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

GROUP G. FRAGMENT VIII.

§ 1. THE SECOND NUN'S TALE.

HENGWRT MS.

[THE PROEM.]

The Nonne;, [folio 165b] [[head-line]]

(1)

THe Ministre / and the norice vn to vices Line 1 Which that men clepeth in englissh ydelnesse That porter at the gate is / of delices To eschuen / and by hir contrarie hire oppresse Line 4 That is to seyn / by leueful bisynesse Wel oghte we / to doon al oure entente Lest that the feend / thurgh ydelnesse vs hente Line 7

(2)

¶ ffor he / that with his thousand cordes slye Line 8 Continuelly / vs wayteth to biclappe Whan he may man / in ydelnesse espye He kan so lightly / cacche hym in his trappe Line 11 Til that a man / be hent right by the lappe He nys nat war / the feend hath hym in honde Wel oghte vs werche / and ydelnesse withstonde Line 14

(3)

¶ And thogh men dradden / neuere for to dye Line 15 Yet seen men wel / by reson doutelees That ydelnesse / is roten slogardye Of which ther neuere comth / no good nencrees Line 18 And seen that Slouthe / hir holdeth in a lees Oonly for to slepe / and ete and drynken And to deuouren / al that othere swynken Line 21

[6-text p 528] Line 21

(4)

¶ And for to putte vs / from swich ydelnesse Line 22 That cause is / of so greet confusion I haue here doon / my feithful bisynesse After the legende / in translacion Line 25 Right of thy glorious lyf/ and passion Thow with thy gerland / wroght of rose & lilie Thee mene I / mayde and martir Seinte Cecilie Line 28

(5)

And thow / that flour of virgines art alle [Inuocacio ad mariam.] Of whom that Bernard / list so wel to write To thee / at my bigynnyng I first calle Thow confort of vs wrecches / do mendite Line 32 Thy maydens deeth / that wan thurgh hir merite The eternal lyf/ and of the feend victorie As man may after / reden in hir Storie Line 35

(6)

¶ Thow mayde and moder / doghter of thy sone [folio 166a] Thow welle of mercy / synful soules cure In whom that god / for bountee chees to wone Thow humble and heigh / ouer euery creature Line 39 Thow nobledest so ferforth oure nature That no desdaign / the makere hadde of kynde His sone / in blood & flessh / to clothe & wynde Line 42

(7)

¶ With Inne the Cloistre blisful / of thy sydis Line 43 Took mannes shape / the eternal loue and pees That of the tryne compas / lord and gyde is Whom erthe and see / and heuene out of relees Line 46 Ay heryen / and thow virgyne wemmeles Bar of thy body / and dweltest mayde pure The creatour / of euery creature Line 49

[6-text p 529] Line 49

(8)

Assembled is in thee Magnificence Line 50 With mercy / goodnesse / and swich pitee That thow that art the sonne of excellence Nat oonly / helpest hem þat prayen thee Line 53 But ofte tyme / of thy benygnytee fful frely / er that men / thyn helpe biseche Thow goost biforn / and art hir lyues leche Line 56

(9)

Now help thow meke / and blisful faire mayde Line 57 Me flemed wrecche / in this desert of galle Thynk on the womman Cananee / that sayde That whelpes eten / somme of the crommes alle Line 60 That from hir lordes table / been yfalle And thogh that I / vnworthy sone of Eue Be synful / yet accepte my bileue Line 63

(10)

¶ And for that feith is deed / with outen werkis Line 64 So for to werken / yif me wit and space That I be quyt/ from thennes / that moost derk is O thow / that art so fair / and ful of grace Line 67 Be myn Aduocate / in that heighe place Ther as with outen ende / is songe Osanne Thow cristes moder / doghter deere of Anne Line 70

(11)

[ [Rats.] [folio 166b] An]d of thy light my soule in prison lighte That troubled is / by the contagion Of my body / and also by the wighte Of erthely lust and fals affeccion Line 74 O. hauene / o. refut o. sauacion Of hem / that been in sorwe and in distresse Now help / for to my werk I wol me dresse Line 77

[6-text p 530] Line 77

(12)

¶ Yet praye ich yow / þat reden that I write Line 78 fforyeue me / that I do no diligence This ilke storie / subtilly tendite ffor bothe haue I / the wordes and sentence Line 81 Of hym / that at the Seintes reuerence The storie wroot and folwen hir legende And pray yow / that ye wol my werk amende Line 84

(13) [THE TALE.]

First wolde I yow / the name of Seinte Cecilie [Interpretacio nominis Cecilie quam ponit fra|ter lacobus· Ia|nuensis in le|genda. aurea.] Expowne / as men may in hir storie se It is to seyn on englissh / heuenes lilie ffor pure chastnesse / of virginitee Line 88 Or for she whitnesse hadde of honestee And grene of conscience / and of good fame The swote sauour lilie / was hir name Line 91

(14)

¶ Or Cecile is to seyn / the wey to blynde Line 92 ffor she ensample was / by good techynge Or ellis Cecile / as I writen fynde Is ioyned / by a manere conioignynge Line 95 Of heuene / and lia / and here in figurynge The heuene is set for thoght of holynesse And lia / for hir lastynge bisynesse Line 98

(15)

¶ Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere Line 99 Wantynge of blyndnesse / for hir grete light Of Sapience / and for hir thewes clere Or ellis lo / this maydenes name bright Line 102 Of heuene and leos comth / for which by right Men myghte hire wel / the heuene of peple calle Ensample of goode / and wise werkes alle Line 105

[6-text p 531] Line 105

(16)

¶ For leos / peple in englissh is to seye [folio 167a] And right as men may / in the heuene see The sonne and moone / and sterres euery weye Right so men goostly / in this mayden free Line 109 Sayen / of feith / the magnanymytee And eek the cleernesse hool of Sapience And sondry werkes / brighte of excellence Line 112

(17)

¶ And right so / as thise Philosophres write Line 113 That heuene is swift and round / & eek brennynge Right so / was faire Cecile the white fful swift and bisy / euere in good werkynge Line 116 And round & hool / in good perseuerynge And brennyng/ euere in charite / ful brighte Now haue I yow declared / what she highte Line 119

(18)

This mayde bright Cecilie / as hir lyf seith [Cecilia virgo clarissima.] Was come of Romayns / and of noble kynde [¶ gregorius in registro [Epist.] libro .10. Ad Eulogium patriarcham scribit/. Indicamus prætere[a] quia grauem hic interpretum difficultatem patimur/ dum enim non sunt qui sensum de sensu exprimant/ set transferre semper verborum proprietatem volunt omnem ductorum sensum confundunt/ &cetera. [Mignè, Patro|logia, vol. 77, col. 1099.]] And from hir Cradel / vp fostred in the feith Of crist and baar his gospel in hir mynde Line 123 She neuere cessed / as I writen fynde Of hir prayere / and god to loue and drede Bisekyng hym / to kepe hir maydenhede Line 126

(19)

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

[6-text p 532] Line 133

(20)

¶ And whil that the Organs / maden melodie Line 134 To god allone / in hir herte / thus soong she O·lord my soule / and eek my body gye Vnwemmed / lest that I confounded be Line 137 And for his loue / that deyde vp on the tree Euery seconde / and thridde day she faste Ay biddyng in hir orisons ful faste Line 140

(21)

[ [Rats.] [folio 167b] Th]e nyght cam / and to bedde moste she gon With hire housbonde / as ofte is the manere And priuely / to hym she seyde anon O swete / 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 it nat biwreye Line 147

(22)

¶ Valerian gan faste / vn to hir swere Line 148 That for no cas / ne thyng þat myghte be He sholde neuere mo biwreyen here And thanne at erst/ to hym seyde she Line 151 I haue an Aungel / which that loueth me That with gret loue / wher so I wake or slepe Is redy ay / my body for to kepe Line 154

(23)

¶ And if that he / may feelen out of drede Line 155 That ye me touche / or loue in vileynye He right anon / wol sleen yow with the dede And in youre youthe / thus ye shullen dye Line 158 And if that ye / in clene loue me gye He wol yow loue as me / for youre clennesse And shewe to yow / his ioye and his brightnesse Line 161

[6-text p 533] Line 161

(24)

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

(25)

¶ Cecile answerde / right in this wise Line 169 If that yow list the Aungel shal ye se So that ye trowe on crist and yow baptise Goth forth to Via Apia. quod she Line 172 That fro this town / ne stant but Milys thre And to the poure folkes / that ther dwellen Sey hem right thus / as that I shal yow tellen Line 175

(26)

¶ Telle hem / that I Cecile / yow to hem sente [folio 168a] To shewen yow / the goode Vrban the olde ffor secree nedes / and for good entente And whan that ye / Seint Vrban han biholde Line 179 Telle hym the wordes / whiche I to yow tolde And whan that he / hath purged you fro synne Thanne shal ye seen that Aungel / er we twynne Line 182

(27)

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

[6-text p 534] Line 189

(28)

¶ The teerys from hise eyen / leet he falle Line 190 Almyghty lord / o Ihesu crist quod he Sowere of chaast conseil / hierde of vs alle The fruyt of thilke seed / of chastitee Line 193 That thow hast sowe in Cecilie / taak to thee Lo lyk a bisy bee / with outen gyle Thee serueth ay / thyn owne thral Cecile Line 196

(29)

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

(30)

¶ Valerian as deed / fil doun for drede Line 204 Whan he hym say / and he vp hente hym tho And on his book right thus he gan to rede O. lord / o. feith / o. god with oute mo Line 207 O. cristendom / and fader of alle also Abouen alle / and oueral euery where Thise wordes / al with gold ywriten were Line 210

(31)

[ [Rats.] [folio 168b] W]han this was rad / thanne seyde this olde man Leuestow this thyng or no / sey ye / or nay I leue al this thyng quod Valerian ffor sother 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 [[blotted out]] Vrban / hym cristned right there

[6-text p 535]

(32)

¶ Valerian goth hom / and fynt Cecilie Line 218 In with his chambre / with an Aungel stonde This Aungel hadde / of Roses and of lilie Corones two / the whiche 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 quod he ffro Paradys / to yow / haue I hem broght Ne neuere mo / ne shal they roten be Line 228 Ne lese hir swote 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 Line 232 Assentedest to good conseil also Sey what thee list and thow 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 Aungel 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 þat 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 yere [folio 169a] Whennes / that swote sauour / cometh so Of Rose and lilies / that I smelle heere ffor thogh I hadde hem / in myne handes two Line 249 The sauour myghte in me / no depper go The swete smel / that 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 / þat shynen clere Which þat thyne eyen / han no myght to se And as thow smellest hem / thurgh my prayere Line 256 So shaltow seen hem / leue brother deere If it so be / thow wolt/ with outen slouthe Bileue aright and knowen verray trouthe Line 259

(38)

¶ Tiburce answerde / seystow 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 ywys Line 263 But now at erst/ in trouthe oure dwellyng is How wostow this quod Tiburce / in what wyse Quod Valerian / that shal I thee deuyse Line 266

(39)

¶ The Aungel of god / hath me the trouthe ytaught Line 267 Which thow shalt seen / if that thow wolt reneye The ydoles / and be clene / and ellis 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 it and seith in this manere Line 273

[6-text p 537] Line 273

(40)

¶ The palme of martirdom / for to receyue Line 274 Seinte Cecile / fulfild of goddes yifte The world / and eek hir chambre gan she weyue Witnesse Tiburces / and Cecilies shrifte Line 277 To whiche / god of his bountee wolde shifte Corones two / of floures wel smellynge And made his Aungel / hem the corones brynge Line 280

(41)

[ [Rats.] [folio 169b] Th]e mayde hath broght men / to blisse aboue 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 dowmbe / and ther to they been deue And charged hym / hise ydoles for to leue Line 287

(42)

¶ Who so þat troweth nat this / a beest he is Line 288 Quod tho Tiburce / if that 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 allie / heere take I thee Syn that thow wolt/ thyne ydoles despise Line 298 Go with thy brother now / and thee baptise And make thee clene / so þat thow mowe biholde The Aungeles face / of which thy brother tolde Line 301

[6-text p 538] Line 301

(44)

¶ Tiburce answerde / and seyde brother deere Line 302 ffirst tel me whider that I shal / and to what man To whom quod he / com forth with right good cheere I wol thee lede / vn to the pope [[pope blotted out, and Bissop written over it.]] Vrban 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 & 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 diuinytee [folio 170a] That is yhyd / in heuene priuely 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 thys were lyuyng oonly / and noon oother Line 322

(47)

¶ But ther is bettre lyf / 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 thynges wroght Line 326 And al that wroght is / with a skilful thoght The goost that fro the fader / gan procede Hath souled hem / with outen any drede Line 329

[6-text p 539] Line 329

(48)

¶ By word and by myracle / he 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 sothfastnesse And now of thre / how maystow bere witnesse Line 336

(49)

¶ That shal I telle quod she / er I go Line 337 Right as a man / hath sapiences thre Memorie / engyn / and intellect also So in o beynge / of diuinytee Line 340 Thre persones / may ther right wel be Tho gan she hym / ful bisily to preche Of cristes come / and of his peynes teche Line 343

(50)

¶ And manye 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 [[pope blotted out, and byssop written over it.]] Vrban he wente

(51)

[ [Rats.] Th]at thanked [vrbanus] god / and with glad herte and light He cristned hym / and made hym in that place Parfit in his lernyng goddes knyght And after this / Tiburce gat swich grace Line 354 That euery day / he say 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 Line 358 How many wondres / Ihesus for hem wroghte But at the laste / to tellen short/ and pleyn The sergeantz / of the town of Rome hem soghte Line 361 And hem biforn Almache / the Prefect broghte Which hem opposed / and knew al hir entente And to the ymage of Iubiter / hem sente Line 364

(53)

¶ And seyde / who so wol nat sacrifise Line 365 Swape of his heed / this is my sentence heer Anon thise martirs / that 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 weep / for pitee that he hadde Line 371

(54)

¶ Whan Maximus / hadde 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 hym seyde / with a ful stedefast cheere Line 382 Now cristes owene knygntes / leue and deere Cast al 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 [folio 171a] Youre cours is doon / youre feith han ye conserued Goth to the corone of lyf/ that may nat faille The rightful Iuge / which that ye han serued Line 389 Shal yeue it yow / as ye han it disserued And whan this thyng was seyd / as I deuyse Men ledde hem forth / to doon the sacrifise Line 392

(57)

¶ But whan they weren / to the place broght Line 393 To tellen shortly / the conclusioun They nolde encense / ne sacrifice 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 say this thyng bityde Line 400 With pitous teerys / tolde it anon right That he hir soules / saugh to heuene glyde With Aungeles / ful of cleernesse / and of light Line 403 And with his word / conuerted many a wight ffor which Almachius / dide hym so bete With whippe of leed / til he his lyf gan lete Line 406

(59)

¶ Cecile hym took / and buryed hym anon Line 407 By Tiburce and Valerian softely With Inne hir buryyng place / vnder the stoon And after this / Almachius hastily Line 410 Bad hise Ministres / fecchen openly Cecilie / so þat she myghte in his presence Doon sacrifice / and Iubiter encense Line 413

[6-text p 542] Line 413

(60)

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

(61)

[ [Rats.] [folio 171b] Alm]achius / that herde of this doynge Bad fecchen Cecilie / that he myghte hir se 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 / thogh it the greue Of thy religion / and of thy bileue Line 427

(62)

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

(63)

¶ Almachius seyde / ne takestow noon hede Line 435 Of my power / and she answerde hym / this Youre myght quod she / ful litel is to drede ffor euery / mortal mannes power nys Line 438 But lyk a bladdre / ful of wynd ywis ffor with a nedles point 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 Line 442 And yet in wrong is al 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 quyt if he wol it reneye Line 448

(65)

¶ Youre Prynces erren / as youre nobleye dooth Line 449 Quod tho Cecile / and with a wood sentence Ye make vs gilty / and is nat sooth ffor ye þat 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 / & eek a blame· Line 455

(66)

¶ But we that knowen / thilke name so [folio 172a] ffor vertuous / we may it nat withseye Almache answerde / chees oon of thise two Do sacrifice / or cristendom reneye Line 459 That thow mowe now / escapen by that weye At which / this holy / blisful faire mayde Gan for to laughe / and to the Iuge she sayde Line 462

(67)

¶ O Iuge confus / in thy nycetee Line 463 Wiltow / that I reneye Innocence To maken me / a wikked wight quod she Lo / he dissimuleth heere in audience Line 466 He stareth and woodeth / in his aduertence To whom Almachius / vnsely wrecche Ne wostow nat how fer 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 prowdly / thanne to me Line 473 I speke noght but stedefastly quod she Nat proudly / for I seye / as for my syde We haten dedly / thilke vice of pryde Line 476

(69)

¶ And if thow drede nat a sooth to here [audire] Line 477 Thanne wol I shewe / al openly by right That thow hast maad / a ful greet lesyng here [hic] Thow seist thy princes / han thee yeuen myght Line 480 Bothe for to sleen / and for to quyken a wight Thow that ne mayst but oonly lyf byreue Thow hast noon oother power / ne no leue Line 483

(70)

¶ But thow mayst seyn / thy princes han thee maked Line 484 Ministre of deeth / for if thow speke of me Thow lyest for thy power is ful naked Do wey thy boldnesse / seyde Almachius tho Line 487 And sacrifice / to oure goddes / er thow go I recche nat what wrong that thow me profre ffor I kan suffre it/ as a Philosophre Line 490

(71)

[But [Rats.] [folio 172b] ] thilke wronges / may I nat endure [ [Rats.] T]hat thow spekest of oure goddes here quod he Cecilie answerde / o nyce creature Thow seydest no word / syn thow spak to me Line 494 That I ne knew ther-with thy nycetee And that thow were / in euery maner wise A lewed Officer / a veyn Iustise Line 497

[6-text p 545] Line 497

(72)

¶ Ther lakketh no thyng to thyne outter eyen [exterioribus oculis] Line 498 That thow nart blynd / for thyng þat we seen alle That is a stoon / that men may wel espien 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 thow shalt it fynde Syn that thow seest nat / with thyne eyen blynde Line 504

(73)

¶ It is a shame / that the peple shal Line 505 So scornen thee / and laughe at thy folye ffor comenly / men woot it wel ouer al That myghty god / is in hise heuenes hye Line 508 And thise ymages / wel thow mayst espye To thee / ne to hem self / mowe noght profite ffor in effect they be nat worth a myte Line 511

(74)

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

(75)

¶ The longe nyght and eek a day also Line 519 ffor al the fyr / and eek the Bathes hete She sat al coold / and feeled no wo It made hir nat o drope for to swete 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 173a] 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 man 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 whiche þat aboute hire were With shetes / 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 [[Pope croet out, and byssop written over it.]] Vrban / bitook hem tho And seyde / I axed þis of heuene kyng To han respit thre dayes / and namo Line 543 To recommende to yow / er that I go Thise soules / lo / and þat I myghte do werche Here of myn hous / perpetuelly a cherche Line 546

(79)

¶ Seint Vrban / with hise deknes pryuely Line 547 The 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

¶ Here is ended / the Nonnes tale.