Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Seconde Nonnes Prologue and Tale
=The Prologe of the Seconde Nonnes Tale.
= The ministre and the norice un-to vyces, Which that men clepe in English ydelnesse, That porter of the gate is of delyces, To eschue, and by hir contrarie hir oppresse, That is to seyn, by leveful bisinesse, 5 Wel oghten we to doon al our entente, Lest that the feend thurgh ydelnesse us hente.
7. Hn.
Hl.
hente; E. shente, Pt.
shent, Ln.
schent, _wrongly.
_ For he, that with his thousand cordes slye Continuelly us waiteth to biclappe, Whan he may man in ydelnesse espye, 10 He can so lightly cacche him in his trappe, Til that a man be hent right by the lappe, He nis nat war the feend hath him in honde;
Wel oughte us werche, and ydelnes withstonde.
And though men dradden never for to dye, 15 Yet seen men wel by reson doutelees, That ydelnesse is roten slogardye, Of which ther never comth no good encrees;
And seen, that slouthe hir holdeth in a lees Only to slepe, and for to ete and drinke, 20 And to devouren al that othere swinke.
17. E.
Hn.
Pt.
Ln.
Hl.
roten; Cm.
rote.
18. E.
Hn.
no good nencrees;
Pt.
Ln.
non encrese; Hl.
good encres; Cm.
encrees.
19. Cm.
hire; Pt.
hure; Hn.
Ln.
hir; E. it; Hl.
her.
[510: T.
15490-15520. ] And for to putte us fro swich ydelnesse, That cause is of so greet confusioun, I have heer doon my feithful bisinesse, After the legende, in translacioun 25 Right of thy glorious lyf and passioun, Thou with thy gerland wroght of rose and lilie;
Thee mene I, mayde and martir, seint Cecilie!
27. Hn.
Pt.
of; E. Cm.
Ln.
Hl.
with.
28. Hn.
Cm.
Pt.
Ln.
martir seinte (seint); Hl.
martir; E. mooder.
_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 god, for bountee, chees to wone, Thou humble, and heigh over every creature, Thou nobledest 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.
Assembled 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 space, 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 luste 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 gode 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 noble 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 god 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 god 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 god 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 gode 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 þat 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.
The teres from his yën leet he falle— 190 ‘Almighty lord, o Iesu Crist,’ quod he, ‘Sower of chast conseil, herde of us alle, The fruit of thilke seed of chastitee That thou hast sowe in Cecile, tak to thee!
Lo, lyk a bisy bee, with-outen gyle, 195 Thee serveth ay thyn owene thral Cecile!
190. Ln.
yen; _rest_ eyen, eyhen.
192. E.
Hn.
hierde.
For thilke spouse, that she took but now Ful lyk a fiers leoun, she sendeth here, As meke as ever was any lamb, to yow!
’ And with that worde, anon ther gan appere 200 An old man, clad in whyte clothes clere, That hadde a book with lettre of golde in honde, And gan biforn Valerian to stonde.
197. E.
Hl.
right; _rest_ but.
203. E.
bifore; Hl.
to-forn; _rest_ biforn, biforne, beforne.
Valerian as deed fil doun for drede Whan he him saugh, and he up hente him tho, 205 And on his book right thus he gan to rede— [516: T.
15675-15706. ] ‘Oo Lord, oo feith, oo god with-outen mo, Oo Cristendom, and fader of alle also, Aboven alle and over al everywhere’— Thise wordes al with gold y-writen were.
210 208. E.
Hn.
Cm.
O; Hl.
On; Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
Of.
209. E.
_omits_ and.
Whan this was rad, than seyde this olde man, ‘Levestow this thing or no?
sey ye or nay.
’ ‘I leve al this thing,’ quod Valerian, ‘For sother thing than this, I dar wel say, Under the hevene no wight thinke may.
’ 215 Tho vanisshed the olde man, he niste where, And pope Urban him cristened right there.
210-216. Hl.
_omits_.
214. E.
oother; _rest_ sother.
216. E.
Hn.
Cm.
this; Pt.
that; Cp.
Ln.
the.
217. Hl.
Pt.
cristened; Cm.
cristenede; E. Hn.
Cp.
cristned.
Valerian goth hoom, and fint Cecilie With-inne his chambre with an angel stonde;
This angel hadde of roses and of lilie 220 Corones two, the which he bar in honde;
And first to Cecile, as I understonde, He yaf that oon, and after gan he take That other to Valerian, hir make.
‘With body clene and with unwemmed thoght 225 Kepeth ay wel thise corones,’ quod he;
‘Fro Paradys to yow have I hem broght, Ne never-mo ne shal they roten be, Ne lese her sote savour, trusteth me;
Ne never wight shal seen hem with his yë, 230 But he be chaast and hate vileinyë.
226. E.
three; Hl.
thre; _rest_ quod he.
And thou, Valerian, for thou so sone Assentedest to good conseil also, Sey what thee list, and thou shalt han thy bone.
’ ‘I have a brother,’ quod Valerian tho, 235 ‘That in this world I love no man so.
I pray yow that my brother may han grace To knowe the trouthe, as I do in this place.
’ [517: T.
15707-15737. ] The angel seyde, ‘god lyketh thy requeste, And bothe, with the palm of martirdom, 240 Ye shullen come unto his blisful feste.
’ And with that word Tiburce his brother com.
And whan that he the savour undernom Which that the roses and the lilies caste, With-inne his herte he gan to wondre faste, 245 And seyde, ‘I wondre, this tyme of the yeer, Whennes that sote savour cometh so Of rose and lilies that I smelle heer.
For though I hadde hem in myn hondes two, The savour mighte in me no depper go.
250 The sote smel that in myn herte I finde Hath chaunged me al in another kinde.
’ 251. _The MSS.
have_ swete _here; but in_ l. 247 _we find only _sote, soote, swote, suote, _except_ swete _in_ Pt.
; _in_ l. 229, E.
Hl.
soote; Hn.
swote; Cm.
sote; Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
swete.
Valerian seyde, ‘two corones han we, Snow-whyte and rose-reed, that shynen clere, Whiche that thyn yën han no might to see; 255 And as thou smellest hem thurgh my preyere, So shaltow seen hem, leve brother dere, If it so be thou wolt, withouten slouthe, Bileve aright and knowen verray trouthe.
’ Tiburce answerde, ‘seistow this to me 260 In soothnesse, or in dreem I herkne this?
’ ‘In dremes,’ quod Valerian, ‘han we be Unto this tyme, brother myn, y-wis.
But now at erst in trouthe our dwelling is.
’ ‘How woostow this,’ quod Tiburce, ‘in what wyse?
’ 265 Quod Valerian, ‘that shal I thee devyse.
The angel of god hath me the trouthe y-taught Which thou shalt seen, if that thou wolt reneye The ydoles and be clene, and elles naught.
’— [518: T.
15738-15769. ] And of the miracle of thise corones tweye 270 Seint Ambrose in his preface list to seye;
Solempnely this noble doctour dere Commendeth it, and seith in this manere: 267. E.
Ln.
Hl.
_omit_ the.
273. E.
hym; _rest_ it.
The palm of martirdom for to receyve, Seinte Cecile, fulfild of goddes yifte, 275 The world and eek hir chambre gan she weyve;
Witnes Tyburces and Valerians shrifte, To whiche god of his bountee wolde shifte Corones two of floures wel smellinge, And made his angel hem the corones bringe: 280 277. _The MSS.
have_ Cecilies, _wrongly_ (for Valerians); Lat.
_text_—Ualeriani; cf.
l.
281. The mayde hath broght thise men to blisse above;
The world hath wist what it is worth, certeyn, Devocioun of chastitee to love.
— Tho shewede him Cecile al open and pleyn That alle ydoles nis but a thing in veyn; 285 For they been dombe, and therto they been deve, And charged him his ydoles for to leve.
281. E.
Hn.
_omit_ thise; _the rest retain it, except_ Cm.
, _which has_ brought hem to blysse.
284. Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
_omit_ al. ‘Who so that troweth nat this, a beste he is,’ Quod tho Tiburce, ‘if that I shal nat lye.
’ And she gan kisse his brest, that herde this, 290 And was ful glad he coude trouthe espye.
‘This day I take thee for myn allye,’ Seyde this blisful fayre mayde dere;
And after that she seyde as ye may here: 288. E.
Hn.
Pt.
beest; Hl.
best; Cm.
Cp.
Ln.
beste.
