The Second Nun's Tale
Folio 166v
3 of 16 folios
xxd of thy light my soule in pison lighte
That troubled is by the contagioū
Of my body / and also by the wighte
Of erthely lust and fals affeccioū
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O. hauene / o. refut o. sauacioū
Of hem / that been in sorwe and in distresse
Now help / for to my werk I wol me dresse
¶ Yet praye ich yow / þt reden that I write
Foryeue me / that I do no diligence
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This ilke storie / subtilly tendite
For bothe haue I / the wordes and sentence
Of hym / that at the Seintes reuerence
The storie wroot and folwen hir legende
And pray yow / that ye wol my werk amende
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First wolde I yow / the name of Seinte Cecilie
Expowne / as men may in hir storie se
It is to seyn on englissh / heuenes lilie
For pure chastnesse / of virginitee
Or for she whitnesse hadde of honestee
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And grene of conscience / and of good fame
The swote sauour lilie / was hir name
¶ Or Cecile is to seyn / the wey to blynde
For she ensample was / by good techynge
Or ellis Cecile / as I writen fynde
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Is ioyned / by a manere conioignynge
Of heuene / and lia / and here in figurynge
The heuene is set for thoght of holynesse
And lia / for hir lastynge bisynesse
¶ Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere
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Wantynge of blyndnesse / for hir grete light
Of sapience / and for hir thewes clere
Or ellis lo / this maydenes name bright
Of heuene and leos comth / for which by right
Men myghte hir wel / the heuene of peple calle
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Ensample of goode / and wise werkes alle