The Canterbury tales

The Prioress' Tale

Ther was in asye, in a greet citee, Line 488 Amonges cristene folk, a jewerye, Line 489 Sustened by a lord of that contree Line 490 For foule usure and lucre of vileynye, Line 491 Hateful to crist and to his compaignye; Line 492 And thurgh the strete men myghte ride or wende, Line 493 For it was free and open at eyther ende. Line 494 A litel scole of cristen folk ther stood Line 495 Doun at the ferther ende, in which ther were Line 496 Children an heep, ycomen of cristen blood, Line 497 That lerned in that scole yeer by yere Line 498 Swich manere doctrine as men used there, Line 499 This is to seyn, to syngen and to rede, Line 500 As smale children doon in hire childhede. Line 501 Among thise children was a wydwes sone, Line 502 A litel clergeon, seven yeer of age, Line 503 That day by day to scole was his wone, Line 504 And eek also, where as he saugh th' ymage Line 505 Of cristes mooder, hadde he in usage, Line 506 As hym was taught, to knele adoun and seye Line 507 His ave marie, as he goth by the weye. Line 508 Thus hath this wydwe hir litel sone ytaught Line 509 Oure blisful lady, cristes mooder deere, Line 510

Line 510 To worshipe ay, and he forgat it naught, Line 511 For sely child wol alday soone leere. Line 512 But ay, whan I remembre on this mateere, Line 513 Seint nicholas stant evere in my presence, Line 514 For he so yong to crist dide reverence. Line 515 This litel child, his litel book lernynge, Line 516 As he sat in the scole at his prymer, Line 517 He alma redemptoris herde synge, Line 518 As children lerned hire antiphoner; Line 519 And as he dorste, he drough hym ner and ner, Line 520 And herkned ay the wordes and the noote, Line 521 Til he the firste vers koude al by rote. Line 522 Noght wiste he what this latyn was to seye, Line 523 For he so yong and tendre was of age. Line 524 But on a day his felawe gan he preye Line 525 T' expounden hym this song in his langage, Line 526 Or telle hym why this song was in usage; Line 527 This preyde he hym to construe and declare Line 528 Ful often tyme upon his knowes bare. Line 529 His felawe, which that elder was than he, Line 530 Answerde hym thus: this song, I have herd seye, Line 531 Was maked of our blisful lady free, Line 532 Hire to salue, and eek hire for to preye Line 533 Fo been oure help and socour whan we deye. Line 534 I kan namoore expounde in this mateere; Line 535 I lerne song, I kan but smal grammeere. Line 536 And is this song maked in reverence Line 537 Of cristes mooder? seyde this innocent. Line 538 Now, certes, I wol do my diligence Line 539 To konne it al er cristemasse be went. Line 540 Though that I for my prymer shal be shent, Line 541 And shall be beten thries in an houre, Line 542 I wol it konne oure lady for to honoure! Line 543 His felawe taughte hym homward prively, Line 544 For day to day, til he koude it by rote, Line 545 And thanne he song it wel and boldely, Line 546 Fro word to word, acordynge with the note. Line 547 Twies a day it passed thurgh his throte, Line 548 To scoleward and homward whan he wente; Line 549 On cristes mooder set was his entente. Line 550 As I have seyd, thurghout the juerie, Line 551 This litel child, as he cam to and fro, Line 552 Ful murily than wolde he synge and crie Line 553 O alma redemptoris everemo. Line 554 The swetnesse hath his herte perced so Line 555 Of cristes mooder that, to hire to preye, Line 556 He kan nat stynte of syngyng by the weye. Line 557 Oure firste foo, the serpent sathanas, Line 558 That hath in jues herte his waspes nest, Line 559 Up swal, and seide, o hebrayk peple, allas! Line 560 Is this to yow a thyng that is honest, Line 561 That swich a boy shal walken as hym lest Line 562 In youre despit, and synge of swich sentence, Line 563 Which is agayn youre lawes reverence? Line 564 Fro thennes forth the jues han conspired Line 565 This innocent out of this world to chace. Line 566 And homycide therto han they hyred, Line 567 That in an aleye hadde a privee place; Line 568 And as the child gan forby for to pace, Line 569 This cursed jew hym hente, and heeld hym faste, Line 570 And kitte his throute, and in a pit hym caste. Line 571 I seye that in a wardrobe they hym threwe Line 572 Where as thise jewes purgen hire entraille. Line 573 O cursed folk of herodes al newe, Line 574 What may youre yvel entente yow availle? Line 575 Mordre wol out, certeyn, it wol nat faille, Line 576 And namely ther th' onour of God shal sprede; Line 577 The blood out crieth on youre cursed dede. Line 578 O martir, sowded to virginitee, Line 579 Now maystow syngen, folwynge evere in oon Line 580 The white lamb celestial -- quod she -- Line 581 Of which the grete evaungelist, seint john, Line 582 In pathmos wroot, which seith that they that goon Line 583 Biforn this lamb, and synge a song al newe, Line 584 That nevere, flesshly, wommen they ne knewe. Line 585 This poure wydwe awaiteth al that nyght Line 586 After hir litel child, but he cam noght; Line 587 For which, as soone as it was dayes lyght, Line 588 With face pale of drede and bisy thoght, Line 589 She hath at scole and elleswhere hym soght, Line 590 Til finally she gan so fer espie Line 591 That he last seyn was in the juerie. Line 592 With moodres pitee in hir brest enclosed, Line 593 She gooth, as she were half out of hir mynde, Line 594 To every place where she hath supposed Line 595 By liklihede hir litel child to fynde; Line 596

Line 596 And evere on cristes mooder meeke and kynde Line 597 She cride, and atte laste thus she wroghte: Line 598 Among the cursed jues she hym soghte. Line 599 She frayneth and she preyeth pitously Line 600 To every jew that dwelte in thilke place, Line 601 To telle hire if hir child wente oght forby. Line 602 They seyde nay; but jhesu, of his grace, Line 603 Yaf in hir thoght, inwith a litel space, Line 604 That in that place after hir sone she cryde, Line 605 Where he was casten in a pit bisyde. Line 606 O grete god, that parfournest thy laude Line 607 By mouth of innocentz, lo, heere thy myght! Line 608 This gemme of chastite, this emeraude, Line 609 And eek of martirdom the ruby bright, Line 610 Ther he with throte ykorven lay upright, Line 611 He alma redemptoris gan to synge Line 612 So loude that al the place gan to rynge. Line 613 The cristene folk that thurgh the strete wente Line 614 In coomen for to wondre upon this thyng, Line 615 And hastily they for the provost sente; Line 616 He cam anon withouten tariyng, Line 617 And herieth crist that is of hevene kyng, Line 618 And eek his mooder, honour of mankynde, Line 619 And after that the jewes leet he bynde. Line 620 This child with pitous lamentacioun Line 621 Up taken was, syngynge his song alway, Line 622 And with honour of greet processioun Line 623 They carien hym unto the nexte abbay. Line 624 His mooder swownynge by the beere lay; Line 625 Unnethe myghte the peple that was theere Line 626 This newe rachel brynge fro his beere. Line 627 With torment and with shameful deeth echon Line 628 This provost dooth thise jewes for to sterve Line 629 That of this mordre wiste, and that anon. Line 630 He nolde no swich cursednesse observe. Line 631 Yvele shal have that yvele wol deserve; Line 632 Therfore with wilde hors he dide hem drawe, Line 633 And after that he heng hem by the lawe. Line 634 Upon this beere ay lith this innocent Line 635 Biforn the chief auter, whil masse laste; Line 636 And after that, the abbot with his covent Line 637 Han sped hem for to burien hym ful faste; Line 638 And whan they hooly water on hym caste, Line 639 Yet spak this child, whan spreynd was hooly water, Line 640 And song o alma redemptoris mater! Line 641 This abbot, which that was an hooly man, Line 642 As monkes been -- or elles oghte be -- Line 643 This yonge child to conjure he bigan, Line 644 And seyde, o deere child, I halse thee, Line 645 In vertu of the hooly trinitee, Line 646 Tel me what is thy cause for to synge, Line 647 Sith that thy throte is kut to my semynge? Line 648 My throte is kut unto my nekke boon, Line 649 Seyde this child, and, as by wey of kynde, Line 650 I sholde have dyed, ye, longe tyme agon. Line 651 But jesu crist, as ye in bookes fynde, Line 652 Wil that his glorie laste and be in mynde, Line 653 And for the worship of his mooder deere Line 654 Yet may I synge o alma loude and cleere. Line 655 This welle of mercy, cristes mooder sweete, Line 656 I loved alwey, as after my konnynge; Line 657 And whan that I my lyf sholde forlete, Line 658 To me she cam, and bad me for to synge Line 659 This anthem verraily in my deyynge, Line 660 As ye han herd, and whan that I hadde songe, Line 661 Me thoughte she leyde a greyn upon my tonge. Line 662 Wherfore I synge, and synge moot certeyn, Line 663 In honour of that blisful mayden free, Line 664 Til fro my tonge of taken is the greyn; Line 665 And after that thus seyde she to me; Line 666 -- My litel child, now wol I fecche thee, Line 667 Whan that the greyn is fro thy tonge ytake. Line 668 Be nat agast, I wol thee nat forsake. -- Line 669 This hooly monk, this abbot, hym meene I, Line 670 His tonge out caughte, and took awey the greyn, Line 671 And he yaf up the goost ful softely. Line 672 And whan this abbot hadde this wonder seyn, Line 673 His salte teeris trikled doun as reyn, Line 674 And gruf he fil al plat upon the grounde, Line 675 And stille he lay as he had ben ybounde. Line 676 The covent eek lay on the pavement Line 677 Wepynge, and herying cristes mooder deere, Line 678 And after that they ryse, and forth been went, Line 679 And tooken awey this martir from his beere; Line 680 And in a tombe of marbul stones cleere Line 681 Enclosen they his litel body sweete. Line 682 Ther he is now, God leve us for to meete! Line 683

Line 683 O yonge hugh of lyncoln, slayn also Line 684 With cursed jewes, as it is notable, Line 685 For it is but a litel while ago, Line 686 Preye eek for us, we synful folk unstable, Line 687 That, of his mercy, God so merciable Line 688 On us his grete mercy multiplie, Line 689 For reverence of his mooder marie. Amen Line 690