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Canterbury Tales Second Nun Quotes

And though men dradden nevere for to dye,
Yet seen men wel by resoun, doutelees,
That ydelnesse is roten slogardye,
Of which ther nevere comth no good n’ encrees;
And syn that slouthe hire holdeth in a lees
Oonly to slepe, and for to ete and drynke,
And to devouren al that othere swynke.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. The narrator of this tale about the life of Saint Cecelia, the Second Nun, is talking about the dangers posed to the soul by idleness. Even people who never feared death or judgment in the afterlife could reason that no good or profit comes from idleness, she feels. Sloth holds idleness on a leash, allowing her to devour all the gains that others earn from working, she says. The old saying "the devil makes work for idle hands" comes to mind in her warning here about sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

And for to putte us fro swich ydelnesse,
That cause is of so greet confusioun,
I have heer doon my feithful bisynesse
After the legende in translacioun
Right of thy glorious lif and passioun,
Thou with thy gerland wroght with rose and lilie –
Thee meene I, mayde and martyr, Seint Cecilie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. The Second Nun tells how she played her role to prevent the sin of idleness and sloth, the cause of such great ruin. She diligently and faithfully translated the life and suffering of the Roman martyr Saint Cecilia, the subject of her tale.

First wolde I yow the name of Seint Cecilie
Expowne, as men may in hir storie see.
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.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. The Second Nun deals with the interpretation of the name of Cecilia which Brother Jacob of Genoa put in the legend of the virgin martyr. In English her name means "heaven’s lily," the symbol of virgin charity, pure conscience and good reputation.

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 thoght of hoolynesse,
And "Lia" for hire lastynge bisynesse.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. Offering yet another interpretation of the name of Saint Cecilia, the heroine of her tale, the Second Nun says that it may be a joining of "heaven and "Lia." The first word stands for holiness, and the second for constant business. So Cecilia unites holiness with action – remember the Second Nun’s sermon against idleness.

And right so as thise philosophres write
That hevene is swift and round and eek brennynge,
Right so was faire Cecilie the white
Ful swift and bisy evere in good werkynge,
And round and hool in good perseverynge,
And brennynge evere in charite ful brighte.
Now have I yow declared what she highte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Prologue. Cecilia is a very active heroine, a perfect example of the kind of Christian witness and missionary activity we find in the early Christian Church. She is described as always quick and busy in good works and burning in very bright charity.

And whan this mayden sholde unto a man
Ywedded be, that was ful yong of age,
Which that ycleped was Valerian,
And day was comen of hir marriage,
She, ful devout and humble in hir corage,
Under hir robe of gold, that sat ful faire,
Hadde next hire flessh yclad hire in an haire.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. Cecilia is betrothed to a man named Valerian. On the day of her marriage under her robe of gold, she wears a coarse hair shirt next to her skin. These were shirts of rough cloth or animal hair which religious people used to wear to punish themselves and do penance.

I have an aungel which that loveth me,
That with greet love, wher so I wake or sleepe,
Is redy ay my body for to kepe.
And if that he may feelen, out of drede,
That ye me touche, or love in vileynye,
He right anon wol sle yow with the dede,
And in youre yowthe thus ye shullen dye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. On their wedding night Cecilia warns her new husband Valerian that a guardian angel is watching over her virginity. If Valerian touches or loves her lecherously, the angel will immediately slay him in the act and he will die in his youth.

Valerian, corrected as God wolde,
Answerde agayn, "If I shal trusten thee,
Lat me that aungel se and hym biholde;
And if that it a verray angel bee,
Thanne wol I doon as thou hast prayed me;
And if thou love another man, for sothe
Right with this swerd thanne wol I sle yow bothe."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. Valerian is suspicious that his wife Cecilia may be deceiving him when she says that a guardian angel is watching over her. He demands that she let him see the angel. If it is a true angel then he will do as she prays him and love her chastely. But if she loves another, Valerian says he will slay them both with his sword.

"Almyghty Lord, O Jhesu Crist," quod he,
"Sower of chaast conseil, hierde of us alle,
The fruyt of thilke seed of chastitee
That thou hast sowe in Cecile, taak to thee!"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. When Pope Urban is confronted with Valerian’s desire to be baptized into Christianity, he says that the shepherd of us all Jesus Christ sowed the seed of chastity in Cecilia. He describes Valerian as the fruit of that seed. There are a number of metaphors used in this passage.

"O Lord, o feith, o God, withouten mo,
O Cristendom, and Fader of alle also,
Aboven alle and over alle everywhere."
Thise wordes al with gold ywriten were.
Whan this was rad, thanne seyde this olde man,
"Leevestow this thyng or no? Sey ye or nay."
"I leeve al this thyng," quod Valerian,
"For sother thyng than this, I dar wel say,
Under the hevene no wight thynke may."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. The old man reads from the gold-lettered book that there is one Lord, one God, one faith, one Christian Church and one Father of all. He asks Valerian if he believes this, and Valerian replies that he does, immediately recognizing the Christian truths contained in the book. Pope Urban christens right after this.

"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 ye,
But he be chaast and hate vileynye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. Valerian returns home to find Cecilia with her guardian angel. The angel has brought two crowns of lilies and roses from Paradise that will never wilt or lose their fragrance. He gives one each to Cecilia and Valerian, telling them to guard them well. Only those who are chaste and who hate evil will see the crowns, the angel says.

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,
To whiche God of his bountee wolde shifte
Corones two of floures wel smellynge,
And made his angel hem the corones brynge.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun’s Tale. The Second Nun is quoting Doctor of the Church, Saint Ambrose, about Saint Cecilia. In order for her to receive the palm of martyrdom, she filled herself completely with God’s gift and gave up worldly things and her bed-chamber. She witnessed the confession of Tiburtius and Valerian and God sending his angel to bring them two crowns of flowers, symbols of their purity through God.
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