The Prioress' Tale
Folio 212v
7 of 8 folios
¶ Vp on his beere / ay lyth this Innocent
Biforn the chief Auter / whil the masse laste
185
And after that the Abbot wt his Couent
Han sped hem / for to buryen hym ful faste
And whan they / holy water on hym caste
Yet spak this child / whan spreynd was holy water
And song O alma redemptoris mater
190
¶ This Abbot which þt was an holy man
As monkes ben / or ellis oghten be
This yonge child / to coniure he bigan
And seyde / o deere child I halsen thee
In vertu / of the holy Trinitee
195
Tel me / what is thy cause for to synge
Sith þt thy throte is kit to my semynge
¶ My throte is kit vn to my nekke boon
Seyde this child / and as by wey of kynde
I sholde haue dyed / ye longe tyme agoon
200
But Iħu crist as ye in bokes fynde
Wol þt his glorie laste / and be in mynde
And for the worshipe / of his moder deere
Yet may I synge / O alma / loude and clere
¶ This welle of mercy / Cristes moder swete
205
I loued alwey / as after my konnynge
And whan þt I my lyf sholde forlete
To me she cam / and bad me for to synge
This Antheme / verraily in my deiynge
As ye han herd / and whan þt I had songe
210
Me thoughte / she leyde a greyn vp on my tonge
¶ Wher fore I synge / and synge moot certeyn
In honour / of that blisful mayden free
Til fro my tonge / of taken is the greyn
And after that thus seyde she to me
215
My litel child / now wol I fecche thee
Whan þt the greyn ix xxx xxx xxxge ytake
xx xxx xxxxx x xxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxx