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From The Prioress's Tale, lines 113-133:
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From The Canterbury Tales:
The Prioress's Tale
lines 134-154: The boy's mother searches for him


       This poure wydwe awaiteth al that nyght
135After hir litel child, but he cam noght;
For which, as soone as it was dayes light,
With face pale of drede and bisy thoght,
She hath at scole and elleswhere hym soght,
Til finally she gan so fer espie,
140That he last seyn was in the Jewerie.
       This widow poor awaited all that night
135Her child's return to her, but be came not;
For which, so soon as it was full daylight,
With pale face full of dread, and busy thought,
At school she sought and everywhere she sought,
Until, at last, from all her questioning she
140Learned that he last was seen in the Jewry.

With moodres pitee in hir brest enclosed,
She gooth, as she were half out of hir mynde,
To every place where she hath supposed
By liklihede hir litel child to finde;
145And evere on Cristes mooder, meeke and kynde
She cride, and atte laste thus she wroghte,
Among the cursed Jewes she hym soghte.
With mother's pity in her breast enclosed
She ran, as she were half out of her mind,
To every place where it might be supposed,
In likelihood, that she her son should find;
145And ever on Christ's Mother meek and kind
She called until, at last, Our Lady wrought
That amongst the cursed Jews the widow sought.

She frayneth, and she preyeth pitously
To every Jew that dwelte in thilke place,
150To telle hir if hir child wente oght forby.
They seyde "nay"; but Jhesu, of his grace,
Yaf in hir thoght, inwith a litel space,
That in that place after hir sone she cryde,
Where he was casten in a pit bisyde.
She asked and she implored, all piteously,
Of every Jew who dwelt in that foul place,
150To tell her where her little child could be.
They answered "Nay." But Jesus, of His grace,
Put in her mind, within a little space,
That after him in that same spot she cried
Where he'd been cast in it, or near beside.





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From The Prioress's Tale, lines 155-168:
The dead boy is found		 Next