The Prioress' Tale
Folio 211v
5 of 8 folios
¶ Fro thennes forth / the Iewes han conspired
This Innocent out of this world to chace
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An homycide / ther to han they hired
That in an Aleye / at a piuee place
And as the child / gan for by for to pace
This cursed Iew / hym hente / and heeld hym faste
And kitte his throte / and in a pit hym caste
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¶ I seye / that in a wordrobe / they hym threwe
Wher as thise Iewes / purgen hir entraille
O cursed folk of herodes / al newe
What may / youre yuel entente yow auaille
Mordre wol out certeyn it wol nat faille
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And namely / ther as thonour of god shal sprede
The blood out cryeth / on youre cursed dede
¶ O martir souded to virginitee
Now maystow syngen / folwyng euere in oon
The white lamb celestial quod she
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Of which / the grete Euangelist Seint Ioħn
In Pathmos wroot which seith þt they þt gon
Biforn this lamb / and synge a song al newe
That neuere Flesshly carnaliter / womman they ne knewe
¶ This poure wydwe / awaiteth al that nyght
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After hir litel child / but he cam noght
For which as soone / as it was dayes lyght
With face pale / of drede and bisy thoght
She hath at scole / and ellis where hym soght
Til fynally / she gan so fer espie
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That he last seyn was / in the Iewerie
¶ With modres pitee / in hir brest enclosed
She goth / as she were half out of hir mynde
To euery place / wher as she hath supposed
By liklyhede / hir litel child to fynde
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And euere / on Cristes moder meke and kynde
She cryde / and at the laxxx xxxx xxx wroghte
xxxxx xxx xxxxxx xxxx xxx xxx xxghte