Our firste foo, the serpent Sathanas,

That hath in Lewes herte his waspes nest,
Vp swal, and seide, 'o Hebraik peple, allas!
Is this to yow a thing that is honest,
That swich a boy shal walken as him lest
In your despyt, and singe of swich sentence,
Which is agayn your1 lawes reuerence?'

1750

Fro thennes forth the Iewes han conspyred
This innocent out of this world to chace;
An homicyde ther-to han they hyred,
That in an aley hadde a priuee place;

1755

And as the child gan forby for to pace,

This cursed Iew him hente and heeld him faste,
And kitte his throte, and in a pit him caste.

1760

This poure widwe awaiteth al that nyght
After hir litel child, but he cam noght;
For which, as sone as it was dayes lyght,
With face pale of drede and bisy thoght,

1776

She hath at scole and elles-wher him soght,

1780

Til finally she gan so fer espye

That he last seyn was in the Iewerye.

With moodres pitee in hir brest enclosed,

She gooth, as she were half out of hir mynde,
To euery place wher she hath supposed

1785

By lyklihede hir litel child to fynde;

And euer on Cristes mooder meke and kynde
She cryde, and atte laste thus she wroughte,
Among the cursed Iewes she him soughte.

1 HI. your; Pt. Ln. 3oure; E. Hn. Cm. Cp. oure.

She frayneth and she preyeth pitously
To euery Iew that dwelte in thilke place,

1790

To telle hir, if hir child wente ought forby.
They seyde, 'nay'; but Iesu, of his grace,
Yaf in hir thought, inwith a litel space
That in that place after hir sone she cryde,
Wher he was casten in a pit bisyde.

1795

O grete god, that parfournest thy laude.
By mouth of Innocentz, lo heer thy myght!
This gemme of chastitee, this Emeraude,
And eek of martirdom the Ruby bryght,
Ther he with throte ykoruen lay vpryght,
He Alma redemptoris' gan to singe
So loude, that al the place gan to ringe.

1800

The Cristen folk, that thurgh the strete wente,
In coomen, for to wondre vp-on1 this thing,
And hastily they for the Prouost sente;
He cam anon with-outen tarying,
And herieth Crist that is of heuen king,
And eek his mooder, honour of mankynde,
And after that, the Iewes leet he bynde.

This child with pitous lamentacioun
Vp-taken was, singing his song alway;
And with honour of gret processioun
They carien him vn-to the nexte abbay.
His mooder swowning by the 2 bere lay;
Vnnethe myght the peple that was there
This newe Rachel bringe fro his3 bere.

1805

1810

1815

1 Cp. Pt. wondren on; Ln. wonderne of; E. Hn. wondre vpon; Hl. wonder vpon; Cm. wonderyn vp-on. 2 E. Hn. his; the rest the; see l. 1817.

3 Cm. Hl. the; the rest his.

With torment and with shamful deth echon
This Prouost dooth the Iewes for to sterue
That of this mordre wiste, and that anon;
He nolde no swich cursednes obserue.
Euel shal1 haue, that euel wol deserue.
Therfor with wilde hors he dide hem drawe,
And after that he heng hem by the lawe.

3

1820

1825

Vp-on his 2 bere ay lyth this innocent
Biforn the chief auter, whil masse laste,
And after that, the abbot with his couent
Han sped hem for to burien him ful faste;
And whan they holy water on him caste,
Yet spak this child, whan spreynd was holy water, 1830
And song 'O Alma redemptoris mater!'

This abbot, which that was an holy man
As monkes been, or elles oughten be,
This yonge child to coniure he bigan,
And seyde, 'o dere child, I halse thee,

In vertu of the holy Trinitee,

Tel me what is thy cause for to singe,
Sith that thy throte is cut, to my seminge?'

'My throte is cut vn-to my nekke-boon,'

Seyde this child, and, as by wey of kynde,
I sholde haue deyed, ye, long tyme agoon,
But Iesu Crist, as ye in bokes fynde,
Wil that his glorie laste and be in mynde,
And, for the worship of his mooder dere,
Yet may I singe "O Alma" loude and clere.

1 E. Cm. shal he; Pt. he shal; the rest omit he.
3 E. Hn. Cm. Hl. the masse; Cp. Pt. Ln. omit the.

1835

1840

1845

2 Hn. Hl. his; the rest this. Hl. thabbot.

This welle of mercy, Cristes mooder swete,
I louede alwey, as after my conninge;
And whan that I my lyf sholde forlete,
To me she cam, and bad me for to singe
This antem1 verraily in my deyinge,

As ye han herd, and, whan that I had songe,
Me thoughte she leyde a greyn vp-on my tonge.

Wherfor I singe, and singe I mot certeyn
In honour of that blisful mayden free,

1850

Til fro my tonge of-taken is the greyn;

1855

And afterward thus seyde she to me,

"My litel child, now wol I fecche thee

Whan that the greyn is fro thy tonge ytake;
Be nat agast, I wol thee nat forsake."

This holy monk, this abbot, him mene I,

1860

His tonge out-caughte, and took a-wey the greyn,

And he yaf vp the goost ful softely.

And whan this abbot had this wonder seyn,
His salte teres trikled 2 doun as reyn,

And gruf he fil al plat vp-on the grounde,

1865

And stille he lay as he had ben3 ybounde.

The couent eek lay on the pauement

Weping, and herien Cristes mooder dere,

And after that they rise, and forth ben went,

And toke awey this martir fro his bere,

1870

And in a tombe 5 of marbul-stones clere

1 Cm. Cp. Pt. anteme; Ln. antime; Hl. antym; Hn. antheme; E. Anthephen.

2 E. Hn. Cm. trikled; Cp. Pt. stryked; Ln. strikled; Hl. striken.

3 Cp. Hl. ben; Pt. Ln. bene; E. Hn. Cm. leyn.

Hl. thay; but the rest been, ben, bene.

5E. temple; the rest tombe, toumbe.

Enclosen they his litel body swete;

Ther he is now, god leue us for1 to mete.

O yonge Hugh of Lincoln, sleyn also
With cursed Lewes, as it is notable,

1875

For it nis 2 but a litel whyle ago;

Prey eek for vs, we sinful folk vnstable,
That of his mercy god so merciable

On vs his grete mercy multiplye,

For reuerence of his mooder Marye. Amen.

1880

Heere is ended the Prioresses Tale.

[PRIORESS END-LINK.]

Bihoold the murye wordes of the Hoost to Chaucer.

Whan seyd was al this miracle, euery man

As sobre was, that wonder was to se,

And than at erst

And seyde thus,

what man artow?' quod he; 'Thou lokest as thou woldest fynde an hare, For euer vp-on the ground I se thee stare.

1885

Approche neer, and loke vp merily.

Now war yow, sirs, and lat this man haue place;
He in the waast is shape as wel as I;

1890

This were a popet in an arm tenbrace
For any womman, smal and fair of face.
He semeth eluish by his contenaunce,
For vn-to no wyght doth he daliaunce.

2

1 E. alle for; the rest omit alle. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. nys; E. Hn. Cm. is. Only Hl. inserts to before Iapen.

Cm. Cp. tho; E. to; Hn. Hl. he; Pt. Ln. omit.

VOL. II.