Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 39

_Explicit_.

1675. Cp. Pt. Hl. vnnethes. E. Hn. vnnethe.

HERE BIGINNETH THE PRIORESSES TALE.

Ther was in Asie, in a greet citee, Amonges cristen folk, a Iewerye, Sustened by a lord of that contree 1680 For foule usure and lucre of vilanye, Hateful to Crist and to his companye; (40) And thurgh the strete men mighte ryde or wende, For it was free, and open at either ende.

HEADING. _From_ E. Hn. _has_--Here biggynneth the Prioresse tale of Alma redemptoris mater.

A litel scole of cristen folk ther stood 1685 Doun at the ferther ende, in which ther were Children an heep, y-comen of cristen blood, That lerned in that scole yeer by yere Swich maner doctrine as men used there, This is to seyn, to singen and to rede, 1690 As smale children doon in hir childhede.

[183: T. 13432-13466.]

Among thise children was a widwes sone, (50) A litel clergeon, seven yeer of age, That day by day to scole was his wone, And eek also, wher-as he saugh thimage 1695 Of Cristes moder, hadde he in usage, As him was taught, to knele adoun and seye His _Ave Marie_, as he goth by the weye.

1695. Cp. Pt. Ln. the ymage. 1696. E. he hadde.

Thus hath this widwe hir litel sone y-taught Our blisful lady, Cristes moder dere, 1700 To wors.h.i.+pe ay, and he forgat it naught, For sely child wol alday sone lere; (60) But ay, whan I remembre on this matere, Seint Nicholas stant ever in my presence, For he so yong to Crist did reverence. 1705

1701. E. Pt. forgate. 1702. Hn. Hl. alwey.

This litel child, his litel book lerninge, As he sat in the scole at his prymer, He _Alma redemptoris_ herde singe, As children lerned hir antiphoner; And, as he dorste, he drough him ner and ner, 1710 And herkned ay the wordes and the note, Til he the firste vers coude al by rote. (70)

Noght wiste he what this Latin was to seye, For he so yong and tendre was of age; But on a day his felaw gan he preye 1715 Texpounden him this song in his langage, Or telle him why this song was in usage; This preyde he him to construe and declare Ful ofte tyme upon his knowes bare.

1719. E. Hl. often.

His felaw, which that elder was than he, 1720 Answerde him thus: 'this song, I have herd seye, Was maked of our blisful lady free, (80) Hir to salue, and eek hir for to preye To been our help and socour whan we deye.

I can no more expounde in this matere; 1725 I lerne song, I can but smal grammere.'

1725. E. Hn. na.

[184: T. 13467-13501.]

'And is this song maked in reverence Of Cristes moder?' seyde this innocent; 'Now certes, I wol do my diligence To conne it al, er Cristema.s.se is went; 1730 Though that I for my prymer shal be shent, And shal be beten thryes in an houre, (90) I wol it conne, our lady for to honoure.'

1733. Cp. Pt. Hl. _omit_ for.

His felaw taughte him homward prively, Fro day to day, til he coude it by rote, 1735 And than he song it wel and boldely Fro word to word, acording with the note; Twyes a day it pa.s.sed thurgh his throte, To scoleward and homward whan he wente; On Cristes moder set was his entente. 1740

As I have seyd, thurgh-out the Iewerye This litel child, as he cam to and fro, (100) Ful merily than wolde he singe, and crye _O Alma redemptoris_ ever-mo.

The swetnes hath his herte perced so 1745 Of Cristes moder, that, to hir to preye, He can nat stinte of singing by the weye.

1741. E. Iuerie. 1743. Slo. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. than; E. Hn. _omit_.

1745. Slo. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. hath; E. Hn. _omit_.

Our firste fo, the serpent Sathanas, That hath in Iewes herte his waspes nest, Up swal, and seide, 'o Hebraik peple, allas! 1750 Is this to yow a thing that is honest, That swich a boy shal walken as him lest (110) In your despyt, and singe of swich sentence, Which is agayn your lawes reverence?'

1754. Hl. your; Pt. Ln. [gh]oure; E. Hn. Cm. Cp. oure.

Fro thennes forth the Iewes han conspyred 1755 This innocent out of this world to chace; An homicyde ther-to han they hyred, That in an aley hadde a privee place; And as the child gan for-by for to pace, This cursed Iew him hente and heeld him faste, 1760 And kitte his throte, and in a pit him caste.

[185: T. 13502-13536.]

I seye that in a wardrobe they him threwe (120) Wher-as these Iewes purgen hir entraille.

O cursed folk of Herodes al newe, What may your yvel entente yow availle? 1765 Mordre wol out, certein, it wol nat faille, And namely ther thonour of G.o.d shal sprede, The blood out cryeth on your cursed dede.

1767. thonour] Cp. Pt. Ln. honour.

'O martir, souded to virginitee, Now maystou singen, folwing ever in oon 1770 The whyte lamb celestial,' quod she, 'Of which the grete evangelist, seint Iohn, (130) In Pathmos wroot, which seith that they that goon Biforn this lamb, and singe a song al newe, That never, fleshly, wommen they ne knewe.' 1775

This povre widwe awaiteth al that night After hir litel child, but he cam noght; For which, as sone as it was dayes light, With face pale of drede and bisy thoght, She hath at scole and elles-wher him soght, 1780 Til finally she gan so fer espye That he last seyn was in the Iewerye. (140)

With modres pitee in hir brest enclosed, She gooth, as she were half out of hir minde, To every place wher she hath supposed 1785 By lyklihede hir litel child to finde; And ever on Cristes moder meke and kinde She cryde, and atte laste thus she wroghte, Among the cursed Iewes she him soghte.

She frayneth and she preyeth pitously 1790 To every Iew that dwelte in thilke place, To telle hir, if hir child wente oght for-by. (150) They seyde, 'nay'; but Iesu, of his grace, Yaf in hir thought, inwith a litel s.p.a.ce, That in that place after hir sone she cryde, 1795 Wher he was casten in a pit bisyde.

1794. inwith] Cm. Cp. Hl. withinne.

[186: T. 13537-13569.]

O grete G.o.d, that parfournest thy laude By mouth of innocents, lo heer thy might!

This gemme of chast.i.tee, this emeraude, And eek of martirdom the ruby bright, 1800 Ther he with throte y-corven lay upright, He '_Alma redemptoris_' gan to singe (160) So loude, that al the place gan to ringe.

The Cristen folk, that thurgh the strete wente, In coomen, for to wondre up-on this thing, 1805 And hastily they for the provost sente; He cam anon with-outen tarying, And herieth Crist that is of heven king, And eek his moder, honour of mankinde, And after that, the Iewes leet he binde, 1810

1805. Cp. Pt. wondren on; Ln. wonderne of; E. Hn. wondre vpon; Hl.

wonder vpon; Cm. wonderyn vp-on.

This child with pitous lamentacioun Up-taken was, singing his song alway; (170) And with honour of greet processioun They carien him un-to the nexte abbay.

His moder swowning by the bere lay; 1815 Unnethe might the peple that was there This newe Rachel bringe fro his bere.

1815. E. Hn. his; _rest_ the; see l. 1817. 1817. Cm. Hl. the; _rest_ his.

With torment and with shamful deth echon This provost dooth thise Iewes for to sterve That of this mordre wiste, and that anon; 1820 He nolde no swich cursednesse observe.

Yvel shal have, that yvel wol deserve. (180) Therfor with wilde hors he dide hem drawe, And after that he heng hem by the lawe.

1819. E. the; _rest_ thise, these. 1822. E. Cm. shal he; Pt. he shal; _rest omit_ he.

Up-on his here ay lyth this innocent 1825 Biforn the chief auter, whyl ma.s.se laste, And after that, the abbot with his covent Han sped hem for to burien him ful faste; And whan they holy water on him caste, [187: T. 13570-13604.]

Yet spak this child, whan spreynd was holy water, 1830 And song--'_O Alma redemptoris mater_!'

1825. Hn. Hl. his; _the rest_ this. 1826. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. the ma.s.se; Cp. Pt. Ln. _omit_ the. 1827. Hl. thabbot.

This abbot, which that was an holy man (190) As monkes been, or elles oghten be, This yonge child to coniure he bigan, And seyde, 'o dere child, I halse thee, 1835 In vertu of the holy Trinitee, Tel me what is thy cause for to singe, Sith that thy throte is cut, to my seminge?'

'My throte is cut un-to my nekke-boon,'

Seyde this child, 'and, as by wey of kinde, 1840 I sholde have deyed, ye, longe tyme agoon, But Iesu Crist, as ye in bokes finde, (200) Wil that his glorie laste and be in minde, And, for the wors.h.i.+p of his moder dere, Yet may I singe "_O Alma_" loude and clere. 1845

This welle of mercy, Cristes moder swete, I lovede alwey, as after my conninge; And whan that I my lyf sholde forlete, To me she cam, and bad me for to singe This antem verraily in my deyinge, 1850 As ye han herd, and, whan that I had songe, Me thoughte, she leyde a greyn up-on my tonge. (210)