The Second Nun's Tale
Folio 191r
12 of 14 folios
Ful wrongfully / bigonne thow quod he
And yet in wrong is thy perseueraūce
Wostow nat how oure myghty pinces free
445
Han thus comanded / and maad ordinaūce
That euery cristen wigħt shal han penaūce
But if that he / his cristendom withseye
And goon al quit . if he wole it reneye
¶ Yowre pinces erren / as youre nobleye dooth
450
Quod tho Cecile / and with a wood sentence
Ye make vs gilty / and is nat sooth
For ye / that knowen wel oure Innocence
For as muche / as we doon a reuerence
To crist and for we bere a cristen name
455
Ye putte on vs / a cryme / and eek a blame
But we that knowen / thilke name so
For vertuous / we may it nat withseye
Almache answerde / chees oon of thise two
Do sacrifice / or cristendom reneye
460
That thou mowe now / escapen by that weye
At which / the hooly blisful faire mayde
Gan for to laugħe / and to the Iuge sayde
¶ O Iuge / confus in thy nycetee
Woltow / that I reneye Innocence
465
To make me / a wikked wigħt quod shee
Lo / he dissymuleth heer / in Audience
He stareth / and he woodeth in his Aduertence
To whom Almachius / vnsely wrecche
Ne woostow nat how fer my mygħt may strecche
470
Han noght oure mygħty pinces / to me yeuen
Ye bothe power / and Auctoritee
To maken folk / to dyen or to lyuen
Why spekestow / so proudly thanne to me
I speke nogħt / but stedfastly quod she
475
Nat proudly / for I speke as for my syde
We haten deedly / thilke vice of pryde
And if thou drede nat a sooth to heere .i. audire
Thanne wol I shewe / al openly by rigħt
That thou hast maad / a ful greet lesyng heere hic
480
Thou seyst thy Pinces / han thee yeuen mygħt
Bothe for to sleen / and for to quyken a wigħt
Thou that ne mayst but oonly lyf bireue
Thou hast noon oother power ne no leue