Interpreting the Saint's Name: Medieval Etymological Methods and the "Eskimo Second Nun's Prologue, ll. 85-119"

85: First wolde I yow the name of seint cecilie
86: Expowne, as men may in hir storie see.
87: It is to seye in englissh hevenes lilie,
88: For pure chaastnesse of virginitee;
89: Or, ofr she whitnesse hadde of honestee,
90: And grene of conscience, and of good fame
91: The soote savour, lilie was hir name.
92: Or cecilie is to seye the wey to blynde,
93: For she ensample was by good techynge;
94: Or elles cecile, as I writen fynde,
95: Is joyned, by a manere conjoynynge
96: Of hevene and lia; and heere, in figurynge,
97: The hevene is set for thoght of hoolynesse,
98: And lia for hire lastynge bisynesse.
99: Cecile may eek be seyd in this manere,
100: Wantynge of blyndnesse, for hir grete light
101: Of sapience, and for hire thewes cleere;
102: Or elles, loo, this maydens name bright
103: Of hevene and leos comth, for which by right
104: Men myghte hire wel the hevene of peple calle,
105: Ensample of goode and wise werkes alle.
106: For leos peple in englissh is to seye,
107: And right as men may in the hevene see
108: The sonne and moone and sterres every weye,
109: Right so men goostly in this mayden free
110: Seyen of feith the magnanymytee,
111: And eek the cleernesse hool of sapience,
112: And sondry werkes, brighte of excellence.
113: And right so as thise philosophres write
114: That hevene is swift and round and eek brennynge,
115: Right so was faire cecilie the white
116: Ful swift and bisy evere in good werkynge,
117: And round and hool in good perseverynge,
118: And brennynge evere in charite ful brighte.
119: Now have I yow declared what she highte.