The Prioress' Tale
Folio 211r
4 of 8 folios
¶ His felawe / which þt 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 matere
I lerne song I kan but smal gramere
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¶ And is this song maked in reuerence
Of Cristes moder / seyde this Innocent
Now certes / I wol do my diligence
To konne it al / er Cristemasse is went
Thogh 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 taughte hym / homward piuely
Fro day to day / til he koude it by rote
And thanne he soong it / wel and boldely
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Fro word to word / acordyng with the note
Twyes a day / it passed thurgh his throte
To scoleward / and homward / whan he wente
On Cristes moder / set was his entente
¶ As I haue seyd / thurgh out the Iuerye
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This litel child / as he cam to and fro
Ful murily / wolde he synge and crye
O Alma redemptoris / euere mo
The swetnesse / his herte perced so
Of Cristes moder / that to hir to preye
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He kan nat stynte / of syngyng by the weye
¶ Oure firste foo / the Serpent Sathanas
That hath in Iewes herte / his waspes nest
Vp swal and seyde / o hebrayk peple allas
Is this to yow / a thyng that is honest
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That swich a boy / shal walken As hym lest
In youre despit and synge xx xxxxx sentence
Which is agayns / oure lxxxx xxxxxxxxx