The Second Nun's Tale
Folio 168r
6 of 16 folios
¶ Telle hem / that I Cecile / yow to hem sente
To shewen yow / the goode Vrban the olde
For secree nedes / and for good entente
And whan that ye / Seint Vrban han biholde
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Telle hym the wordes / whiche I to yow tolde
And whan that he / hath purged yow fro synne
Thanne shal ye seen that Aungel / er we twynne
¶ This Valerian / is to the place gon
And right as hym was taught by his lernynge
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He foond / this holy olde Vrban anon
Among the Seintes buryels lotynge .i. latitantē
And he anon / with outen tariynge
Dide his message / and whan that he it tolde
Vrban for ioye / hise handes gan vp holde
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¶ The teerys from hise eyen / leet he falle
Almyghty lord / o Iħu crist quod he
Sower of chaast conseil / hierde of vs alle
The fruyt of thilke seed / of chastitee
That thow hast sowe in Cecilie / taak to thee
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Lo lyk a bisy bee / with outen gyle
Thee serueth ay / thyn owene thral Cecile
¶ For thilke spouse / that she took but now
Ful lyk a fiers leou /. she sendeth heere
As meke / as euere was any lamb to yow
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And with that word / anon ther gan appeere
An old man / clad in white clothes cleere
That hadde a book with ƚre of gold in honde
And gan / biforn Valerian to stonde
¶ Valerian as deed / fil doun for drede
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Whan he hym say / and he vp hente hym tho
And on his book right thus he gan to rede
O. lord / o. feith / o. god with oute mo
O. cristendom / and fader of aƚƚ also
Abouen alle / and oueral euery where
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Thise wordes / al with gold ywriten were