinnes, the peynes and the tribulaciouns that he suffreth semen the lesse un-to hym; and in-as-muche as him thinketh hise sinnes more hevy and grevous, in-so-muche semeth his peyne the lighter and the esier un-to him." Also ye owen to enclyne and bowe your herte to take the pacience of our lord Iesu Crist, as seith seint Peter in hise epistles: "Iesu Crist," he seith, "hath suffred for us, and yeven ensample to every man to folwe and sewe him; for he dide never sinne, ne never cam ther a vileinous word out of his mouth: whan men cursed him, he cursed hem noght; and whan men betten him, he manaced hem noght." Also the grete pacience, which the seintes that been in paradys han had in tribulaciouns that they han y-suffred, with-outen hir desert or gilt, oghte muchel stiren yow to pacience. Forthermore, ye sholde enforce yow to have pacience, consideringe that the tribulaciouns of this world but litel whyle endure, and sone passed been and goon. And the Ioye that a man seketh to have by pacience in tribulaciouns is perdurable, after that the apostle seith in his epistle: "the Ioye of god," he seith, "is perdurable," that is to seyn, everlastinge. Also troweth and bileveth stedefastly, that he nis nat wel y-norissed ne wel y-taught, that can nat have pacience or wol nat receyve pacience. For Salomon seith: that "the doctrine and the wit of a man is knowen by pacience." And in another place he seith: that "he that is pacient governeth him by greet prudence." And the same Salomon seith: "the angry and wrathful man maketh noyses, and the pacient man atempreth hem and stilleth." He seith also: "it is more worth to be pacient than for to be right strong; and he that may have the lordshipe of his owene herte is more to preyse, than he that by his force or strengthe taketh grete citees." And therfore seith seint Iame in his epistle: that "pacience is a greet vertu of perfeccioun."'

'A!' quod dame Prudence, 'ye seyn your wil and as yow lyketh; but in no caas of the world a man sholde nat doon outrage ne excesse for to vengen him. For Cassidore seith: that "as yvel doth he that vengeth him by outrage, as he that doth the outrage." And therfore ye shul venge yow after the ordre of right, that is to seyn by the lawe, and noght by ...

... But ye knowen wel that this dede, that is to seyn, my grief and my disese, toucheth me right ny. And therfore, though I be wroth and inpacient, it is no merveille. And savinge your grace, I can nat seen that it mighte greetly harme me though I toke vengeaunce; for I am richer and more mighty than myne enemys been. And wel knowen ye, that by moneye and by havinge grete possessions been all the thinges of this world governed. And Salomon seith: that "alle thinges obeyen to moneye."'

... this wyse: "als lightly," quod he, "may our lord god almighty yeve victorie to a fewe folk as to many folk; for the victorie of bataile cometh nat by the grete nombre of peple, but it cometh from our lord god of hevene." And dere sir, for as muchel as there is no man certein, if he be worthy that god yeve him victorie, [namore than he is certein whether he be worthy of the love of god] or naught, after that Salomon seith, therfore every man sholde greetly drede werres to biginne. And by-cause that in batailles fallen manye perils, and happeth outher-while, that as sone is the ...