The Cambridge ms (University library, Gg. 4.27) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[THE TALE.]

There was a Chylde in a grete cite Amonge crysten folke in þe Iewrye Susteyned by a lord of þat countre ffor foule vsurye and lucre of vlanye Line 1681 þat felle to Cryste and to hys companye And þorouȝe þe streete men myȝt ryde & wende ffor hyt was fre and open at eyþere ende Line 1684

Plyte scoole of crysten folke þere stoode Doun atte fyrthere ende in whiche þere were Chyldren an heepe comen of crysten bloode þat lerned in þat scole yere by ȝeere Line 1688 Suche manere doctryne as men vsyd þere Thys ys to say to synge and to rede As smale Chyldren do in hir Chylde-heede Line 1691

Amonge þese children was a wydowe sone A lytel Clerygion seuen yeere of age þat day by day to scole was hys wone And also eke where as he saw þe ymage [Sloane MS 1685 folio 199a] Line 1695 Of crystes modere hade he in vsage As hym was tauȝte to knele a-doun & say hys Aue marie as he goth by þe way Line 1698

[6-text p 184] Line 1698

Thus hathe þis wydowe hir litel Child tauȝt [[Sloane MS 1685.]] Oure blysfull lady Crystes modir dere To worshipe ay and he for-yate hit nouȝt ffor sely Chylde wylle al day sone lere Line 1702 But ay when I remembre me of þis matere Seynt Nicholace stonte euere in my presence ffor he so yonge to Crist dyd reuerence Line 1705

Thys Child his lytel booke lernynge As he sat in þe scole at hys primere he alma redemptoris mater herd synge As Children lernyd hir antephonere Line 1709 As · as he durste he drowe hym nere & nere And herkened ay þe wordes & þe noote Tylle he þe fyrste verse coude by roote Line 1712

Not what þat latyne was to seye ffor he so yonge and tendre was of age But on a day hys felawe he gan preye To expoune hym þis songe in hys langeage Line 1716 Or tellen hym why þis songe was in vsage Thus prayde him to construe and declare ffulle ofte tymes . on his knees bare Line 1719

Hys felawe whiche was eldere þan he Answeryd hym þus . þis songe I herde seye was made of oure blesfulle lady fre here to salowe and eke hir to preye Line 1723 To bene oure helpe and our socour whan we deye I can no more expone in þis matere I lerne songe I can but lytel gramere Line 1726

And ys þis songe made in reuerence Of crystes moder sayd þis Innocent Now certes I wylle do my diligent To konne þis or crystemasse be went Line 1730

[6-text p 185] Line 1730 Thouȝe I for my prymer shalle be shent [Sloane MS 1685 folio 199b] And to be beten þryse on an oure I wolle yt konne oure lady to honoure Line 1733

Hys felawe tauȝte hym hamward pryuely ffro day to day til he coude yt by roote And þan he songe it wele and boldely ffro worde to worde accordynge with þe note Line 1737 Thrys on a day it passed þorouȝe hys þrote To scoleward and hamward whan he went On Crystes modir sett was hys entente Line 1740

¶ As I haue sayd þorouȝe oute þe Iewrie Thys Chylde as he came to & fro ffulle merely þan wolde he synge & crye O alma redemptoris mater euere mo Line 1744 The swetnesse hath hys hert percid so Of Crystes moder þat to hir to praye he can not stynte of syngynge by þe weie] [[Sloane extract ends.]]

Oure fyrste fo the serpent satirnas [Camb. MS] [folio 321a] That hath in Ieues herte his waspis nest Vp swal & seyde O ebraik peple allas Is this to yow a thyng that is honest Line 1751 That swich a boy schal walkyn as hym lest In ȝoure despyt & syngyn of swich centence Which is a-ȝens oure lawys reuerence Line 1754

ffrom thenys forth the Iewys han conspyred This innocent out of this world to chace An homycyde thereto han they heryd Rygh in an aley at a pryue place Line 1758 And as the child gan forth by-for to pace This cursede Iew hym hente & held hym faste And kitte his throte & in a pit hym caste Line 1761

[6-text p 186] Line 1761

I seye that in a warderope they hym threwe Where as these Iewys purgyn here entrayle O cursede folk of herodes al newe What may ȝoure euele entent ȝow a-vayle Line 1765 Mordere wele out certeyn it wele nat fayle And namely there as thonour of god schal sprede The blod out cryeth on youre cursede dede Line 1768

O martyr soudede to virginite Now mayst tow syngyn folwynge euere in on The whyte lamb celestial quod sche Of whiche the greete euangelyst seynt Iohn Line 1772 In pathmos wrot / which seyth that they that gon By-forn this lamb & synge a song al newe That neuere fleschely woman they ne knewe Line 1775

This pore widewe which that waytith al that nyȝt Aftyr hire lytyl chil[d] & he cam nouȝt ffor which as sone as it was dayis lyȝt With face pale of drede & busy thouȝt Line 1779 Sche hath at scole & elles were hym souȝt Tyl fynally sche gan so fer espye That he last seyn was in the Ieuerye Line 1782

With moderis pite in hire brest enclosed [folio 321b] Sche goth as sche were half out of hire mynde To eueriplace where as sche hath supposid Be liklyhede / hire litil child to fynde Line 1786 And euere on crystis modyr meke & kynde Sche cryede & at the laste thus sche wrouȝte Among the cursede Iewys sche hym soughte Line 1789

Sche askyth & sche fraynyth pitously Of euery Iue that dwelte in thilke place To telle hire of hire child wente out forth by They seydyn nay but Ihesu of his grace Line 1793

[6-text p 187] Line 1793 Yaf in hire thouȝt with inne a lytyl space That in that place aftyr hire sone sche cryede Where he was casten in a pit be-syde Line 1796

O greete god that parfornedist this laude By mouth of innocentis lo here thyn myght This gemme of chastite this emeroude And ek of martyredom the rubye bryȝt Line 1800 There he with throte I-korvyn lygh vp ryght He alma redemptoris gan to synge So loude that al the place gan to rynge Line 1803

The cristene folk that thurgh the strete wente In comyn for to wonderyn vp-on this thyng And hastyliche they for the prouost sente He cam a-non with-outyn taryeng Line 1807 And heryeth Crist that is of heuene kyng And his modyr honour of mankynde And aftyr that the Iewis leet he bynde Line 1810

This child with pitous lamentacioun Vp takyn was syngynge his song alwey And with honour of greet processyoun They caryen hym vn-to the nexte abbey Line 1814 His modyr swoūnynge by the beere lay Vnnethe mygh[t]e the puple that was there This newe Rachel bryngyn from the beere Line 1817

With turnement & with schameful deth echon [folio 322a] This prouost doth these Iewis for to sterue That of this mustere wiste & that a-noon He nolde non swich cursedenesse obserue Line 1821 Euele schal he haue that euele wele disserue Therefore with wilde hors he dede hem drawe And aftyr that he hyng hem by the lawe Line 1824

[6-text p 188] Line 1824

Vp-on this beere lyth ay this Innocent Byfore the highe auteer whil the masse laste And aftyr that the albot with his couent Han sped hem for to buryen hym ful faste Line 1828 And whan they holy watyr on hem caste Ȝit spak this child whan sprent was holy watyr And song . O alma redemptoris mater Line 1831

This Abbot which that was an holy man As monkys been or ellis oughten bee This yonge child to coniure he be-gan And seyde o deere child I halse the Line 1835 In vertu of the holy trynytee Telle me what is thyn cause for to synge Sithe that thyn throte is kit to myn lokynge Line 1838

Myn throte is kit vn-to myn nekke bon Seyde this child & as be woye of kynde I schulde a deyed ȝa longe tyme a-gon But Ihesu Crist as ȝe in bokys fynde Line 1842 Wele that his glorye laste & be in mynde And for the worschepe of his modyr deere Ȝit may I synge O Alma . loude & cleere Line 1845

This welle of mercy cristis modyr swete I louede alwey as aftyr myn cunnynge And whan that I myn lyf schulde for-lete To me sche cam & bad me for to synge Line 1849 This anteme verayly in myn deyinge As ȝe han herd & whan that I hadde sunge Me thouthe sche leyde a greyn vp-on myn tunge Line 1852

Wherfore I synge & synge mot certeyn [folio 322b] In honour of that blysful maydyn fre Tyl fro myn tunge I-takyn is the greyn And aftyr that thus seyde sche to me Line 1856

[6-text p 189] Line 1856 Myn lytyl child now wele I feche the Whan that the greyn is from thyn tunge take Be nat agast I wele þe nat for-sake Line 1859

This holy monk this abbot hym mene I His tunge out caughte & tok awey the greyn And he ȝaf vp the gost ful softely And whan this abbot hadde this wondyr seyn Line 1863 Hise salte teris trekelede doun as reyn And grof he fel al flat vn-to the grounde And stille he lay / as he hadde leyn I-bounde Line 1866

The Conuent ek lay on the pauement Wepynge & herynge Cristis modyr deere And aftyr that they ryse & forth been went And toke awey this martir from his beere Line 1870 And in a toumbe of marbilstonys cleere Enclosyn they this lytil body sweete There he is now god leue vs for to meete Line 1873

O yonge Hugh of Lyncoln slayn also With cursede Iewis as it is notable ffor it is but a lytil while I-go Preye ek for vs we synful folk vnstable Line 1877 That of his mercy god so merciable On vs his greete mercy multyplye ffor reuerence of his modyr marye / Amen Line 1880