The Prioress' Tale
Folio 157v
4 of 4 folios
Ȝaf in hire thougħt / witħ Inne a litel space
That in that place / after hire sone she criede
Where as he was casten / in a pyt byside
155
¶ O grete god / that parformest thy laude
By moutħ of Innocentes / lo here thy mygħt
This gēme of chastite / this Emeraude
And eke of Martirdom / the rubie brygħt
There he witħ throte / I koruen / lay vprigħt
160
He Alma redemptoris / gan to synge
So loude / that al the place / gan to rynge
¶ The cistene folk / that thurgħ the strete wente
In comen / for to wondre vp oon this thyng
And hastifly / they for the Prouost sente
165
He com a noon / witħ outen tariyng
And herietħ cist / that is of heuene kyng
And eke his moder / honour of mankynde
And after that / the Iewes let he bynde
¶ This child / witħ pitous lamentacioū
170
Vp taken was
/ syngyng
his song alwey
¶ De puero qui cantauit de
gloriosa virgine;
And witħ the honour / of gret processioū
They carien hī / vn to the next abbey
His moder swougħnyng / by his bere lay
Vn ethe mygħt the peeple / that was there
175
This newe Rachel
/ bryngen froo his bere
¶ De maria quicquit sciuit , puer
cantum enutriuit , maternam inopiam //
hunc Judeus nequam strauit , domo sua
quem humauit , diram per inuidiam,,
Mater querens , hunc vocauit,
hic in terra recantauit , solita
preconia ,, Puer liber mox exiuit,
mortis reos lex puniuit , Ju-
deos & ceteraß
¶ Witħ turment / and witħ shameful detħ echō
This Prouest / dotħ the Iewes for to sterue
That of this morder wist / & that a noon
He nolde no swicħ cursednesse / obserue
180
Iuel shal haue / that euel wol deserue
Therfore wt wilde hors / he dede hē drawe
And after that / he heng hē by the lawe
¶ Vp on this bere / ay litħ this Innocent
Biforñ the chef auter / while the masse laste
185
And after that / the Abbot wt his couent
Han sped hem / to burien hī ful faste
And whan they halywater / on hī kaste
Ȝet spak this child / whan spreynt was the haliwater
And sang / O Alma redemptoris mater
190
¶ This Abbot / whicħ that was / an holy man
As monkes ben / or elles ougħten be
This ȝonge child / to cōiure he bigan
And seide / o dere child / I halse the
In vertu / of the holy Trynyte