The Prioress' Tale
Folio 156v
2 of 4 folios
For he so ȝong / to criste dide reuerence
¶ This litel child / his litel bok lernynge
65
As he sat in the scole / at his prymer
He Alma redemptoris / herde synge
As children lerned / here Antiphoner
And as he durste / he drow hī ner & ner
And herkened ay the wordes / & the note
70
Til he the first vers coude / al by rote
¶ Nat wist he / what this latyn was to seye
For he so ȝong / and tendre was of age
But on a day / his felawe gan he preye
To expounden hi this song / in his langage
75
Or telle hi why this song / was in vsage
This preyed he hī / to construen and declare
Ful ofte tyme / vp oon his knees bare
¶ His felawe / whicħ / that eldere was than he
Answered hi thus / this song I haue herd seye
80
Was maked / of oure blisseful lady free
Hire to salue / and eke hire for to preye
To ben oure help / and socour whan we deye
I can nomore expounde / in this matere
I lerne song / I can but smal gamere
85
And is this song / maked in reuerence
Of cristes moder / seide this Innocent
Now certes / I wol do my diligence
To conne it al / or cristemasse be went
Thougħ that I / for my pimer / shal be shent
90
And shal be betyn / thries in an houre
I wol it conne / oure lady for to honoure
¶ His felawe taugħt hi homward / pryuely
Fro day to day / til he coude it by rote
And thāne / he song it wel / and boldly
95
Fro word to word / a cordyng witħ the note
Twyes a day / it passed thurgħ his throte
To scoleward & homward / whan he wente
On Cristes moder / set was his entente
¶ As I haue seid / thurgħ out the Iuerye
100
This litel child / as he come to and froo
Ful myrily wold he synge / and crie
O Alma redemptoris / euere moo
The swetnesse his herte / perced so
Of cristes moder / that to hire to preye
105
He can nat stynt / of syngynge by the weye
¶ Oure first foo / the serpent Sathanas
That hatħ in Iewes herte / his waspes nest