The Prioress' Tale
Folio 149r
3 of 7 folios
A litel scole / of cristen folk ther stood
Doun at the ferther ende / in which ther were
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Children an heepe / y comen of cisten blood
That lerned in that scole / yeer by yere
Swich manere doctrine / as men vsed there
This is to seyn / to syngen / and to rede
As smale children doon / in hir childhede
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Among thise children / was a wydwes sone
A litel clergeou / seuen yeer of age
That day by day / to scole was his wone
And eek also / wher as he saugħ thymage
Of Cristes mooder / he hadde in vsage
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As hym was taugħt to knele adoun and seye
His Aue Marie / as he goth by the weye
Thus hath this wydwe / hir litel sone ytaugħt
Oure blisful lady cristes mooder deere
To worshipe ay / and he forgat it naugħt
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For sely child / wol alday soone leere
But ay / whan I remembre on this mateere
Seint Nicholas / stant euere in my persence
For he so yong to Crist dide reuerence
This litel child his litel book lernynge
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As he sat in the scole / at his prymer
He / Alma redemptoris / herde synge
As children / lerned hir Anthiphoner
And as he dorste / he drougħ hym ner and ner
And herkned ay / the wordes and the noote
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Til he the firste vers / koude al by rote
Nogħt wiste he / what this latyn was to seye
For he so yong and tendre was of age
But on a day / his felawe gan he preye
Texpounden hym this song in his langage
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Or telle hym / why this song was in vsage
This preyde he hym / to construe and declare
Ful often tyme / vpon hise knowes bare
His felawe / which that elder was than he
Answerde hym thus / this song I haue herd seye
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Was maked / of oure blisful lady free
Hir to salue / and eek hir for to preye
To been oure helpe / and socour whan we deye
I kan namoore / expounde in this mateere
I lerne song I kan but smal grammeere