The Prioress' Tale
Folio 212r
6 of 8 folios
¶ She frayneth / and she prayeth pitously
To euery Iew / that dwelte in thilke place
150
To telle hir / if hir child / wente oght forby
They seyde nay / but Iħu of his grace
Yaf in hir thought in with a litel space
That in that place / after hir sone she cryde
Wher he was casten / in a pit bisyde
155
¶ O grete god / that parfournest thy laude
By mouth of Innocentz / lo here thy myght
This gemme of chastitee / this Emeraude
And eek of martirdom / the Ruby bright
Ther he with throte ycoruen / lay vpright
160
He Alma redemptoris / gan to synge
So loude / that al the place gan to rynge
¶ The cristen folk that thurgh the strete wente
In coomen / for to wondre vp on this thyng
And hastily / they for the Prouost sente
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He cam anon / with outen tariyng
And herieth Crist that is of heuene kyng
And eek his moder / honour of mankynde
And after that the Iewes leet he bynde
¶ This child / with pitous lamentacioū
170
Vp taken was / syngynge his song alway
And with honour / of greet processioū
They carien hym / vn to the nexte Abbay
His moder swownyng by his beere lay
Vnnethe myghte / the peple that was there
175
This newe Rachel / bryngen fro his beere
¶ With torment and with shameful deth echon
This Prouost dooth thise Iewes for to sterue
That of this mordre wiste / and that anon
He nolde / no swich cursednesse obserue
180
Yuel shal haue / that yuel wol disserue
Ther fore with wilde hoxx xx xxxx hem drawe
And after that he xxxx xxx xx xxx xxxx