The prioresses tale, Sire Thopas, The monkes tale, The clerkes tale, The squieres tale, ed. by W.W. Skeat

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,

1850

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,

Til fro my tonge of-taken is the greyn;
And afterward thus seyde she to me,
66 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."'

1855

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 trikled2 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.

H1. 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,

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

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. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. nys; E. Hn. Cm. is. Only Hl. inserts to before lapen.

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