The Second Nun's Tale
Folio 186v
3 of 14 folios
And of thy ligħt my soule in prison ligħte
That troubled is / by the contagioū
Of my body / and also by the wigħte
Of erthely lust and fals affeccioū
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O hauene of refut o saluacioū
Of hem / þt been in sorwe / & in distresse
Now helpe / for to my werk I wol me dresse
Yet preye I yow / þt reden that I write
Foryeue me / that I do no diligence
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This ilke storie / subtilly to endite
For bothe haue I / the wordes and sentence
Of hym / that at the seintes reuerence
The storie wroot and folwen hir legende
I pray yow / that ye wole my werk amende
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First wolde I / the name of Seinte Cecile
Expowne / as men may in hir storie see
It is to seye in englissħ / heuenes lilie
For pure chaastnesse of virginitee
Or / for she whitnesse hadde of honestee
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And grene of Conscience / and of good fame
The soote sauour lilie / was hir name
Or Cecilie is to seye / the wey to blynde
For she ensample was / by good techynge
Or elles Cecile / as I writen fynde
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Is ioyned / by a manere conioynynge
Of heuene and lia / and heere in figurynge
The heuene is set for thogħt of hoolynesse
And Lia / for hir lastynge bisynesse
Cecile / may eek be seyd / in this manere
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Wantynge of blyndnesse / for hir grete ligħt
Of Sapience / and for hir thewes cleere
Or elles loo / this maydens name brigħt
Of heuene and leos comth / for which by rigħt
Men mygħte hir wel / the heuene of peple calle
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Ensample / of goode / and wise werkes alle
For leos / peple in englissħ is to seye
And rigħt as men may / in the heuene see
The sonne and moone / and sterres euery weye
Rigħt so men goostly / in this mayden free
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Syen of feith / the magnanymytee
And eek the cleernesse hool / of Sapience
And sondry werkes / brigħte of excellence