[The Tale of the Midwife who christend a Child wrongly.]
Y shal ȝow telle of a mydwyfe, [A tale]
Þat loste a chylde, boþe soule & lyfe.
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he tolde hyt yn hys sermoun,
And ȝaue here ofte hys malysoun.
Þys mydwyfe, whan þe chylde was bore,
She helde hyt on here lappe before;
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And whan she sawe þat hyt shulde deye,
She bygan, loudë for to crye,
And seyd, "God and seynt Ione [folio 64a:2]
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Crysten þe chylde, boþe flesshe and bone."
[The next twelve lines, from O, are omitted in H.] Þys mydwyffe noghte ellës seyde, [[Bodl. MS.]]
And yn þe cherche-ȝerde þey wulde hyt haue leyde,
As a-nouþer chyld shuld ha be
Þat hade receyuede þe solempte.
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Þe prest askede þe mydwyffe,
'Ȝyfe hyt were cristenede whan hyt hade lyffe,
And who hyt cristened, and on what manere,
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And what was seyde, þat any myghte here.'
Þe mydwyffe seyde unto þe prest, [Margin, 'a note for mydwyffes.']
"Þys herde þey þat stode me nest,
'Þat God almyghty and Seynt Ioun
ȝyue þe chylde cristendom yn flesshe and boun."'
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Þan seyd þe preste, "God and seynt Iame [[Harl. MS.]]
Ȝyue þe boþe sorow and shame,
And Crystys malysun haue þou for-þy,
And alle þe ouþer þat were þe by!
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Yn euyl tymë were þou bore,
For yn þy defaute, a soule ys lore."
She was commaunded she shuld no more
Come eftesones þere chyldryn were bore.
Mydwyues, y tolde thys tale for ȝow,
