How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.
Quote #1
Thou confort of us wrecches, do me endite
Thy maydens deeth, that wan thurgh hir merite
The eterneel lyf, and of the feend victorie,
As man may after reden in hir storie.
(32 – 35)
Here the Second Nun asks the Virgin Mary to help her write the story of Cecilia. The beautiful symmetry of this prayer is that the Nun is asking one holy maiden who won victory over the devil through her merit to help write the story of another holy maiden who did exactly the same and who, just like Mary, was a married virgin.
Quote #2
Thow humble and heigh, over every creature
Thow nobledest so ferforth oure nature,
That no desdeyn the Makere hadde of kynde.
(40 – 43)
The idea that the existence of one holy person can so ennoble the human race that God would choose to save, rather than damn it, is a powerful one. Cecilia, too, enacts this ennobling through the conversions she inspires, which also mean that people are saved rather than damned.
Quote #3
It is to seye in Englissh, 'hevenes lilie'
For pure chaastnesse of virginitee,
Or for she whitnesse hadde of honestee
And grene of conscience, and of good fame
The soote savour, lilie was hir name.
(87 – 91)
Here the narrator uses Cecilia's name to introduce her character's important aspects: chastity, "honestee," which could mean chastity or purity, conscience, and great renown.
Quote #4
Or Cecilie is to seye, 'the wey to blynde,'
For she ensample was by good techynge.
(92 – 93)
By saying that Cecilia served as an example through her good teaching, the narrator combines two possible ways of teaching: 1) through example, and 2) through direct instruction. But in being a good teacher, Cecilia combines both.
Quote #5
Or elles, Cecile, as I writen fynde
Is joyned by a manere conjoynynge
Of 'hevene' and 'Lia' and heere in figurynge
The 'hevene' is set for thought of hoolynesse,
And 'Lia' for hir lastynge bisynesse.
(94 – 98)
Recall that the Second Nun has just preached a mini-sermon against idleness. Therefore her praise of Cecilia's "lastynge bisynesse" has even greater power.
Quote #6
She never cessed, as I writen fynde,
Of hir preyere, and God to love and drede,
bisekynge hym to kepe hir maydenhede.
(124 – 126)
In late classical and medieval Christianity, virgins were thought to be the holiest of the holy. Virginity supposedly conferred special strength upon the bearer, which is why someone like Cecilia, who aspires to be holy, might not want to lose it.
Quote #7
She, ful devout and humble in hir corage,
Under hir robe of gold, that sat ful faire,
Hadde next hir flessh yclad hir in an haire.
(131 – 133)
The hair shirt was something a Christian might wear next to her flesh in order to chafe her skin. This suffering is meant to remind her of Christ's suffering for her. The significance of Cecilia wearing this on her wedding day is that, on a day that is supposed to be pleasurable for her, Cecilia would rather keep Christ's suffering in her mind.
Quote #8
And, for his love that dyde upon a tree,
Every seconde and thridde day she faste,
Ay biddynge in hir orisons ful faste.
(138 – 140)
Here we have an additional aspect of Cecilia's piety. To fast is to abstain from eating food, or to eat very little food, for a period of time. Like the hair shirt Cecilia wears, the discomfort of the fast is meant to remind the Christian of the suffering of Christ. It is also a way for the Christian to sacrifice something (here, food) in the name of Christ who sacrificed for her.
Quote #9
'Sower of chaast conseil, hierde of us alle,
The fruyt of thilke seed of chastitee
That thou hast sowe in Cecile, taak to thee.'
(191 – 193)
Urban calls Valerian the fruit of the "seed of chastity" Christ has planted in Cecilia. An idea that's implicit here is that, although as a virgin Cecilia bears no physical fruit in the form of babies, she can bear spiritual children in converts to Christianity like Valerian.
Quote #10
'Lo, lyk a bisy bee, withouten gile,
Thee serveth ay thyn owene thral Cecile!
For thilke spouse that she took but now
Ful lyk a fiers leoun, she sendeth heere
As meke as evere was any lomb, to yow.'
(195 – 199)
Urban portrays the bulk of Cecilia's work as the taming of a lion. Perhaps he means to refer to Cecilia's uprooting of the pride a nobleman like Valerian might have before his Christian conversion. Now the 'lion' must behave like a 'lamb' – he must follow the shepherd Christ.
Quote #11
'With body clene and with unwemmed thoght
Kepeth ay wel thise corones,' quod he,
'Fro Paradys to yow have I hem broght,
Ne nevere mo ne shal they roten bee,
Ne lese hir soote savour, trusteth me,
Ne nevere wight shal seen hem with his eye
But he be chaast and hate vileynye.'
(225 – 231)
The crowns with which the angel presents Cecilia and Valerian are a symbol of their spiritual beauty. Unlike physical beauty, this virtue can never decay. The crowns also become, like the angel, an effective test of one's spirituality – only those who embrace the true faith can see the crowns, symbolizing the true (as opposed to physical) vision that Christianity gives its converts.
Quote #12
'The palm of martirdom for to receyve
Seinte Cecile, fulfild of Goddes yifte,
The world and eek hire chambre gan she weyve,
Witnesse Tyburces and Valerians shrifte.'
(274 – 277)
As she did previously with Urban, the narrator here praises Cecilia's holiness in the voice of a holy father, Saint Ambrose. As Urban did, Ambrose holds up the conversions Cecilia has effected as the clearest evidence of her holiness.
Quote #13
'The mayde hath broght thise men to blisse above;
The world hath wist what it is worth, certeyn,
Devocioun of chastitee to love.'
(281 – 283)
Again we see a connection between chastity and the ability to win converts. Cecilia's devotion to chastity quite literally effected Valerian's conversion because of Cecilia's need to keep him out of her bed. But the figurative power of chastity lies in the strength and holiness with which it supposedly imbues the bearer.
Quote #14
'Go with thy brother now, and thee baptise,
And make thee clene, so that thou mowe biholde
The aungels face of which thy brother tolde.'
(299 – 301)
"Clene"-ness here refers to freedom from sins, which the sacrament of baptism will wash away. When they are 'clean,' characters in "The Second Nun's Tale" possess a kind of heightened vision that allows them to see things normally invisible to the naked eye.
Quote #15
But on hir knees they setten hem adoun
With humble herte and sad devocioun,
And losten bothe hir hevedes in the place.
Hir soules wenten to the kyng of grace.
(396 – 399)
Compared to the long description of Cecilia's death, Valerian and Tiburtius's martyrdom is rather brief. Nevertheless, we do learn that they go to their maker with humble hearts and sad devotion.
Quote #16
Thre dayes lyved she in this torment,
And nevere cessed hem the feith to teche;
That she hadde fostred, hem she gan to preche.
(537 – 539)
Cecilia knows that these are her last three days on earth, so what she chooses to do with them is indicative of what she believes is most important in life. And Cecilia uses these last three days to preach and teach, indicating that she believes the spreading of the Christian faith through teaching to be her most important role on earth.