The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
Folio 158r
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For he Almachius wiþ ful wekked entent
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To sleene hir in þe baþe his sonde sent
Þree strokes in þe nekke he smote hir þo
The tormentor bot for no maner chaunce
He myhte nouhte smyte al here nek y tuo
And for þere was þat time an ordinance
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That no man schold do to man suche penance
The ferþe stroke to smyten soft or sore
Þis tormentor ne dorste no more
Bot half dede wiþ hire nek y coruen þere
He left hir lye & in his weie he wente
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The cristen folke whiche abowten hire were
Wiþ schetes home ful feire her hente
Þree daies leued sche in þis torment
And neuer cesed hem þe feiþe to teche
Þat sche had fostred hame sche gan to perche
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And hem sche ȝaue here mebles & her þinge
And to þe Pope vrban be toke hem þo
And seide þus axed þis of heuen kinge
To haue respite þrei daies & no mo
To recōmande to ȝowe er þat .I. go
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Þes sowles loo & þat .I. miht do wirche
Here of myne house perpetuelly a cherche
Seint vrban wiþ his dekenes piuelye
The lady fette & beried it be nyht
Amonge his oþere seintes honestly
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Here house þe cherche of seinte cecely hiht
Seinte vrban halowed it as he wel myht
In þe whiche in to þis daie in noble wise
Men done to criste & to his seintes seruise .
Explicit vita scē Cecilie
Incipit prologë Canonice .
Whan ended was þe lif of seint Cecile
Er we had reden fulli fiue myle
Att bouhton vnder þe ble vs gan a take
A man þat cloþed was in cloþes blake
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And vnder þat he hadde a white surplis
His hakenay þat was al pomel gris
So swete þat it wonder was to see
It semed he had piked myles þre
Þe hors eke þat ȝo man rode vpone
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So swet þat vnneþ myht he gone
Aboue þe paitrel stode þe fome ful hyȝe