The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ Here bigynneth the Seconde Nonnes tale / of the lyf of Seinte Cecile .

(18)

This mayden bright Cecilie / as hir lif seith [[Painting of the Second Nun]] Was comen of Romayns / and of noble kynde And from hir Cradel / vp fostred in the feith Of Crist and bar his gospel in hir mynde She neuere cessed / as I writen fynde Of hir preyere / and god to loue and drede Bisekynge hym / to kepe hir maydenhede Line 126

(19)

And whan this mayden / sholde vn-to a man Line 127 Ywedded be / that was ful yong of age Which that ycleped was Valerian And day was comen / of hir marriage Line 130 She ful devout and humble in hire corage Vnder hir robe of gold / that sat ful faire Hadde next hire flessh / yclad hire in an haire Line 133

[6-text p 532] Line 133

(20)

And whil the Orgues / maden melodie Line 134 To god allone / in herte thus sang she O lord / my soule / and eek my body gye Vnwemmed / lest that it confounded be Line 137 And for his loue / that dyde / vp-on a tree Euery seconde / and thridde day she faste Ay biddynge / in hire orisons ful faste Line 140

(21)

The nyght cam / and to bedde moste she gon Line 141 With hire housbonde / as ofte is the manere And pryuely / to hym she seyde anon O sweete / and wel biloued spouse deere Line 144 Ther is a conseil / and ye wolde it heere Which that right fayn / I wolde vn-to yow seye So that ye swere / ye shul me nat biwreye Line 147

(22)

¶ Valerian / gan faste vn-to hire swere [folio 191b] That for no cas / ne thyng/ that myghte be He sholde neuere mo / biwreyen here And thanne at erst to hym thus seyde she Line 151 I haue an Aungel / which that loueth me That with greet loue / wher so I wake or sleepe Is redy ay / my body for to kepe Line 154

(23)

And if he / may feelen out of drede Line 155 That ye me touche // or loue in vileynye He right anon / wol sle yow with the dede And in youre yowthe / thus ye sholden dye Line 158 And if that ye / in clene loue me gye He wol yow louen as me / for youre clennesse And shewen yow / his ioye and his brightnesse Line 161

[6-text p 533] Line 161

(24)

¶ Valerian / corrected / as god wolde Line 162 Answerde agayn / if I shal trusten thee Lat me that Aungel se / and hym biholde And if that it a verray Angel bee Line 165 Thanne wol I doon / as thou hast prayed me And if thou loue / another man / for sothe Right with this swerd/ thanne wol I sle yow bothe Line 168

(25)

Cecile answerde anon / right in this wise Line 169 If that yow list. the Angel shul ye see So þat ye trowe in Crist/ and yow baptize Gooth forth / to Via Apia / quod shee Line 172 That fro this toun / ne stant but Miles three And to the poure folkes / þat ther dwelle Sey hem right thus / as that I shal yow telle Line 175

(26)

Telle hem / that I Cecile / yow to hem sente Line 176 To shewen yow / the goode Vrban the olde ffor secree thynges / and for good entente And whan that ye / Seint Vrban han biholde Line 179 Telle hym the wordes / whiche þat I to yow tolde And whan þat he / hath purged yow fro synne Thanne shul ye se / that Angel er ye twynne Line 182

(27)

¶ Valerian / is to the place ygon Line 183 And right as hym was taught/ by his lernynge He foond this hooly / olde Vrban anon [.i. latitantem] Among the Seintes buryeles lotynge Line 186 And he anon / with-outen tariynge Dide his message / and whan þat he it tolde Vrban for ioye / his handes gan vp holde Line 189

[6-text p 534] Line 189

(28)

The teeris / from his eyen leet he falle [folio 192a] Almyghty lord / o Ihesu Crist quod he Sower of chast conseil / hierde of vs alle The fruyt of thilke seed of Chastitee Line 193 That thou hast sowe in Cecile / taak to thee Lo / lyk a bisy bee / with-outen gile Thee serueth ay / thyn owene thral Cecile Line 196

(29)

ffor thilke spouse / that she took right. now Line 197 fful lyk a fiers leoun / she sendeth heere As meke / as euere / was any lamb to yow And with that word / anon ther gan appere Line 200 An oold man / clad in white clothes cleere That hadde a book with lettre of gold in honde And gan / bifore Valerian to stonde Line 203

(30)

Valerian as deed / fil doun for drede Line 204 Whan he hym saugh / and he vp hente hym tho And on his book / right thus he gan to rede O. lord. o. feith. o. god with-outen mo Line 207 O. Cristendom / and fader of alle also Abouen alle / ouer alle / euerywhere Thise wordes / al with gold ywriten were Line 210

(31)

Whan this was rad / thanne seyde this olde man Line 211 Leeuestow this thyng or no? / sey ye or nay? I leeue al this thyng / quod Valerian ffor oother thyng than this / I dar wel say Line 214 Vnder the heuene / no wight thynke may Tho vanysshed this olde man / he nyste where And Pope Vrban / hym cristned right there Line 217

[6-text p 535] Line 217

(32)

¶ Valerian gooth hoom / and fynt Cecilie Line 218 With-Inne his chambre / with an Angel stonde This Angel / hadde / of Roses and ¹of lilie¹ [[^1_1 later]] Corones two / the which he bar in honde Line 221 And first to Cecile / as I vnderstonde He yaf that oon / and after gan he take That oother / to Valerian hir make Line 224

(33)

With body clene / and with vnwemmed thoght Line 225 Kepeth ay wel / thise corones three ffro Paradys to yow / haue I hem broght Ne neuere mo / ne shal they roten bee Line 228 Ne lese hir soote sauour / trusteth me Ne neuere wight shal seen hem with his eye But he be chaast and hate vileynye Line 231

(34)

And thow Valerian / for thow so soone [folio 192b] Assentedest to good conseil also Sey what thee list and thou shalt han thy boone I haue a brother / quod Valerian tho Line 235 That in this world / I loue no man so I pray yow / that my brother may han grace To knowe the trouthe / as I do in this place Line 238

(35)

¶ The Angel seyde / god liketh thy requeste Line 239 And bothe / with the palm of martirdom Ye shullen come / vn-to his blisful feste And with that word / Tiburce his brother coom Line 242 And whan that he / the sauour vndernoom Which that the Roses / and the lilies caste With-Inne his herte / he gan to wondre faste Line 245

[6-text p 536] Line 245

(36)

And seyde / I wondre / this tyme of the yeer Line 246 Whennes / that soote sauour cometh so Of Rose and lilies / that I smelle heer ffor though I hadde hem / in myne handes two Line 249 The sauour / myghte in me no depper go The sweete smel / þat in myn herte I fynde Hath chaunged me / al in another kynde Line 252

(37)

¶ Valerian seyde / two corones / han we Line 253 Snow white and Rose reed / that shynen cleere Whiche þat thyne eyen / han no myght to see And as thou smellest hem / thurgh my preyere Line 256 So shaltow seen hem / leeue brother deere If it so be / thou wolt with-outen slouthe Bileue aright and knowen verray trouthe Line 259

(38)

¶ Tiburce answerde / seistow this to me Line 260 In soothnesse / or in dreem I herkne this In dremes quod valerian / han we be Vn-to this tyme / brother myn ywis Line 263 But now at erst in trouthe our dwellyng is How woostow this quod Tiburce / in what wyse? Quod Valerian / that shal I thee deuyse Line 266

(39)

¶ The Aungel of god / hath me trouthe ytaught Line 267 Which thou shalt seen / if that thou wolt reneye The ydoles and be clene / and elles naught And of the myracle / of thise corones tweye Line 270 Seint Ambrose / in his preface list to seye Solempnely / this noble doctour deere Commendeth hym / and seith in this manere Line 273

[6-text p 537] Line 273

(40)

¶ The palm of martirdom / for to receyue [folio 193a] Seinte Cecile / fulfild of goddes yifte The world / and eek hire chambre / gan she weyue Witnesse / Tyburces / and Cecilies shrifte Line 277 To whiche / god of his bountee wolde shifte Corones two / of floures wel smellynge And made his Angel / hem the corones brynge Line 280

(41)

The mayde hath broght men / to blisse aboue Line 281 The world hath wist / what it is worth certeyn Deuocion of Chastitee to loue Tho shewed hym Cecile / al open and pleyn Line 284 That alle ydoles / nys but a thyng in veyn ffor they been dombe / and therto they been deue And charged hym / hise ydoles for to leue Line 287

(42)

Who so / that troweth nat this / a beest he is Line 288 Quod tho Tiburce / if þat I shal nat lye And she gan kisse his brest. that herde this And was ful glad / he koude trouthe espye Line 291 This day / I take thee / for myn Allye Seyde this blisful / faire mayde deere And after that. she seyde as ye may heere Line 294

(43)

¶ Lo / right so / as the loue of Crist quod she Line 295 Made me thy brotheres wyf/. right in that wise Anon for myn Allyee / heer take I thee Syn that thou wolt thyne ydoles despise Line 298 Go with thy brother now / and thee baptise And make thee clene / so þat thou mowe biholde The Angeles face / of which thy brother tolde Line 301

[6-text p 538] Line 301

(44)

¶ Tiburce answerde / and seyde brother dere Line 302 ffirst tel me / whider þat I shal / and to what man? To whom quod he? com forth / with right good cheere I wol thee lede / vn-to the Pope Vrban Line 305 Til Vrban? brother myn Valerian Quod tho Tiburce /. woltow me thider lede Me thynketh / that it were a wonder dede Line 308

(45)

Ne menestow nat Vrban / quod he tho Line 309 That is so ofte / dampned to be deed And woneth in halkes / alwey to and fro And dar nat ones / putte forth his heed Line 312 Men sholde hym brennen / in a fyr so reed If he were founde / or þat men myghte hym spye And we also / to bere hym compaignye Line 315

(46)

And whil we seken / thilke diuinitee [folio 193b] That is yhid / in heuene pryuely Algate / ybrend in this world shul we be To whom Cecile / answerde boldely Line 319 Men myghten dreden / wel and skilfully This lyf to lese / myn owene deere brother If this were lyuynge oonly and noon oother Line 322

(47)

But ther is bettre lif in oother place Line 323 That neuere shal be lost ne drede thee noght Which goddes sone / vs tolde thurgh his grace That fadres sone / hath alle thyng ywroght Line 326 And al that wroght is / with a skilful thoght The goost. that fro the fader gan procede Hath sowled hem / with-outen any drede Line 329

[6-text p 539] Line 329

(48)

By word and by myracle / goddes sone Line 330 Whan he was in this world declared heere That ther was oother lyf/ ther men may wone To whom answerde Tiburce / o suster deere Line 333 Ne seydestow right now / in this manere Ther nys but o god / lord in soothfastnesse And now of three / how maystow bere witnesse Line 336

(49)

¶ That shal I telle quod she / er I go Line 337 Right as a man / hath sapiences three Memorie / Engyn / and Intellect also So / in beynge / of diuinitee Line 340 Thre persones / may ther right wel bee Tho gan she hym / ful bisily to preche Of Cristes come / and of hise peynes teche Line 343

(50)

And many pointes / of his passion Line 344 How goddes sone / in this world was withholde To doon mankynde / pleyn remission That was ybounde in synne and cares colde Line 347 Al this thyng. she vn-to Tiburce tolde And after this / Tiburce in good entente With Valerian / to Pope Vrban he wente Line 350

(51)

[qui. scilicet Vrbanus] That thanked god / and with glad herte and light Line 351 He cristned hym / and made hym in that place Parfit in his lernynge / goddes knyght And after this / Tiburce / gat swich grace Line 354 That euery day / he saugh in tyme and space The Aungel of god / and euery maner boone That he god axed // it was sped ful soone Line 357

[6-text p 540] Line 357

(52)

¶ It were ful hard / by ordre for to seyn [folio 194a] How manye wondres / Ihesus for hem wroghte But atte laste / to tellen short and pleyn The sergeantz / of the toun of Rome hem soghte Line 361 And hem / biforn Almache the Prefect broghte Which hem opposed / and knew al hire entente And to the ymage / of Iuppiter hem sente Line 364

(53)

And seyde / who so wol nat sacrifise Line 365 Swape of his heed / this my sentence heer Anon thise martirs þat I yow deuyse Oon Maximus / that was an Officer Line 368 Of the Prefectes / and his Corniculer Hem hente / and whan he forth the Seintes ladde Hym self he weepe / for pitee that he hadde Line 371

(54)

Whan Maximus / had herd the Seintes loore Line 372 He gat hym / of the tormentours leue And ladde hem to his hous / with-oute moore And with hir prechyng er that it were eue Line 375 They gonnen / fro the tormentours to reue And fro Maxime / and fro his folk echone The false feith / to trowe in god allone Line 378

(55)

¶ Cecile cam / whan it was woxen nyght Line 379 With preestes / that hem cristned alle yfeere And afterward / whan day was woxen light Cecile hem seyde / with a ful stedefast cheere Line 382 Now Cristes owene knyghtes / leeue and deere Cast alle awey / the werkes of derknesse And Armeth yow / in Armure of brightnesse Line 385

[6-text p 541] Line 385

(56)

Ye han for sothe / ydoon a greet bataille Line 386 Youre cours is doon / youre feith han ye conserued Gooth to the corone of lif that may nat faille The rightful Iuge / which þat ye han serued Line 389 Shal yeue it yow / as ye han it deserued And whan this thyng was seyd / as I deuyse Men ledde hem forth / to doon the sacrefise Line 392

(57)

But whan they weren / to the place broght Line 393 To tellen shortly / the conclusioun They nolde encense / ne sacrifise right noght But on hir knees / they setten hem adoun Line 396 With humble herte / and sad deuocioun And losten / bothe hir heuedes in the place Hir soules wenten / to the kyng of grace Line 399

(58)

This Maximus / that saugh this thyng bityde [folio 194b] With pitous teeris / tolde it anon right That he hir soules / saugh to heuene glyde With Aungels / ful of cleernesse and of light Line 403 And with this word / conuerted many a wight ffor which Almachius / dide hym so bete With whippe of leed / til he the lif gan lete Line 406

(59)

¶ Cecile hym toook/ and buryed hym anon Line 407 By Tiburce / and Valerian softely With-Inne hire buriyng place vnder the stoon And after this / Almachius hastily Line 410 Bad hise Ministres / fecchen openly Cecile / so that she myghte in his presence Doon sacrifice / and Iuppiter encense Line 413

[6-text p 542] Line 413

(60)

[.scilicet Ministres] But they conuerted / at hir wise loore Line 414 Wepten ful soore / and yauen ful credence Vn-to hire word/ and cryden moore and moore Crist goddes sone / with-outen difference Line 417 Is verray god / this is oure sentence That hath so good a seruant/ hym to serue This with o voys / we trowen / thogh we sterue Line 420

(61)

¶ Almachius / that herde of this doynge Line 421 Bad fecchen Cecile / that he myghte hire see And alderfirst. lo this was his axynge What maner womman / artow quod he? Line 424 I am a gentil womman born quod she I axe thee quod he / though it thee greeue Of thy Religion / and of thy bileeue Line 427

(62)

¶ Ye han bigonne / youre question folily Line 428 Quod she / that wolden two answeres conclude In o demande / ye axed lewedly Almache answerde / vn-to that similitude Line 431 Of whennes comth / thyn answeryng so rude? Of whennes quod she /? whan þat she was freyned Of Conscience / and of good feith vnfeyned Line 434

(63)

¶ Almachius seyde / ne takestow noon heede Line 435 Of my power / and she answerde hym Youre myght quod she / ful litel is to dreede ffor euery / mortal / mannes power nys Line 438 But lyke a bladdre / ful of wynd ywys ffor with a nedles poynt whan it is blowe May al the boost of it be leyd ful lowe Line 441

[6-text p 543] Line 441

(64)

¶ fful wrongfully / bigonne thow quod he [folio 195a] And yet in wrong is thy perseuerance Wostow nat how oure myghty princes free Han thus comanded / and maad ordinance Line 445 That euery cristen wight shal han penance But if that he / his cristendom withseye And goon al quit. if he wole it reneye Line 448

(65)

¶ Yowre princes erren / as youre nobleye dooth Line 449 Quod tho Cecile / and with a wood sentence Ye make vs gilty / and [it] is nat sooth ffor ye / that knowen wel oure Innocence Line 452 ffor as muche / as we doon a reuerence To crist and for we bere a cristen name Ye putte on vs / a cryme / and eek a blame Line 455

(66)

But we that knowen / thilke name so Line 456 ffor vertuous / we may it nat withseye Almache answerde / chees oon of thise two Do sacrifice / or cristendom reneye Line 459 That thou mowe now / escapen by that weye At which / the hooly blisful faire mayde Gan for to laughe / and to the Iuge sayde Line 462

(67)

¶ O Iuge / confus in thy nycetee Line 463 Woltow / that I reneye Innocence To make me / a wikked wight quod she Lo / he dissymuleth heere / in Audience Line 466 He stareth / and he woodeth in his Aduertence To whom Almachius / vnsely wrecche Ne woostow nat how far my myght may strecche Line 469

[6-text p 544] Line 469

(68)

Han noght oure myghty princes / to me yeuen Line 470 Ye bothe power / and Auctoritee To maken folk/ to dyen or to lyuen Why spekestow / so proudly thanne to me Line 473 I speke noght / but stedfastly quod she Nat proudly / for I speke as for my syde We naten deedly / thilke vice of pryde Line 476

(69)

[.i. audire] And if thou drede nat a sooth to heere Line 477 Thanne wol I shewe / al openly by right [hic] That thou hast maad / a ful gret lesyng heere Thou seyst thy Princes / han thee yeuen myght Line 480 Bothe for to sleen / and for to quyken a wight Thou that ne mayst but oonly lyf bireue Thou hast noon oother power ne no leue Line 483

(70)

But thou mayst seyn / thy princes han thee maked [folio 195b] Ministre of deeth / for if thou speke of mo Thou lyest for thy power is ful naked Do wey thy booldnesse / seyde Almachius tho Line 487 And sacrifie to oure goddes er thou go I recche nat what wrong þat thou me profre ffor I can suffre it / as a Philosophre. Line 490

(71)

¶ But thilke wronges / may I nat endure Line 491 That thou spekest of oure goddes heere quod he Cecile answerde / o nyce creature Thou seydest no word / syn thou spak to me Line 494 That I ne knew ther with / thy nycetee And that thou were / in euery maner wise A lewed Officer / and a veyn Iustise Line 497

[6-text p 545] Line 497

(72)

[exterioribus oculis] Ther lakketh no thyng. to thyne outter eyen Line 498 That thou nart blynd / for thyng þat we seen alle That it is stoon / þat men may wel espyen That ilke stoon / a god thow wolt it calle Line 501 I rede thee / lat thyn hand vp on it falle And taste it wel / and stoon thou shalt it fynde Syn that thou seest nat with thyne eyen blynde Line 504

(73)

It is a shame / that the peple shal Line 505 So scorne thee / and laughe at thy folye ffor communly / men woot it wel oueral That myghty god / is in hise heuenes hye Line 508 And thise ymages / wel thou mayst espye To thee / ne to hem self ne mowen noght profite ffor in effect they been nat worth a myte Line 511

(74)

¶ Thise wordes / and swiche othere seyde she Line 512 And he weex wrooth / and bad men sholde hir lede Hom til hir house / and in hire hous quod he Brenne hire / right in a bath of flambes rede Line 515 And as he bad / right so was doon in dede ffor in a Bath / they gonne hire faste shetten And nyght and day / greet fyre they vnder betten Line 518

(75)

¶ The longe nyght / and eek a day also Line 519 ffor al the fyr / and eek the bathes heete She sat al coold / and feeled no wo It made hire / nat a drope for to sweete Line 522 But in that Bath / hir lyf she moste lete ffor he Almachius / with a ful wikke entente To sleen hire in the Bath his sonde sente Line 525

[6-text p 546] Line 525

(76)

Thre strokes in the nekke / he smoot hire tho [folio 196a] The tormentour / but for no maner chaunce He myghte noght smyte / al hir nekke atwo And for ther was / that tyme an ordinaunce Line 529 That no man / sholde doon men swich penaunce The ferthe strook/ to smyten softe or soore This tormentour / ne dorste do namoore Line 532

(77)

But half deed / with hir nekke ycoruen there Line 533 He lefte hir lye / and on his wey he went The cristen folk / which that aboute hire were With sheetes / han the blood / ful faire yhent Line 536 Thre dayes lyued she / in this torment And neuere cessed / hem the feith to teche That she hadde fostred / hem she gan to preche Line 539

(78)

And hem she yaf / hir moebles / and hir thyng Line 540 And to the Pope Vrban / bitook hem tho And seyde / I axed this at heuene kyng To han respit. thre dayes and namo Line 543 To recomende to yow / er that I go Thise soules lo / and þat I myghte do werche Heere of myn hous / perpetuelly a cherche Line 546

(79)

¶ Seint Vrban / with hise deknes priuely Line 547 This body fette / and buryed it by nyghte Among hise othere seintes / honestly Hir hous / the chirche of seinte Cecilie highte Line 550 Seint Vrban halwed it / as he wel myghte In which / in to this day / in noble wyse Men doon to Crist. and to his seinte seruyse Line 553

¶ Heere is ended / the Seconde Nonnes tale .