Continue reading with a SparkNotes PLUS trial

Original Text

Modern Text

This carpenter to blessen him bigan, And seyde, ‘help us, seinte Frideswyde! A man woot litel what him shal bityde. This man is falle, with his astromye, In som woodnesse or in som agonye; I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be! Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes privetee. Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed man, That noght but oonly his bileve can! So ferde another clerk with astromye; He walked in the feeldes for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit y-falle; He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas, Me reweth sore of hende Nicholas. He shal be rated of his studying, If that I may, by Iesus, hevene king! This carpenter to blessen him bigan, And seyde, ‘help us, seinte Frideswyde! A man woot litel what him shal bityde. This man is falle, with his astromye, In som woodnesse or in som agonye; I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be! Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes privetee. Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed man, That noght but oonly his bileve can! So ferde another clerk with astromye; He walked in the feeldes for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit y-falle; He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas, Me reweth sore of hende Nicholas. He shal be rated of his studying, If that I may, by Iesus, hevene king!
Get me a staf, that I may underspore, Whyl that thou, Robin, hevest up the dore. He shal out of his studying, as I gesse’— And to the chambre-dore he gan him dresse. His knave was a strong carl for the nones, And by the haspe he haf it up atones; In-to the floor the dore fil anon. This Nicholas sat ay as stille as stoon, And ever gaped upward in-to the eir. This carpenter wende he were in despeir, And hente him by the sholdres mightily, And shook him harde, and cryde spitously, ‘What! Nicholay! what, how! what! loke adoun! Awake, and thenk on Cristes passioun; I crouche thee from elves and fro wightes!’ Ther-with the night-spel seyde he anon-rightes On foure halves of the hous aboute, And on the threshfold of the dore with-oute:— Get me a staf, that I may underspore, Whyl that thou, Robin, hevest up the dore. He shal out of his studying, as I gesse’— And to the chambre-dore he gan him dresse. His knave was a strong carl for the nones, And by the haspe he haf it up atones; In-to the floor the dore fil anon. This Nicholas sat ay as stille as stoon, And ever gaped upward in-to the eir. This carpenter wende he were in despeir, And hente him by the sholdres mightily, And shook him harde, and cryde spitously, ‘What! Nicholay! what, how! what! loke adoun! Awake, and thenk on Cristes passioun; I crouche thee from elves and fro wightes!’ Ther-with the night-spel seyde he anon-rightes On foure halves of the hous aboute, And on the threshfold of the dore with-oute:—

Original Text

Modern Text

This carpenter to blessen him bigan, And seyde, ‘help us, seinte Frideswyde! A man woot litel what him shal bityde. This man is falle, with his astromye, In som woodnesse or in som agonye; I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be! Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes privetee. Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed man, That noght but oonly his bileve can! So ferde another clerk with astromye; He walked in the feeldes for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit y-falle; He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas, Me reweth sore of hende Nicholas. He shal be rated of his studying, If that I may, by Iesus, hevene king! This carpenter to blessen him bigan, And seyde, ‘help us, seinte Frideswyde! A man woot litel what him shal bityde. This man is falle, with his astromye, In som woodnesse or in som agonye; I thoghte ay wel how that it sholde be! Men sholde nat knowe of Goddes privetee. Ye, blessed be alwey a lewed man, That noght but oonly his bileve can! So ferde another clerk with astromye; He walked in the feeldes for to prye Upon the sterres, what ther sholde bifalle, Til he was in a marle-pit y-falle; He saugh nat that. But yet, by seint Thomas, Me reweth sore of hende Nicholas. He shal be rated of his studying, If that I may, by Iesus, hevene king!
Get me a staf, that I may underspore, Whyl that thou, Robin, hevest up the dore. He shal out of his studying, as I gesse’— And to the chambre-dore he gan him dresse. His knave was a strong carl for the nones, And by the haspe he haf it up atones; In-to the floor the dore fil anon. This Nicholas sat ay as stille as stoon, And ever gaped upward in-to the eir. This carpenter wende he were in despeir, And hente him by the sholdres mightily, And shook him harde, and cryde spitously, ‘What! Nicholay! what, how! what! loke adoun! Awake, and thenk on Cristes passioun; I crouche thee from elves and fro wightes!’ Ther-with the night-spel seyde he anon-rightes On foure halves of the hous aboute, And on the threshfold of the dore with-oute:— Get me a staf, that I may underspore, Whyl that thou, Robin, hevest up the dore. He shal out of his studying, as I gesse’— And to the chambre-dore he gan him dresse. His knave was a strong carl for the nones, And by the haspe he haf it up atones; In-to the floor the dore fil anon. This Nicholas sat ay as stille as stoon, And ever gaped upward in-to the eir. This carpenter wende he were in despeir, And hente him by the sholdres mightily, And shook him harde, and cryde spitously, ‘What! Nicholay! what, how! what! loke adoun! Awake, and thenk on Cristes passioun; I crouche thee from elves and fro wightes!’ Ther-with the night-spel seyde he anon-rightes On foure halves of the hous aboute, And on the threshfold of the dore with-oute:—