THe Ministre / and the norice vn to vices

Which that men clepeth in englissh ydelnesse

That porter at the gate is / of delices

To eschuen / and by hir contrarie hire oppresse

That is to seyn / by leueful bisynesse

Wel oghte we / to doon al oure entente

Lest that the feend / thurgh ydelnesse vs hente

¶ ffor he / that with his thousand cordes slye

Continuelly / vs wayteth to biclappe

Whan he may man / in ydelnesse espye

He kan so lightly / cacche hym in his trappe

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

¶ And thogh men dradden / neuere for to dye

Yet seen men wel / by reson doutelees

That ydelnesse / is roten slogardye

Of which ther neuere comth / no good nencrees

And seen that Slouthe / hir holdeth in a lees

Oonly for to slepe / and ete and drynken

And to deuouren / al that othere swynken Page  379 [6-text p 528]

¶ And for to putte vs / from swich ydelnesse

That cause is / of so greet confusion

I haue here doon / my feithful bisynesse

After the legende / in translacion

Right of thy glorious lyf/ and passion

Thow with thy gerland / wroght of rose & lilie

Thee mene I / mayde and martir Seinte Cecilie

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

Thy maydens deeth / that wan thurgh hir merite

The eternal lyf/ and of the feend victorie

As man may after / reden in hir Storie

¶ 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

Thow nobledest so ferforth oure nature

That no desdaign / the makere hadde of kynde

His sone / in blood & flessh / to clothe & wynde

¶ With Inne the Cloistre blisful / of thy sydis

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

Ay heryen / and thow virgyne wemmeles

Bar of thy body / and dweltest mayde pure

The creatour / of euery creature Page  380 [6-text p 529]

Assembled is in thee Magnificence

With mercy / goodnesse / and swich pitee

That thow that art the sonne of excellence

Nat oonly / helpest hem þat prayen thee

But ofte tyme / of thy benygnytee

fful frely / er that men / thyn helpe biseche

Thow goost biforn / and art hir lyues leche

Now help thow meke / and blisful faire mayde

Me flemed wrecche / in this desert of galle

Thynk on the womman Cananee / that sayde

That whelpes eten / somme of the crommes alle

That from hir lordes table / been yfalle

And thogh that I / vnworthy sone of Eue

Be synful / yet accepte my bileue

¶ And for that feith is deed / with outen werkis

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

Be myn Aduocate / in that heighe place

Ther as with outen ende / is songe Osanne

Thow cristes moder / doghter deere of Anne

[*. [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

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 Page  381 [6-text p 530]

¶ Yet praye ich yow / þat reden that I write

fforyeue me / that I do no diligence

This ilke storie / subtilly tendite

ffor bothe haue I / the wordes and sentence

Of hym / that at the Seintes reuerence

The storie wroot and folwen hir legende

And pray yow / that ye wol my werk amende

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

Or for she whitnesse hadde of honestee

And grene of conscience / and of good fame

The swote sauour lilie / was hir name

¶ Or Cecile is to seyn / the wey to blynde

ffor she ensample was / by good techynge

Or ellis Cecile / as I writen fynde

Is ioyned / by a manere conioignynge

Of heuene / and lia / and here in figurynge

The heuene is set for thoght of holynesse

And lia / for hir lastynge bisynesse

¶ Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere

Wantynge of blyndnesse / for hir grete light

Of Sapience / and for hir thewes clere

Or ellis lo / this maydenes name bright

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 Page  382 [6-text p 531]

¶ 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

Sayen / of feith / the magnanymytee

And eek the cleernesse hool of Sapience

And sondry werkes / brighte of excellence

¶ And right so / as thise Philosophres write

That heuene is swift and round / & eek brennynge

Right so / was faire Cecile the white

fful swift and bisy / euere in good werkynge

And round & hool / in good perseuerynge

And brennyng/ euere in charite / ful brighte

Now haue I yow declared / what she highte

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

She neuere cessed / as I writen fynde

Of hir prayere / and god to loue and drede

Bisekyng hym / to kepe hir maydenhede

¶ And whan this mayden sholde / vn til a man

Ywedded be / that was ful yong of age

Which that ycleped was Valerian

And day was comen / of hir mariage

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 Page  383 [6-text p 532]

¶ And whil that the Organs / maden melodie

To god allone / in hir herte / thus soong she

O·lord my soule / and eek my body gye

Vnwemmed / lest that I confounded be

And for his loue / that deyde vp on the tree

Euery seconde / and thridde day she faste

Ay biddyng in hir orisons ful faste

[*. [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

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

¶ Valerian gan faste / vn to hir swere

That for no cas / ne thyng þat myghte be

He sholde neuere mo biwreyen here

And thanne at erst/ to hym seyde she

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

¶ And if that he / may feelen out of drede

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

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 Page  384 [6-text p 533]

¶ This Valerian / corrected as god wolde

Answerde agayn / if I shal trusten thee

Lat me that Aungel seen / and hym biholde

And if that it/ a verray Aungel be

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

¶ Cecile answerde / right in this wise

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

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

¶ 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

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

¶ This Valerian / is to the place gon

And right as hym was taught by his lernynge

He foond / this holy olde Vrban anon

Among the Seintes buryels lotynge*. [.i. latitantem.]

And he anon / with outen tariynge

Dide his message / and whan that he it tolde

Vrban for ioye / hise handes gan vp holde Page  385 [6-text p 534]

¶ The teerys from hise eyen / leet he falle

Almyghty lord / o Ihesu crist quod he

Sowere of chaast conseil / hierde of vs alle

The fruyt of thilke seed / of chastitee

That thow hast sowe in Cecilie / taak to thee

Lo lyk a bisy bee / with outen gyle

Thee serueth ay / thyn owne thral Cecile

¶ ffor thilke spouse / that she took but now

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

An old man / clad in white clothes cleere

That hadde a book with lettre of gold in honde

And gan / biforn Valerian to stonde

¶ Valerian as deed / fil doun for drede

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

O. cristendom / and fader of alle also

Abouen alle / and oueral euery where

Thise wordes / al with gold ywriten were

[*. [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

Vnder the heuene / no wight thynke may

Tho vanysshed this olde man / he nyste where

And pope*. [[blotted out]] Vrban / hym cristned right there Page  386 [6-text p 535]

¶ Valerian goth hom / and fynt Cecilie

In with his chambre / with an Aungel stonde

This Aungel hadde / of Roses and of lilie

Corones two / the whiche he bar in honde

And first to Cecile / as I vnderstonde

He yaf that oon / and after gan he take

That oother / to Valerian hir make

¶ With body clene / and with vnwemmed thoght

Kepeth ay wel / thise corones quod he

ffro Paradys / to yow / haue I hem broght

Ne neuere mo / ne shal they roten be

Ne lese hir swote sauour / trusteth me

Ne neuere wight shal seen hem with his eye

But he be chaast / and hate vileynye

¶ And thow Valerian / for thow so soone

Assentedest to good conseil also

Sey what thee list and thow shalt han thy boone

I haue a brother / quod Valerian tho

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

¶ The Aungel seyde / god liketh thy requeste

And bothe / with the palm of martirdom

Ye shullen come / vn to his blisful feste

And with that word / Tiburce his brother coom

And whan that he / the sauour vndernoom

Which þat the Roses / and the lilies caste

With Inne his herte / he gan to wondre faste Page  387 [6-text p 536]

¶ 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

The sauour myghte in me / no depper go

The swete smel / that in myn herte I fynde

Hath chaunged me / al in another kynde

¶ Valerian seyde / two corones han we

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

So shaltow seen hem / leue brother deere

If it so be / thow wolt/ with outen slouthe

Bileue aright and knowen verray trouthe

¶ Tiburce answerde / seystow this to me

In soothnesse / or in dreem I herkne this

In dremes quod Valerian / han we be

Vn to this tyme / brother myn ywys

But now at erst/ in trouthe oure dwellyng is

How wostow this quod Tiburce / in what wyse

Quod Valerian / that shal I thee deuyse

¶ The Aungel of god / hath me the trouthe ytaught

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

Seint Ambrose / in his preface / list to seye

Solempnely / this noble doctour deere

Commendeth it and seith in this manere Page  388 [6-text p 537]

¶ The palme of martirdom / for to receyue

Seinte Cecile / fulfild of goddes yifte

The world / and eek hir chambre gan she weyue

Witnesse Tiburces / and Cecilies shrifte

To whiche / god of his bountee wolde shifte

Corones two / of floures wel smellynge

And made his Aungel / hem the corones brynge

[*. [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

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

¶ Who so þat troweth nat this / a beest he is

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

This day I take thee / for myn allye

Seyde this blisful / faire mayde deere

And after that she seyde as ye may heere

¶ Lo right so / as the loue of Crist quod she

Made me thy brotheres wyf / right in that wise

Anon for myn allie / heere take I thee

Syn that thow wolt/ thyne ydoles despise

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 Page  389 [6-text p 538]

¶ Tiburce answerde / and seyde brother deere

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

¶ Ne menestow nat Vrban / quod he tho

That is so ofte / dampned to be deed

And woneth in halkes / alwey to & fro

And dar nat ones / putte forth his heed

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

¶ 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

Men myghten dreden / wel and skilfully

This lyf to lese / myn owene deere brother

If thys were lyuyng oonly / and noon oother

¶ But ther is bettre lyf / in oother place

That neuere shal be lost ne drede thee noght

Which goddes sone / vs tolde thurgh his grace

That fadres sone / hath alle thynges wroght

And al that wroght is / with a skilful thoght

The goost that fro the fader / gan procede

Hath souled hem / with outen any drede Page  390 [6-text p 539]

¶ By word and by myracle / he goddes sone

Whan he was / in this world / declared heere

That ther was oother lyf / ther men may wone

To whom answerde Tiburce / o suster deere

Ne seydestow right now / in this manere

Ther nys but o god / lord in sothfastnesse

And now of thre / how maystow bere witnesse

¶ That shal I telle quod she / er I go

Right as a man / hath sapiences thre

Memorie / engyn / and intellect also

So in o beynge / of diuinytee

Thre persones / may ther right wel be

Tho gan she hym / ful bisily to preche

Of cristes come / and of his peynes teche

¶ And manye pointes / of his passion

How goddes sone / in this world was withholde

To doon mankynde / pleyn remission

That was ybounde / in synne / and cares colde

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

[*. [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

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 Page  391 [6-text p 540]

¶ It were ful hard / by ordre for to seyn

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

And hem biforn Almache / the Prefect broghte

Which hem opposed / and knew al hir entente

And to the ymage of Iubiter / hem sente

¶ And seyde / who so wol nat sacrifise

Swape of his heed / this is my sentence heer

Anon thise martirs / that I yow deuyse

Oon Maximus / that was an Officer

Of the Prefectes / and his Corniculer

Hem hente / and whan he forth the Seintes ladde

Hym self he weep / for pitee that he hadde

¶ Whan Maximus / hadde herd the Seintes loore

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

They gonnen / fro the tormentours to reue

And fro Maxime / and fro his folk echone

The false feith / to trowe in god allone

¶ Cecile cam / whan it was woxen nyght

With preestes / that hem cristned alle yfeere

And afterward / whan day was woxen light

Cecile hym seyde / with a ful stedefast cheere

Now cristes owene knygntes / leue and deere

Cast al awey / the werkes of derknesse

And armeth yow / in armure of brightnesse Page  392 [6-text p 541]

¶ 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

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

¶ But whan they weren / to the place broght

To tellen shortly / the conclusioun

They nolde encense / ne sacrifice right noght

But on hir knees / they setten hem adoun

With humble herte / and sad deuocioun

And losten / bothe hir heuedes / in the place

Hir soules wenten / to the kyng of grace

¶ This Maximus / that say this thyng bityde

With pitous teerys / tolde it anon right

That he hir soules / saugh to heuene glyde

With Aungeles / ful of cleernesse / and of light

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

¶ Cecile hym took / and buryed hym anon

By Tiburce and Valerian softely

With Inne hir buryyng place / vnder the stoon

And after this / Almachius hastily

Bad hise Ministres / fecchen openly

Cecilie / so þat she myghte in his presence

Doon sacrifice / and Iubiter encense Page  393 [6-text p 542]

¶ But they conuerted / at hir wise loore

Wepten ful sore / and yauen ful credence

Vn to hir word / and cryden moore & moore

Crist goddes sone / with outen difference

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

[*. [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

I am a gentil womman born / quod she

I axe thee quod he / thogh it the greue

Of thy religion / and of thy bileue

¶ Ye han bigonne / youre question folily

Quod she / that wolden two answeres conclude

In o demande / ye axed lewedly

Almachie answerde / vn to that similitude

Of whennes comth / thyn answeryng so rude

Of whennes quod she / whan that she was freyned

Of conscience / and of good feith vnfeyned

¶ Almachius seyde / ne takestow noon hede

Of my power / and she answerde hym / this

Youre myght quod she / ful litel is to drede

ffor euery / mortal mannes power nys

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 Page  394 [6-text p 543]

¶ fful wrongfully / bigonne thow quod he

And yet in wrong is al thy perseuerance

Wostow nat how / oure myghty princes free

Han thus comanded / and maad ordinance

That euery cristen wight shal han penance

But if that he / his cristendom withseye

And goon al quyt if he wol it reneye

¶ Youre Prynces erren / as youre nobleye dooth

Quod tho Cecile / and with a wood sentence

Ye make vs gilty / and is nat sooth

ffor ye þat knowen wel / oure Innocence

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·

¶ 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

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

¶ O Iuge confus / in thy nycetee

Wiltow / that I reneye Innocence

To maken me / a wikked wight quod she

Lo / he dissimuleth heere in audience

He stareth and woodeth / in his aduertence

To whom Almachius / vnsely wrecche

Ne wostow nat how fer my myght may strecche Page  395 [6-text p 544]

¶ Han noght oure myghty princes / to me yeuen

Ye bothe power / and auctoritee

To maken folk / to dyen or to lyuen

Why spekestow so prowdly / thanne to me

I speke noght but stedefastly quod she

Nat proudly / for I seye / as for my syde

We haten dedly / thilke vice of pryde

¶ And if thow drede nat a sooth to here*. [audire]

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

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

¶ But thow mayst seyn / thy princes han thee maked

Ministre of deeth / for if thow speke of me

Thow lyest for thy power is ful naked

Do wey thy boldnesse / seyde Almachius tho

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

[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

That I ne knew ther-with thy nycetee

And that thow were / in euery maner wise

A lewed Officer / a veyn Iustise Page  396 [6-text p 545]

¶ Ther lakketh no thyng to thyne outter eyen*. [exterioribus oculis]

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

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

¶ It is a shame / that the peple shal

So scornen thee / and laughe at thy folye

ffor comenly / men woot it wel ouer al

That myghty god / is in hise heuenes hye

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

¶ Thise / and swiche othere / seyde she

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

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

¶ The longe nyght and eek a day also

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

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 Page  397 [6-text p 546]

¶ 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

That no man / sholde doon man swich penaunce

The ferthe strook to smyten / softe or soore

This tormentour / ne dorste do namoore

¶ But half deed / with hir nekke ycoruen there

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

Thre dayes / lyued she in this torment

And neuere cessed / hem the feith to teche

That she hadde fostred / hem she gan to preche

¶ And hem she yaf / hir moebles / and hir thyng

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

To recommende to yow / er that I go

Thise soules / lo / and þat I myghte do werche

Here of myn hous / perpetuelly a cherche

¶ Seint Vrban / with hise deknes pryuely

The body fette / and buryed it by nyghte

Among hise othere Seintes honestly

Hir hous / the chirche of Seinte Cecilie highte

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.