The Prioress' Tale
Folio 149v
4 of 7 folios
85
¶ And is this song maked in reuerence
Of cristes mooder seyde / this Innocent
Now certes / I wol do my diligence
To konne it al / er Cristemasse is went
Thougħ þt / I for my prymer shal be shent
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And shal be beten / thries in an houre
I wol it konne / oure lady for to honoure
His felawe / taugħte hym homward piuely
Fro day to day til he koude it by rote
And thanne / he song it wel and boldely
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Fro word to word to word acordynge wt the note
Twies a day / it passed thurgħ his throte
To scoleward and homward whan he wente
On cristes mooder / set was his entente
¶ As I haue seyd / thurgħ out the Iuerie
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This litel child / as he cam to and fro
Ful murily / wolde he synge and crie
O Alma redemptoris / eueremo
The swetnesse / his herte perced so
Of cristes mooder / that to hir to preye
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He kan nat stynte / of syngyng by the weye
Ovre firste foo / the serpent Sathanas
That hath / in Iues herte his waspes nest
Vp swal / and seide / o. Hebrayk peple allas
Is this to yow / a thyng þt is honest
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That swich a boy / shal walken as hym lest
In youre despit and synge of swich sentence
Which is / agayn oure lawes reuerence
Fro thennes forth / the Iues han conspired
This Innocent out of this world to chace
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An homycide / ther to / han they hyred
That in an Aleye / hadde a piuee place
And as the child / gan forby for to pace
This cursed Iew hym hente / & heeld hym faste
And kitte his throte / and in a pit hym caste
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I seye / that in a wardrobe / they hym threwe
Where as thise Iewes / purgen hir entraille
O cursed folk / of herodes al newe
What may your yuel entente yow auaille
Mordre wol out certeyn / it wol nat faille
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And namely / ther thonour of god shal sprede
The blood out crieth / on youre cursed dede