'Is ther oght elles, Dorigen, but this?' (741) 'Nay, nay,' quod she, 'god help me so, as wis; 1470 This is to muche, and it were goddes wille.' 'Ye, wyf,' quod he, 'lat slepen that is stille ;

It may be wel, paraventure, yet to-day.
Ye shul your trouthe holden, by my fay!
For god so wisly have mercy on me, 1475
I hadde wel lever y-stiked for to be,
For verray love which that I to yow have,
But-if ye sholde your trouthe kepe and
(750)
Trouthe is the hyeste thing that man
may kepe:'-

save.

But with that word he brast anon to wepe, 1480 And seyde, 'I yow forbede, up peyne of deeth,

That never, whyl thee lasteth lyf ne breeth,

To no wight tel thou of this aventure.
As I may best, I wol my wo endure,
Ne make no contenance of hevinesse, 1485
That folk of yow may demen harm or
gesse.'

And forth he cleped a squyer and a mayde:

'Goth forth anon with Dorigen,' he sayde, (760) 'And bringeth hir to swich a place anon.'

They take hir leve, and on hir wey they gon;

1490 But they ne wiste why she thider wente. He nolde no wight tellen his entente. (764) Paraventure an heep of yow, y-wis,

Herkneth the tale, er ye up-on

[T. om.

Wol holden him a lewed man in this, [T. om. That he wol putte his wyf in jupartye; [T. om. hir crye. [T. om. She may have bettre fortune than yow semeth; [T. om. And whan that ye han herd the tale, demeth. [T. om. This squyer, which that highte Aurelius, On Dorigen that was so amorous, (772) 1500 Of aventure happed hir to mete

Amidde the toun, right in the quikkest strete,

As she was boun to goon the wey forthright

Toward the gardin ther-as she had hight. And he was to the gardinward also; 1505 For wel he spyed, whan she wolde go Out of hir hous to any maner place. But thus they mette, of aventure or grace; (780) And he saleweth hir with glad entente, And asked of hir whiderward she wente? And she answerde, half as she were mad, 'Un-to the gardin, as myn housbond bad, My trouthe for to holde, allas! allas!' Aurelius gan wondren on this cas, And in his herte had greet compassioun Of hir and of hir lamentacioun, And of Arveragus, the worthy knight, That bad hir holden al that she had hight, (790)

1516

So looth him was his wyf sholde breke hir trouthe;

1520

And in his herte he caughte of this greet
routhe,
Consideringe the beste on every syde,
That fro his lust yet were him lever abyde
Than doon so heigh a cherlish wrecched-

Thus can a squyer doon a gentil dede,
As well as can a knight, with-outen drede.'
She thonketh him up-on hir knees al
bare,
1545
And hoom un-to hir housbond is she fare,
And tolde him al as ye han herd me sayd;
And be ye siker, he was so weel apayd, (820)
That it were inpossible me to wryte;
What sholde I lenger of this cas endyte?
Arveragus and Dorigene his wyf
In sovereyn blisse leden forth hir lyf.
Never eft ne was ther angre hem bitwene;
He cherisseth hir as though she were
a quene;
1554

1551

And she was to him trewe for evermore, Of thise two folk ye gete of me na-more. Aurelius, that his cost hath al forlorn, Curseth the tyme that ever he was born: 'Allas,' quod he, allas! that I bihighte Of pured gold a thousand pound of wighte (832) 1560 Un-to this philosophre! how shal I do? I see na-more but that I am fordo. Myn heritage moot I nedes selle,

And been a begger; heer may I nat dwelle,

And shamen al my kinrede in this place,
But I of him may gete bettre grace. 1566
But nathelees, I wol of him assaye, (839)
At certeyn dayes, yeer by yeer, to paye,
And thanke him of his grete curteisye;
My trouthe wol I kepe, I wol nat lye.' 1570
With herte soor he gooth un-to his cofre,
And broghte gold un-to this philosophre,
The value of fyve hundred pound, I gesse,
And him bisecheth, of his gentillesse,
To graunte him dayes of the remenaunt,
And seyde, maister, I dar wel make
avaunt,
1576

And seyde thus, whan he thise wordes herde : (858)

'Have I nat holden covenant un-to thee?' 'Yes, certes, wel and trewely,' quod he. 'Hastow nat had thy lady as thee lyketh?' 'No, no,' quod he, and sorwefully he syketh. 1590 'What was the cause? tel me if thou can.' Aurelius his tale anon bigan,

And tolde him al, as ye han herd bifore; It nedeth nat to yow reherce it more.

He seide, 'Arveragus, of gentillesse, 1595 Had lever dye in sorwe and in distresse Than that his wyf were of hir trouthe fals.' (869) The sorwe of Dorigen he tolde him als, How looth hir was to been a wikked wyf, And that she lever had lost that day hir lyf,

1600

And that hir trouthe she swoor, thurgh innocence:

'She never erst herde speke of apparence;
That made me han of hir so greet pitee.
And right as frely as he sente hir me,
As frely sente I hir to him ageyn. 1605
This al and som, ther is na-more to seyn.'
This philosophre answerde, leve

brother,

Everich of yow dide gentilly til other. (880) Thou art a squyer, and he is a knight; But god forbede, for his blisful might, 1610 But-if a clerk coude doon a gentil dede As wel as any of yow, it is no drede!

Sire, I relesse thee thy thousand pound, As thou right now were cropen out of the ground, 1614

Ne never er now ne haddest knowen me. For sire, I wol nat take a peny of thee For al my craft, ne noght for my travaille. Thou hast y-payed wel for my vitaille; (890) It is y-nogh, and farewel, have good day:' And took his hors, and forth he gooth his way. 1620 Lordinges, this question wolde I aske

now,

Which was the moste free, as thinketh yow? Now telleth me, er that ye ferther wende. ' I can na-more, my tale is at an ende. (896)

Inuocacio ad Mariam.

AND thou that flour of virgines art alle, Of whom that Bernard list so wel to wryte, 30

To thee at my biginning first I calle; Thou comfort of us wrecches, do me

endyte

Thy maydens deeth, than wan thurgh hir meryte

The eternal lyf, and of the feend victorie, As man may after reden in hir storie. 35 Thou mayde and mooder, doghter of thy` sone,

Thou welle of mercy, sinful soules cure, In whom that god, for bountee, chees to wone,

Thou humble, and heigh over every creature,

Thou nobledest so ferforth our nature, 40 That no desdeyn the maker hadde of kinde,

His sone in blode and flesh to clothe and winde.

Withinne the cloistre blisful of thy sydes Took mannes shap the eternal love and

That from hir lordes table been y-falle ; And though that I, unworthy sone of Eve, Be sinful, yet accepte my bileve.

And, for that feith is deed with-outen werkes,

So for to werken yif me wit and space, 65 That I be quit fro thennes that most derk is!

O thou, that art so fayr and ful of grace, Be myn advocat in that heighe place Ther-as withouten ende is songe 'Osanne,' Thou Cristes mooder, doghter dere of Anne!

70

For 'leos''peple' in English is to seye, And right as men may in the hevene see The sonne and mone and sterres every weye,

110

Right so men gostly, in this mayden free,
Seyen of feith the magnanimitee,
And eek the cleernesse hool of sapience,
And sondry werkes, brighte of excellence.

And right so as thise philosophres wryte That heven is swift and round and eek brenninge,

Right so was fayre Cecilie the whyte 115 Ful swift and bisy ever in good werkinge, And round and hool in good perseveringe, And brenning ever in charitee ful brighte; Now have I yow declared what she highte Explicit.

Here biginneth the Seconde Nonnes Tale, of the lyf of Seinte Cecile. THIS mayden bright Cecilie, as hir lyf seith,

120

85

Expoune, as men may in hir storie see,

Was comen of Romayns, and of noble kinde,