The Reeve's Tale
Folio 44r
5 of 10 folios
155
Allas / oure wardeyn / has his palfrey lorn
This Aleyn al forgat bothe Mele and corn
Al was out of his mynde / his housbondrie
What whilk / way is he geen / he gan to crie
¶ The wyf cam lepynge Inward with a ren
160
She seyde allas / youre hors goth to the fen
With wilde mares / as faste as he may go
Vnthank come on his hand / that boond hym so
And he þt bettre / sholde han knyt the reyne
¶ Allas quod Aleyn / for cristes peyne
165
Lay doun thy swerd / and I wil myn alswa
I is ful wight god waat as is a raa
By god herte / he sal nat scape vs bathe
Why nadtow pit the Capul in the lathe
Ilhayl / by god Alayn / thou is a fonne
170
¶ This sely clerkes / han ful faste yronne
To ward the fen / bothe Aleyn and eek Ioħn
¶ And whan the Miller / saugħ þt they were gon
He half a bussħel / of hir flour hath take
And bad his wyf / go knede it in cake
175
He seyde / I trowe the clerkes were aferd
Yet kan a Miller / make a clerkes berd
For al his Art now lat hem goon hir weye
Lo wher they goon / ye lat the children pleye
They gete hym nat so ligħtly / by my croun
180
¶ Thise sely clerkes / rennen vp and doun
W keepe / keepe / stand / stand / Iossa warderere
Ga whistle thou / and I shal kepe hym heere
But xxxxx shortly / til that it was verray nygħt
They koude nat / thogh they do al hir mygħt
185
Hir capul cacche / he ran alwey so faste
Til in a dych / they caughte hym atte laste
Wery and weet as beest is in the reyn
Comth sely Ioħn / and wt hym comth Aleyn
Allas quod Ioħn / the day that I was born
190
Now are we dryue / til hethyng and til scorn
Oure corn is stoln / me wil vs fooles calle
Bathe the wardeyn / and oure felawes alle
And namely / the Miller weylaway
¶ Thus pleyneth Ioħn / as he gooth by the way
195
Toward the Mille / and bayard in his hond
The Miller / sittynge / by the fyr he fond
For it was nyght and forther myghte they nogħt
But for the loue of god / they hym bisogħt
Of herberwe and of ese / as for hir peny
200
¶ The Millere seyde agayn / if ther be eny
Swich as it is / yet shal ye haue youre part
Myn hous is streit but ye han lerned Art