| | Of sapience and for her thewis clere | |
| | Or ellis lo this maydens name bright | |
| | Of heuyn and leos comyth of whiche be right | |
| | Men mighte her wel the heuyn of pepil calle | |
| 105 | Ensample of good & wyse workis with alle | |
| | For leos pepil in englissh is forto say | |
| | And right as men may in the heuyn se | |
| | The sonne and mone and sterris euery way | |
| | Right so men gostly in this mayden fre | |
| 110 | Sawyn of feith the grete magnanimite | |
| | And eek the clerenes hool of sapience | |
| | And sondry werkis bright of excellence | |
| | And right so as thyse philosophris wryte | |
| | That heuyn is swift & round & eke brennynge | |
| 115 | Right so was faire Cecily the whyte | |
| | Ful swift and besy in euery good werkyng | |
| | And rounde and hool in good perseuerynge | |
| | And brennynge euer in charite ful bright | |
| | Now haue I declared you what she hight | |
| | ¶ Here endith the Second Nonnys prolog . | |
| | ¶ And here begynneth the tale . | |
| | T | His maiden bright Cecili as her legende saith | |
| | Was comyn of Romayns of nobil kynde | |
| | And from her cradil vp fostrid in the faith | |
| | Of crist and baar his gospel in mynde | |
| | She neuer seced as I writen fynde | |
| 125 | Of her praiere and god to loue and drede | |
| | Besekynge hym to kepe her maydenhede | |
| | And whan this mayde sholde vnto a man | |
