Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 96

_Inuocacio ad Mariam._

And thou that flour of virgines art alle, Of whom that Bernard list so wel to wryte, 30 To thee at my biginning first I calle; Thou comfort of us wrecches, do me endyte Thy maydens deeth, that wan thurgh hir meryte The eternal lyf, and of the feend victorie, As man may after reden in hir storie. 35

32. Hn. mendite (_shewing the scansion_). 34. E. eterneel; Hn. Cm.

eternal.

Thou mayde and mooder, doghter of thy sone, Thou welle of mercy, sinful soules cure, In whom that G.o.d, for bountee, chees to wone, Thou humble, and heigh over every creature, Thou n.o.bledest so ferforth our nature, 40 That no desdeyn the maker hadde of kinde, His sone in blode and flesh to clothe and winde.

Withinne the cloistre blisful of thy sydes Took mannes shap the eternal love and pees, That of the tryne compas lord and gyde is, 45 Whom erthe and see and heven, out of relees, Ay herien; and thou, virgin wemmelees, Bar of thy body, and dweltest mayden pure, The creatour of every creature.

43. E. Hn. Cm. Pt. sydis. 44. E. eterneel; Hn. Cm. eternal.

a.s.sembled is in thee magnificence 50 With mercy, goodnesse, and with swich pitee That thou, that art the sonne of excellence, [511: T. 15521-15552.]

Nat only helpest hem that preyen thee, But ofte tyme, of thy benignitee, Ful frely, er that men thyn help biseche, 55 Thou goost biforn, and art hir lyves leche.

54. E. often; Hn. Cm. ofte.

Now help, thou meke and blisful fayre mayde, Me, flemed wrecche, in this desert of galle; Think on the womman Cananee, that sayde That whelpes eten somme of the crommes alle 60 That from hir lordes table been y-falle; And though that I, unworthy sone of Eve, Be sinful, yet accepte my bileve.

And, for that feith is deed with-outen werkes, So for to werken yif me wit and s.p.a.ce, 65 That I be quit fro thennes that most derk is!

O thou, that art so fayr and ful of grace, Be myn advocat in that heighe place Ther-as withouten ende is songe 'Osanne,'

Thou Cristes mooder, doghter dere of Anne! 70

And of thy light my soule in prison lighte, That troubled is by the contagioun Of my body, and also by the wighte Of erthly l.u.s.te and fals affeccioun; O haven of refut, o salvacioun 75 Of hem that been in sorwe and in distresse, Now help, for to my werk I wol me dresse.

Yet preye I yow that reden that I wryte, Foryeve me, that I do no diligence This ilke storie subtilly to endyte; 80 For both have I the wordes and sentence Of him that at the seintes reverence The storie wroot, and folwe hir legende, And prey yow, that ye wol my werk amende.

80. Hn. Cm. tendite (_shewing the scansion_). 82. E. Hn. Cm. Hl. him; _but_ Cp. Pt. Ln. hem. 83. Cm. folwe; E. Hn. Hl. folwen; Cp. Pt. Ln.

folowen. 84. E. I pray; Cp. And pray I; _rest_ And pray (_or_ prei, _or_ preye).

[512: T. 15552-15580.]

_Interpretado nominis Cecilie, quam ponit frater Iacobus_ _Ianuensis in Legenda Aurea._

First wolde I yow the name of seint Cecilie 85 Expoune, as men may in hir storie see, It is to seye in English 'hevenes lilie,'

For pure chastnesse of virginitee; Or, for she whytnesse hadde of honestee, And grene of conscience, and of good fame 90 The sole savour, 'lilie' was hir name.

HEADING. _In margin of _E. Hn. (E. om. _Aurea_). 85. E. _omits_ yow. 91. E. favour; _rest_ savour; _see_ l. 229.

Or Cecile is to seye 'the wey to blinde,'

For she ensample was by good techinge; Or elles Cecile, as I writen finde, Is ioyned, by a maner conioininge 95 Of 'hevene' and 'Lia'; and heer, in figuringe, The 'heven' is set for thoght of holinesse, And 'Lia' for hir lasting bisinesse.

95. E. manere.

Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere, 'Wanting of blindnesse,' for hir grete light 100 Of sapience, and for hir thewes clere; Or elles, lo! this maydens name bright Of 'hevene' and 'leos' comth, for which by right Men mighte hir wel 'the heven of peple' calle, Ensample of G.o.de and wyse werkes alle. 105

For 'leos' 'peple' in English is to seye, And right as men may in the hevene see The sonne and mone and sterres every weye, Right so men gostly, in this mayden free, Seyen of feith the magnanimitee, 110 And eek the cleernesse hool of sapience, And sondry werkes, brighte of excellence.

110. E. Syen; Cp. Ln. Seyen; Hn. Sayen.

[513: T. 15581-15608.]

And right so as thise philosophres wryte That heven is swift and round and eek brenninge, Right so was fayre Cecilie the whyte 115 Ful swift and bisy ever in good werkinge, And round and hool in good perseveringe, And brenning ever in charitee ful brighte; Now have I yow declared what she highte.

_Explicit_.

HERE BIGINNETH THE SECONDE NONNES TALE, OF THE LYF OF SEINTE CECILE.

This mayden bright Cecilie, as hir lyf seith, 120 Was comen of Romayns, and of n.o.ble kinde, And from hir cradel up fostred in the feith Of Crist, and bar his gospel in hir minde; She never cessed, as I writen finde, Of hir preyere, and G.o.d to love and drede, 125 Biseking him to kepe hir maydenhede.

And when this mayden sholde unto a man Y-wedded be, that was ful yong of age, Which that y-cleped was Valerian, And day was comen of hir mariage, 130 She, ful devout and humble in hir corage, Under hir robe of gold, that sat ful fayre, Had next hir flesh y-clad hir in an heyre.

And whyl the organs maden melodye, To G.o.d alone in herte thus sang she; 135 'O lord, my soule and eek my body gye Unwemmed, lest that I confounded be:'

And, for his love that deyde upon a tree, Every seconde or thridde day she faste, Ay biddinge in hir orisons ful faste. 140

134. Hl. Hn. organs; Ln. orgens; E. Orgues; Cp. Orgles; Pt. Orgels.

137. E. it; _rest_ I. 138. Hn. Cm. Cp. Hl. deyde; E. dyde. 139. E.

Hn. and; _rest_ or.

[514: T. 15609-15643.]

The night cam, and to bedde moste she gon With hir housbonde, as ofte is the manere, And prively to him she seyde anon, 'O swete and wel biloved spouse dere, Ther is a conseil, and ye wolde it here, 145 Which that right fain I wolde unto yow seye, So that ye swere ye shul me nat biwreye.'

147. E. me; _rest_ it; _see_ l. 150.

Valerian gan faste unto hir swere, That for no cas, ne thing that mighte be, He sholde never-mo biwreyen here; 150 And thanne at erst to him thus seyde she, 'I have an angel which that loveth me, That with greet love, wher-so I wake or slepe, Is redy ay my body for to kepe.

152. E. aungel.

And if that he may felen, out of drede, 155 That ye me touche or love in vileinye, He right anon wol slee yow with the dede, And in your yowthe thus ye shulden dye; And if that ye in clene love me gye, He wol yow loven as me, for your clennesse, 160 And shewen yow his Ioye and his brightnesse.'

Valerian, corrected as G.o.d wolde, Answerde agayn, 'if I shal trusten thee, Lat me that angel se, and him biholde; And if that it a verray angel be, 165 Than wol I doon as thou hast preyed me; And if thou love another man, for sothe Right with this swerd than wol I slee yow bothe.'

164. E. aungel; _but_ angel _in_ 165, 170.

Cecile answerde anon right in this wyse, 'If that yow list, the angel shul ye see, 170 So that ye trowe on Crist and yow baptyse.

Goth forth to Via Apia,' quod she, 'That fro this toun ne stant but myles three, And, to the povre folkes that ther dwelle, Sey hem right thus, as that I shal yow telle. 175

171. on] E. in.

[515: T. 15644-15674.]

Telle hem that I, Cecile, yow to hem sente, To shewen yow the G.o.de Urban the olde, For secree nedes and for good entente.

And whan that ye seint Urban han biholde, Telle him the wordes whiche I to yow tolde; 180 And whan that he hath purged yow fro sinne, Thanne shul ye see that angel, er ye twinne.'

178. E. thynges; _rest_ nedes, nedis, needes. 180. E. Cp. Ln. Hl.

whiche at I; _but_ Hn. Cm. Pt. _omit_ that.

Valerian is to the place y-gon, And right as him was taught by his lerninge, He fond this holy olde Urban anon 185 Among the seintes buriels lotinge.

And he anon, with-outen taryinge, Dide his message; and whan that he it tolde, Urban for Ioye his hondes gan up holde.