The Miller's Prologue
Folio 39v
2 of 2 folios
¶ The Reve answered / and seide stynt thy clape
Late be thyn lewed / dronken harlotrie
It is a synne / and eke a gret folie
To a peyren any man / of his defame
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And eke to brynge wyues / in swicħ name
Thow maist I now / of othere thynges seyn
¶ This dronken Millere / spak ful sone a geyn
And seide / leue brother Oswold
Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold
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But I seye nat þerfore / that þu art on
There ben ful goode wyues / many on
Why art þu angry / with my tale now
I haue a wyf parde / as wel as thow
Ȝet nolde I / for the Oxen in my plougħ
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Taken vp on me / more than I nougħ
As demen on my self / þt I were one
I wol byleue wel / þat I am none
An husbonde / shal nat ben inquesitif
Of goddes preuyte / ne of his wyf
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So he may fynden / goddes foyson there
Of the remenant / nedeth nat enquere
¶ What shulde I more seyn / but þis Millere
He nolde hise wordes / for noman for bere
But told his Cherles tale / in his manere
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Me a thynketh / þt I shal / reherce it here
And therfore / euery gentil wrygħtwygħtwrygħt I pray
Demeth nat / for goddes loue / that I say
Of euele entent / but for I mot reherce
Here tales alle / al be they bet / or werce
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Or elles falsen / som of my matere
And þerfore / wo so list it nat / to here
Turne ouer the lef / and chese a noþer tale
For he shal fynde I nowe / grete & smale
Of storial thyng / that toucheth gentilnesse
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And eke moralite / and holynesse
Blameth nat me / if þat ȝe chese a mys
The Millere is a charl / ȝe knowe wel this
So was the Reve eke / and othere moo
And harlotrie they tolden / bothe two
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A vyseth ȝow / and put me ouȝt of blame
And eke / men shuln nat make / ernest of game