The Prioress' Tale
Folio 201r
3 of 7 folios
His Aue maria as he goþ by þe way
Thus haþ þis widow hir litel child I taugħt
Oure blisful lady cristes moder deere
To worschip ay and he forȝat it nougħt
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For cely child wil alway soone leere
But ay whan I remembre of þis matiere
Seint Nicholas stont euer in my presence
For he so ȝong to crist dede reuerence
This litil child his litel book lernynge
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As he sat in þe scole at his pimere
He O alma redemptoris herde synge /
As children lerned her antiphonere /
And as he durst he drougħ hem ner and neere
And herkned euer þe wordes and þe note
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Til he þe firste vers couþe al by rote
Nought wist he what þis latyn was to say /
For he so ȝong and tender was of age
But on a day his felaw gan he pray /
To expoune him þe song in his langage /
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Or telle him what þis song was in vsage /
This prayd he him to construe and declare
Ful often tyme vpon his knees bare /
His felaw which þat elder was þan he
Answerd him þus . þis song I haue herd seye
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Was maked of our blisful lady fre
Hire to saluen and eek hire to preye
To ben our help and socour whan we deye
I can no more expoune in this matere
I lerne song I can no more gramer
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And is þis song I maad in reuerence
Of cristes moder sayde þis Innocent
Now certes I wol do my diligence
To conne it al er cristemasse be went
Thougħ þat I for my primer schal be schent
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And schal be betyn þries in an hour
I wol it conne oure lady to honoure
His felaw taught him homward priuely
From day by day til he couþe it by rote