The Prioress' Tale
Folio 212v/211v
5 of 7 folios
¶ This child his litel book lernynge
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As he sat in þe scole at his primere
He alma redemptoris herde synge /
As children lerned here antiphoner
And as he durste he drougħ him ner and neer
And herkned ay þe wordes and þe noote /
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Til he þe firste vers couþe al by roote /
Nouȝt wiste he what þe latyn was to say
For he so ȝong and tender was of age
But on a day his felawe gan he preye
To expounen him þis song in his langage /
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Or tellen him why þis song was in vsage /
This preyde he him to construe and declare /
Ful ofte tyme vpon his knees bare /
His felawe which þat elder was þan he
Answerde him þus þis song I haue herd say
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Was maked of oure blisful lady fre
Hire to salue and eeke hire for to pray
To ben oure helpe and socour whan we deye
I can no more expounde in þis matiere
I lerne song I can but smale gramere /
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¶ And is þis song ymade in reuerence
Of cristes mooder sayde þis Innocent
Now certes I wol don my diligence /
To konne it er Cristemas be went
Þougħ þat I for my prymer schal be schent
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And schal beten þries in an houre
I wol it konne oure lady to honoure
¶ His felawe taugħt him homward pryuyly
Fro day to day til he couþe it by roote
And þenne he sang it wel and boldely
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Fro word to word acordyng to þe note /
Þries on a day it passeþ þurgħ his þrote /
To scoleward and homward whan he went
On cristes moder sette was his entent
As I haue sayde þurghout þe Iewerie /