Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 98

Right as a man hath sapiences three, Memorie, engyn, and intellect also, So, in o being of divinitee, 340 Three persones may ther right wel be.'

Tho gan she him ful bisily to preche Of Cristes come and of his peynes teche,

340. E. _omits_ o.

And many pointes of his pa.s.sioun; How G.o.ddes sone in this world was withholde, 345 To doon mankinde pleyn remissioun, That was y-bounde in sinne and cares colde: Al this thing she unto Tiburce tolde.

And after this Tiburce, in good entente, With Valerian to pope Urban he wente, 350

That thanked G.o.d; and with glad herte and light He cristned him, and made him in that place Parfit in his lerninge, G.o.ddes knight.

And after this Tiburce gat swich grace, That every day he saugh, in tyme and s.p.a.ce, 355 The angel of G.o.d; and every maner bone That he G.o.d axed, it was sped ful sone.

355. E. saugh; Hl. say.

It were ful hard by ordre for to seyn How many wondres Iesus for hem wroghte; But atte laste, to tellen short and pleyn, 360 The sergeants of the toun of Rome hem soghte, And hem biforn Almache the prefect broghte, Which hem apposed, and knew al hir entente, And to the image of Iupiter hem sente,

363. Hl. apposed; _the rest _opposed, _wrongly._

And seyde, 'who so wol nat sacrifyse, 365 Swap of his heed, this is my sentence here.'

Anon thise martirs that I yow devyse, Oon Maximus, that was an officere Of the prefectes and his corniculere, Hem hente; and whan he forth the seintes ladde, 370 Him-self he weep, for pitee that he hadde.

366. E. Cm. Hl. _omit_ is.

[521: T. 15840-15872.]

Whan Maximus had herd the seintes lore, He gat him of the tormentoures leve, And ladde hem to his hous withoute more; And with hir preching, er that it were eve, 375 They gonnen fro the tormentours to reve, And fro Maxime, and fro his folk echone The false feith, to trowe in G.o.d allone.

373. E. Hn. Pt. Ln. tormentours.

Cecilie cam, whan it was woxen night, With preestes that hem cristned alle y-fere; 380 And afterward, whan day was woxen light, Cecile hem seyde with a ful sobre chere, 'Now, Cristes owene knightes leve and dere, Caste alle awey the werkes of derknesse, And armeth yow in armure of brightnesse. 385

382. E. Hn. Hl. ful stedefast; Cm. ful sobere; Cp. Pt. Ln. sobre.

384. Cp. Pt. Casteth; _rest_ Cast.

Ye han for sothe y-doon a greet bataille, Your cours is doon, your feith han ye conserved, Goth to the corone of lyf that may nat faille; The rightful Iuge, which that ye han served, Shall yeve it yow, as ye han it deserved.' 390 And whan this thing was seyd as I devyse, Men ladde hem forth to doon the sacrifyse.

392. E. Hn. Cm. ledde.

But whan they weren to the place broght, To tellen shortly the conclusioun, They nolde encense ne sacrifice right noght, 395 But on hir knees they setten hem adoun With humble herte and sad devocioun, And losten bothe hir hedes in the place.

Hir soules wenten to the king of grace.

398. E. Hn. Cm. heuedes; _rest_ hedes.

This Maximus, that saugh this thing bityde, 400 With pitous teres tolde it anon-right, That he hir soules saugh to heven glyde With angels ful of cleernesse and of light, And with his word converted many a wight; [522: T. 15873-15905.]

For which Almachius dide him so to-bete 405 With whippe of leed, til he his lyf gan lete.

400. E. saugh; Hn. Cp. Hl. say. 404. E. this; _rest_ his. 405. E.

Hn. Cm. Hl. so bete; Cp. Pt. Ln. so to-bete. 406. E. the; _rest_ his.

Cecile him took and buried him anoon By Tiburce and Valerian softely, Withinne hir burying-place, under the stoon.

And after this Almachius hastily 410 Bad his ministres fecchen openly Cecile, so that she mighte in his presence Doon sacrifyce, and Iupiter encense.

But they, converted at hir wyse lore, Wepten ful sore, and yaven ful credence 415 Unto hir word, and cryden more and more, 'Crist, G.o.ddes sone withouten difference, Is verray G.o.d, this is al our sentence, That hath so good a servant him to serve; This with o voys we trowen, thogh we sterve!' 420

418. E. _omits_ al.

Almachius, that herde of this doinge, Bad fecchen Cecile, that he might hir see, And alderfirst, lo! this was his axinge, 'What maner womman artow?' tho quod he.

'I am a gentil womman born,' quod she. 425 'I axe thee,' quod he, 'thogh it thee greve, Of thy religioun and of thy bileve.'

424. Cp. Pt. Ln. tho; _rest omit._

'Ye han bigonne your question folily,'

Quod she, 'that wolden two answeres conclude In oo demande; ye axed lewedly.' 430 Almache answerde unto that similitude, 'Of whennes comth thyn answering so rude?'

'Of whennes?' quod she, whan that she was freyned, 'Of conscience and of good feith unfeyned.'

Almachius seyde, 'ne takestow non hede 435 Of my power?' and she answerde him this-- 'Your might,' quod she, 'ful litel is to drede; [523: T. 15906-15937.]

For every mortal mannes power nis But lyk a bladdre, ful of wind, y-wis.

For with a nedles poynt, whan it is blowe, 440 May al the boost of it be leyd ful lowe.'

436. Hn. Hl. this; Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. thus; E. _omits._

'Ful wrongfully bigonne thou,' quod he, 'And yet in wrong is thy perseveraunce; Wostow nat how our mighty princes free Han thus comanded and maad ordinaunce, 445 That every cristen wight shal han penaunce But-if that he his cristendom withseye, And goon al quit, if he wol it reneye?'

'Your princes erren, as your n.o.bley dooth,'

Quod tho Cecile, 'and with a wood sentence 450 Ye make us gilty, and it is nat sooth; For ye, that knowen wel our innocence, For as muche as we doon a reverence To Crist, and for we bere a cristen name, Ye putte on us a cryme, and eek a blame. 455

451. E. Hn. Cm. _omit_ it.

But we that knowen thilke name so For vertuous, we may it nat withseye.'

Almache answerde, 'chees oon of thise two, Do sacrifyce, or cristendom reneye, That thou mowe now escapen by that weye.' 460 At which the holy blisful fayre mayde Gan for to laughe, and to the Iuge seyde,

'O Iuge, confus in thy nycetee, Woltow that I reneye innocence, To make me a wikked wight?' quod she; 465 'Lo! he dissimuleth here in audience, He stareth and woodeth in his advertence!'

To whom Almachius, 'unsely wrecche, Ne woostow nat how far my might may strecche?

467. E. and he; _rest omit_ he.

[524: T. 15938-15972.]

Han noght our mighty princes to me yeven, 470 Ye, bothe power and auctoritee To maken folk to dyen or to liven?

Why spekestow so proudly than to me?'

'I speke noght but stedfastly,' quod she, 'Nat proudly, for I seye, as for my syde, 475 We haten deedly thilke vyce of pryde.

475. E. speke; _rest_ seye.

And if thou drede nat a sooth to here, Than wol I shewe al openly, by right, That thou hast maad a ful gret lesing here.

Thou seyst, thy princes han thee yeven might 480 Bothe for to sleen and for to quiken a wight; Thou, that ne mayst but only lyf bireve, Thou hast non other power ne no leve!

But thou mayst seyn, thy princes han thee maked Ministre of deeth; for if thou speke of mo, 485 Thou lyest, for thy power is ful naked.'

'Do wey thy boldnes,' seyde Almachius tho, 'And sacrifyce to our G.o.ddes, er thou go; I recche nat what wrong that thou me profre, For I can suffre it as a philosophre; 490

487. Hl. lewednes; _rest_ boldnesse.