The teres from his eyen let he falle;
“Almyghty Lord, O Jhesu Crist,” quoth he,
“Sower of chaste counseil, shepherd of alle,
The fruyt of that same seed of chastitee
That thou hast sown in Cecilie, tak to thee;
Loo, lik a busy bee withouten gyle
Thee serveth ay thin owne thral Cecile.

“For this same spouse, that she took righte now
Ful lyk a fiers lyoun, she sendeth here
As meek as ever was eny lamb to you.”
And with that word anon ther gan appere
An old man, clad in white clothes clere,
That had a book with lettres of gold in honde,
And gan bifore Valirian to stonde.

Valirian, as deed, fel doun for drede,
Whan he him saw; and he him up caught so,
And on his book right thus he gan to rede;

“One Lord, one feith, one God withouten mo,
One Christendom, and one father of alle also,
Aboven alle, and over alle every where;”
These wordes al with golde ywriten were.

When this was redde, than sayde this olde man.
“Bileevest thou this or no? say ye or naye.”
“I bileeve al this thyng,” quoth Valerian,
“For truer thyng than this, I dare wel say,
Under the hevene no wighte thynken maye.”
Then vanysshed the olde man, he knew not where,
And pope Urban him cristenede right there.

Valirian goth, and findeth Cecilie
Withinne his chambre with an aungel stonde
This aungel had of roses and of lilie
Coroúnes two, the which he bare in honde.
And first to Cecilie, as I understonde,
He gave the one, and after gave straighte
That other to Valerian hir mate.

“With body clene, and with unspotted thought,
Kepe ye ay wel these córounes,” quothe he,
“Fro paradys to you I have them brought,
Ne never more shal they withered be,
Ne lose their sweete savour, truste me,
Ne never wight shal see them with his eye,
Save he be chast, and hate vilonye.

“And thou, Valirian, for thou so soon
Assentedist to good counseil, also
Say what thee list, and thou shalt have thi boone.”
“I have a brother,” quoth Valirian,
“More in this world I love no other man,
I pray you that my brother may have grace
To knowe the truthe, as I do in this place.”

The aungel sayde, “God liketh thy request,
And bothe with the palme of martirdom
Ye shallen come unto his blisful feste.”
And with that word, Tiburce his brother he broughte,
And whan that he the savour sweete had caught,
Which that the roses and the lilies cast,
Withinne his hert he gan to wonder fast.

And sayde, “I wondre this tyme of the yeer,
From whence that sweete savour cometh so
Of rose and lilies, that I smelle here;
For though I had them in myn hondes two,
The savour might in me no deeper go.
The swete smel, that in myn hert I fynde,
Hath chaungèd me al in another kynde.”

Valirian sayd, “Two coroúns have we,
Snow-whyt and rose-reed, that shinen cleere,
Whiche that thine eyen have no might to see;
And as thou smellest them thurgh my prayere,
So shalt thou see them, lieve brothere deere,
If it so be thou wilt withouten slouthe
Bilieven aright, and knowen very truthe.”

Tyburce answerde, “Sayst thou thus to me?
In sotheness, or in dream I herken this?”
“In dreames,” quoth Valirian, “have we be
Unto this tyme, brother myn, I wis,
But now at first in truthe oure duellyng is.”
“How knowst thou this,” quoth Tyburce, “and in what wise?”
Quoth Valirian, “That shal I thee devyse.

“The aungel of God hath me the truthe y-taught,
Which thou shalt see, if that thou wilt deneye
The ydols, and be clene, and else not.”
And of the miracles of these córones tweye
Seynt Ambrose in his preface list to seye;
Solemnely this noble doctour deere
Comendeth it, and saith in this maneére.

The palme of martirdom for to receyve,
Seynt Cecilie, fulfilled of God in heven,
The world and eek her marriage gan she leave;
For when Tiburce and Valerian were shriven,
God of his bountee to them two hath geven
Coroúnes two, of floures wel smellýnge,
And made his aungel them the crounes brynge.