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.

2

3

Vp-on his 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,

1820

1825

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,

1835

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.

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

1840

1845

2 Hn. Hl. his; the rest this. 4 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 antem 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;
And afterward thus seyde she to me,
"My litel child, now wol I fecche thee

1855

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,

4

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.

5 E. 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,
For it nis 2 but a litel whyle ago;

1875

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'S 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,

Til that our hoste Iapen tho bigan,
And than at erst he loked vp-on me,

And seyde thus, 'what man artow?' quod he;

1885

'Thou lokest as thou woldest fynde an hare, For euer vp-on the ground I se thee stare.

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

4

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.

1 E. alle for; the rest omit alle. 2 Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. nys; E. Hn. Cm. is.

3 Only Hl. inserts to before Iapen.

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

Sey now somwhat, sin other folk han sayd;
Tel vs a tale of mirthe, and that anoon;'-
Hoste,' quod I, ne beth nat euel apayd,
For other tale certes can I noon,

But of a ryme I lerned longe agoon.'

1895

'Ye, that is good,' quod he; now shul we1 here 1900 Som deyntee thing, me thinketh by his chere.'

Explicit.

1 E. ye; all the rest we.

1 E. shoos; Hn. Pt. shoon; the rest schoon, schon, schone.

1915

1920