In as moche as I maked you aferd

Whan I you hente and brought out of your yerd;

But, Sire, I did it in no wikke entente:

Come doun, and I fhal tell you what I mente: 15430

I fhal fay fothe to you, God helpe me fo.

Nay than, quod he, I fhrewe us bothe two;

15435

And first I shrewe myself bothe blood and bones
If thou begile me oftener than ones::
Thou shalt no more thurgh thy flaterie
Do me to fing and winken with myn eye,
For he that winketh whan he fhulde fee,
Al wilfully, God let him never the.

Nay, quod the fox, but God yeve him mefchance That is so indifcrete of governance

I5440
That jangleth whan that he fhuld hold his pees.
Lo, which it is for to be reccheles

And negligent, and trust on flaterie.
But

ye that holden this Tale a folie,
As of a fox, or of a cok or hen, :
Taketh the moralitee therof, good men;

For Seint Poule fayth, that all that writen is
To our doctrine it is ywriten ywis.

Taketh the fruit, and let the chaf be stille. ‚'

15445

Now, goode God, if that it be thy wille, 15450 As fayth my Lord, fo make us all good men, And bring us to thy highe blisse. Amen.

. 15451. As fayth my Lord] Oppofite to this verfe in the margin of mf. C. 1, is written kantuar, which means, I suppose, that fome archbishop of Canterbury is quoted.

Sire Nonnes Preeft, our Hofte fayd anon,
Ybleffed be thy breche and every fton;
This was a mery Tale of Chaunteclere :
But by my trouthe if thou were feculere
Thou woldest ben a tredefoule a right,
For if thou have corage as thou haft might
Thee were nede of hennes, as I wene,
Ye mo than feven times feventené.
Se whiche braunes hath this gentil Preeft,
So gret a necke, and fwiche a large breeft!
He loketh as a fparhauk with his eyen;
Him nedeth not his colour for to dien
With Brafit ne with grain of Portingale,

But, Sire, faire falle you for your Tale. And after that he with ful mery chere Sayd to another as ye fhulen here. 1***

.15468. Sayd to another] I have obferved, in the Dif course, c. 37, that in mff. Afk. 1, 2, this line is read thus;

Seide unto the Nunne as ye hul heer,

The following are the fix forged lines which the fame mff, exhibit by way of introduction to The Nonnie's Tale;

Madame, and I dorfte I wolde your pray

To telle a Tale in fortheringe of our way;
Than mighte ye do unto us grete efe.
Gladly, Sire, quoth the, fo that I might plefe

You and this worthy company;

And began hir Tale riht thus ful fubṛely,

THE SECOND NONNES TALE.

THE miniftre and the norice unto vices,

Which that men clepe in English Idelneffe, 15470
That porter at the gate is of Delices,

To efchuen, and by hire contrary hire oppresse,
That is to fain, by leful befineffe,

Wel oughte we to don al our entente,

Left that the fend thurgh idelneffe us hente. 15475
For he that with his thousand cordes flie

Continuelly us waiteth to beclappe,
Whan he may man in idelneffe efpie,
He can fo lightly cacche him in his trappe,
Til that a man be hent right by the lappe
He n'is not ware the fend hath him in hond:
Wel ought us werche and idelneffe withstond.

And though men dradden never for to die,
Yet fee men wel by refon douteles

That idelneffe is rote of flogardie,

Of which ther never cometh no good encrees,
And fee that flouthe holdeth hem in a lees,
Only to flepe and for to ete and drinke,
And to devouren all that other fwinke.

And for to put us from fwiche idelneffe,
That caufe is of fo gret confufion,
I have here don my feithful befineffe,
After the legende, in tranflation
Right of thy glorious lif and paffion,

15480

15485

15490

The Second Nonnes Tale] The life and death of Saint Cecily. Sp.

Thou with thy gerlond wrought of rose and lilie,
Thee mene I, maid and martir, Seinte Cecilie. 15496
And thou, that arte floure of virgines all,
Of whom that Bernard lift fo wel to write,
To thee at my beginning first I call,

Thou comfort of us wretches, do me endite

15500

Thy maidens deth, that wan thurgh hire merite
The eternal lif, and over the fend victorie,
As man may after reden in hire ftorie.

Thou maide and mother, doughter of thy fon,
Thou wel of mercy, finful foules cure,

In whom that God of bountee chees to won;
Thou humble and high over every creature,
Thou nobledeft fo fer forth our nature,

That no defdaine the maker had of kinde

15505

His fon in blood and flesh to clothe and winde. 15510
Within the cloyilre blisful of thy fides

Toke mannes shape the eternal Love and Pees,
That of the trine compas Lord and gide is,
Whom erthe, and fee, and heven, out of relees
Ay herien; and thou virgine wemmeles
Bare of thy body (and dwelteft maiden pure)
The creatour of every creature.

15515

V. 15514. out of relees] All the beft mff. concur in this reading, and therefore i have followed them, though I confess that I do not clearly understand the phrase, unless perhaps it mean without release, without being ever releafed from their duty. The common reading withoutenlees is a genuine Saxon phrate; butan leas, abfque falfo, without a lie.

Volume V

D

Affembled is in thee magnificence

With mercy, goodneffe, and with fwiche pitee
That thou, that art the fonne of excellence, 15520
Not only helpeft hem that praien thee,

But oftentime of thy benignitee

Ful freely, or that men thin helpe befeche,
Thou goeft beforne and art hir lives leche.

15526

Now helpe, thou meke and blisful faire maide,
Me flemed wretch, in this defert of galle;
Thinke on the woman Cananee, that faide
That whelpes eten fom of the cromes alle
That from hir lordes table ben yfalle;
And though that I, unworthy fone of Eve,
Be finful, yet accepteth my beleve.›

15530

15535

And for that leith is ded withouten werkes,
So for to werken yeve me wit and space
That I be quit from thennes that most derke is:
O thou! that art fo faire and ful of grace,
Be thou min advocat in that high place,
Ther as withouten ende is fonge Ofanne,
Thon Criftes mother, doughter dere of Anne.
And of thy light my foule in prifon light,
That troubled is by the contagion

15540

. 15518 Ambled is] This ftanza is very like one in 'The Priereffes Tale, ver. 1 3403-13410.

. 15530. fone of Eve] See the Difcourfe, Ti. § 37, n. 30. V. 15536. Be thou min advocat] have no better authority for the infertion of thou than cd. Urr; the metre perhaps might be safe without it, (confidering bigbe as a dilyllable) but the verfe would be very rough.