The Canterbury tales and Faerie queene &c., &c., &c., ed. for popular perusal with current illustrations and explanatory notes, by D. Laing Purves.

176 THE CANTERBURY TALES.
Almachius saide; " Takest thou no heed I recke not what wrong that thou me proffer,
Of my power?" and she him answer'd this; For I can suffer-it as a philos6pher.
"Your might," quoth she, "full little is to "But those wronges may I not endure,
dread; That thou speak'st of our goddes here," quoth
For every mortal manne's power is he.
But like a bladder full of wind, y-wis; 1 Cecile answer'd, " O nice 20 creatire,'
For with a needle's point, when it is blow', Thou saidest no word, since thou spake to me,
May all the boast of it be laid full low." That I knew not therewith thy nicety,21
"Full wrongfully begunnest thou," quoth he, And that thou wert in every manner wise 22
"And yet in wrong is thy perseverance. A lewed 23 officer, a vain justice.
Know'st thou not how our mighty princes free "There lacketh nothing to thine outward
Have thus commanded and made ordinance, eyen
That every Christian wight shall have penance,2 That thou art blind; for thing that we see all
But if that he his Christendom withsay,3 That it is stone, that men may well espyen,
And go all quit, if he will it renay?"4 That ilke 24 stone a god thou wilt it call.
" Your princes erren, as your nobley 5 doth," I rede 25 thee let thine hand upon it fall,
Quoth'then Cecile, "and with a woods sentence 7 And taste 26 it well, and stone thou shalt it find;
Ye make us guilty, and it is not sooth: 8 Since that thou see'st not with thine eyen
For ye that knowe well our innocence, blind.
Forasmuch as we do aye reverence "It is a shame that the people shall
To Christ, and for we bear a Christian name, So scorne thee, and laugh at thy folly;
Ye put on us a crime nd eke a blame. For commonly men wot it well over all,27
" But we that knowe thilke name so That mighty God is in his heaven high;
For virtuous, we may it not withsay." And these images, well may'st thou espy,
Almach answered, " Choose one of these two, To thee nor to themselves may not profite,
Do sacrifice, or Christendom renay, For in effect they be not worth a mite."
That thou may'st now escape by that way." These wordes and such others saide she,
At which the holy blissful faire maid And he wax'd wroth, and bade men should her
Gan for to laugh, and to the judg6 said; lead
"0 judge, confused in thy nicety,9 Home to her house; "And in her house,"
Wouldest thou that I r6ny innocence? quoth he,
To make me a wicked wight," quoth she, "Burn her right in a bath, with flames red."
"Lo, he dissimuleth 0 here in audience; And as he bade, right so was done the deed;
He stareth and woodeth l in his advertence." 12 For in a bath they gan her faste shetten,28
To whom Almachius said, "Unselyl3 wretch, And night and day great fire they under
Knowest thou not how far my might may betten.29
stretch? The longe night, and eke a day also,
" Have not our mighty princes to me given For all the fire, and eke the bathe's heat,
Yea bothe power and eke authority She sat all cold, and felt of it no woe,
To maki folk to dien or to liven? It made her not one droppe for to sweat;
Why speakest thou so proudly then to me?" But in that bath her life she must lete.30
"I speake not but steadfastly," quoth she, For he, Almachius, with full wick' intent,
Not proudly, for I say, as for my side, To slay her in the bath his sonde 31 sent.
We hate deadly 14 thilke vice of pride. Three strokes in the neck he smote her tho,19
" And, if thou dreade not a sooth 15 to hear, The t6rmentor,32 but for no manner chance
Then will I shew all openly by right, He might not smite her fairi neck in two:
That thou hast made a full great leasing 16 here. And, for there was that time an ordinance
Thou say'st thy princes have thee given might That no man shoulde do man such penance,33
Both for to slay and for to quick 17 a wight,- The fourthi stroke to smite, soft or sore,
Thou that may'st not but only life bereave; This tormentor he durste do no more;
Thou hast none other power nor no leave. But half dead, with her necke carven 4 there
"But thou may'st say, thy princes have thee He let her lie, and on his way is went.
maked The Christian folk, which that about her were,
Minister of death; for if thou speak of mo', With sheetes have the blood full fair y-hent; 35
Thou liest; for thy power is full naked." Three dayis lived she in this torment,'Do away18 thy boldness," said Almachius tho,la And never ceased them the faith to teach,
"And sacrifice to our gods, ere thou go. That she had foster'd them, she gan to preach.
1 Certainly. 23 Ignorant.
2 Punishment. 3 Deny. 4 Renounce. 24 Very, selfsame. 25 Advise.
5 Nobility. 6 Mad.. 7 Judgment. 26 Examine, test.
8 True. 9 Confounded in thy folly. 27 Everywhere; or, above all things.
10 Dissembles. 11 Grows mad, furious. 28 Shut, confine. 29 Kindled, applied.
12 Thought, consideration.'3 Unhappy. 30 Leave. 31 Message, order.
14 Mortally. 15 Truth.' 16 Falsehood. 32 Executioner.
17 Give life to. 18 Cease, have done with. 33 Cause such torture, exercise such severity of punish.
19 Then. 20 Foolish. 21 Folly. ment. 34 Mangled, gashed,
22 Every sort of way. 35 Received, caught up.