7 GEOFFREY CHAUCER 44 And shame it is, if a preest take keep," 46 45 And leet his sheep encombrèd in the myre, 48 But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, [From THE PROLOGUE to the CANTERBURY TALES.] 2 THE PRIORESSES TALE THER was in Asie, in a gret citee, Hateful to Crist, and to his compagnye: And thurgh the strete men mighten ride or wende For it was free, and open at eyther ende. 44 heed 45 contemptuous. 46 overbearing. 47 haughty. 48 over fine. A litel scole of Cristen folk ther stood Doun at the ferther ende, in which ther were Children an heep, y-comen of Cristen blood, That lernèd in that scole yeer by yere, Swiche manere doctrine as men used there: This is to seyn, to singen and to rede, As smale children doon in hir childhede. Among thise children was a widwes sone, As him was taught, to knele adoun, and seye, Thus hath this widwe hir litel sone y-taught Our blisful Lady, Cristes moder dere, To worship ay, and he forgat it naught: For sely childe wol alday sone lere. But ay, whan I remembre on this matere, Seint Nicholas stant ever in my presence, For he so yong to Crist did reverence. This litel child his litel book lerninge, And, as he dorste, he drough him ner and ner, Til he the firste vers coude al by rote. Noght wiste he what this latin was to saye, For he so yong and tendre was of age; But on a day his felaw gan he preye 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 knees bare. His felaw, which that elder was than he, Answerde him thus: "This song, I have herd seye, Was makèd of our blisful Lady fre, Hir to salue, and eek hir for to preye To ben our help, and socour whan we deye. "And is this song makèd in reverence Of Cristes moder?" said this Innocent. "Now certes I wol do my diligence To conne it all or Cristemasse be went, His felaw taughte him homward prively As I have seyd, thurghout the Iewerye This litel child, as he cam to and fro, Ful merily than wold he singe, and crye 66 "O Alma redemptoris" ever-mo: The swetnes hath his herte percèd so Our firste foo, the serpent Sathanas, 1 scolded. Fro thennes forth the Iewes han conspyrèd An homicyde there-to han they hyrèd, And as the child gan forthby for to pace, I say that in a wardrobe they him threwe, "O martyr, souded in virginitee! Now mayst thou singen, and folwen ever in on "Of which the gret Evangelist, Seint John In Pathmos wrote, which sayth that they that goon This poure widwe awaiteth al that night That he last seyn was in the Iewerye. With modres pitee in hir brest enclosèd She gooth, as she were half out of hir mynde, 2 seized. She freyneth and she preyeth pitously O grete God, that parformest thy laude So loude, that all the place gan to ringe. The Cristen folk that thurgh the strete wente, In coomen, for to wondre upon this thing: And hastily they for the Provost sente. He cam anon withouten tarying, And herieth3 Crist, that is of heven king, And eek his moder, honour of mankynd, And after that the Lewes let he bynde. This child with pitous lamentacioun Up-taken was, singing his song alway: And with honour and gret processioun, They carien him unto the next abbay. His moder swowning by the bere lay; Unnethe might the peple that was there This newe Rachel bringe fro his bere. With torment and with shamful deth eche on This Provost doth thise Lewes for to sterve, That of this morder wiste, and that anon; He nolde no swiche cursednesse observe: Yvil shal he have, that yvil wol deserve. Therfor with wilde hors he dide hem drawe, And after that he heng hem by the lawe. 3 praise. |