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

THE PRIORESS'S TALE. 145
He Alma redemptoris hearde sing, What may your evil intente you avail?
As children learned their aiphLonere; 2 Murder will out, certain it will not fail,
And as he durst, he drew him n- re and nere,3 And namely 14 where th' honofir of God shall
And hearken'd aye the wordis and the note, spread;
Till he the firste verse knew all by rote. The blood out crieth on your cursed deed.
Nought wist he what this Latin was to say,4 O martyr souded 15 to virginity,
For he so young and tender was of age; Now may'st thou sing, and follow ever-in-one 16
But on a day his fellow gan he pray The white Lamb celestial (quoth she),
To expound him this song in his language, Of which the great Evangelist Saint John
Or tell him why this song was in usage: In Patmos wrote, which saith that they that
This pray'd he him to construe and declare, gon
Full oftentime upon his knees bare. Before this Lamb, and sing a song all new,
His fellow, which that elder was than he, That never fleshly woman they ne knew.l7
Answer'd him thus: "This song, I have heard This poore widow waited all that night
say, After her little child, but he came not;
Was maked of our blissful Lady free, For which, as soon as it was daye's light,
Her to salute, and eke her to pray With face pale, in dread and busy thought,
To be our help andi<aQr when we dey.5 She hath at school and elliswhere him sought,
I can no more expound in this mattere: Till finally she gan so far espy,
I learne song, I know but small grammre." That he was last seen in the Jewery.
" And is this song y-made in reverence With mother's pity in her breast enclosed,
Of Christi's mother? " said this innocent; She went, as she were half out of her mind,
Now certes I will do my diligence To every place, where she hath supposed
To conne 6 it all, ere Christemas be went; By likelihood her little child to find:
Though that I for my primer shall be shent,7 And ever on Christ's mother meek and kind
And shall be beaten thries in an hour, She cried, and at the laste thus she wrought,
I will it conne, our Lady to honodr." Among the cursed Jewqs she him sought.
His fellow taught him homeward 8 privily She freined,18 and she prayed piteously
From day to day, till he coud 9 it by rote, To every Jew that dwelled in that place,
And then he sang it well and boldely To tel her, if her childe went thereby;
From word to word according with the note; They saide, " Nay; " but Jesus of his grace
Twice in a day it passed through his throat; Gave in her thought, within a little space,
To schoold-ward, and homeward when he went; That in that place after her son she cried,
On Christ's mother was set all his intent. Where he was cast into a pit beside.
As I have said, throughout the Jewery, O greate God, that pdrformest thy laud
This little child, as he came to and fro, By mouth of innocents, lo here thy might!
Full merrily then would he sing and cry, This gem of chastity, this emeraud,l9
0 Alma redemptoris, evermo'; And eke-of martyrdom the ruby bright,
The sweetness hath his hearte pierced so Where he with throat y-carven 20 lay upright,
Of Christe's mother, that to her to pray He Alma redemptoris gan to sing
He cannot stint 10 of singing by the way. So loud, that allthe place began to ring.
Our firste foe, the serpent Satanas, The Christian folk, that through the streete
That hath i Jewes' heart his waspi's nest, went,
Upswell'd and said, " Hebrew people, alas! In came, for to wonder on this thing:
Is this to you a thing that is honsst,l And hastily they for the provost sent.
That such a boy shall walken as him lest He came anon withoute tarrying,
In your despite, and sing of suosenWtn, And heried 21 Christ, that is of heaven king,
Which is against your lawi's reverence? " And eke his mother, honour of mankind;
From thenciforth the Jewis have conspired And after that the Jewis let 22 he bind.
This innocent out of the world to chase; With torment, and with shameful death each
A jlmicidi thereto have they hired, one
That in afralley had a privy place, The provost did 22 these Jewes for to sterve 23
And, as the child gan forth by for to pace, That of this murder wist, and that anon;
This cursed Jew him hent,l2 and held him fast, He wouldi no such cursedness observe 24
And cut his throat, and in a pit him cast. Evil shall have, that evil will deserve;
I say that in a wardrobe 13 they him threw, Therefore with horses wild he did them draw,
Where as the Jewis purged their entrail. And after that he hung them by the law.
O cursed folk! O Herodis all new! The child, with piteous lamentation,
1 "0 Alma Redemptoris Mater;" the beginning of 13 French, "garderobe," a privy. 14 Especially.
a hymn to the Virgin. 15 Confirmed; from French, " soulde;" Latin, " soli
2 Book of anthems, or psalms, chanted in the choir datus." 16 Continually. 17 See Revelations xiv. 3, 4.
by alternate verses. 3 Nearer. Meant. 18 Asked, inquired; from Anglo-Saxon, "frinan,"
5 Die. 6 Learn; con. "fraegnian." Compare German, "fragen."
7 Disgraced. 8 On the wayhome. 19 Emerald. 20 Cut. 21 Praised.
9 Knew. 10 Cease. 22 Caused. 23 Die.
n Creditable, becoming. 12 Seized. l 24 Countenance, overlook.
K