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.