The Reeve's Tale
Folio 44v
6 of 10 folios
Ye konne by Argumentz / make a place
A myle brood / of twenty foot of space
205
Lat se now / if this place may suffise
Or make it rowm with speche / as is youre gise
NOw Symond / seyde Ioħn / by Seint Cutberd
Ay is thou myrie / and this is faire answerd
I haue herd seyd / man sal taa / of twa thynges
210
Slyk as he fyndes / or taa slyk as he brynges
But specially / I pray thee hoost deere
Get vs som mete and drynke / and make vs cheere
And we wil payen / trewely atte fulle
With empty hand / men may none haukes tulle
215
Loo heere oure siluer / redy for to spende
¶ This Miller / in to toun his doghter sende
For Ale and breed / and rosted hem a goos
And boond hir hors / it sholde nat goon loos
And in his owene chambre / hem made a bed
220
With sheetes and with chalons / faire yspred
Noght from his owene bed / ten foot / or twelue
His doghter hadde a bed / al by hir selue
Rigħt in the same chambre / by and by
It myghte be no bet and cause why ;
225
Ther was no rōmer herberwe in the place
They soupen / and they speke hem to solace
And drynke euere / strong Ale atte beste
Aboute mydnygħt wente they to reste
¶ Wel hath this Miller vernyssħed his heed
230
Ful pale he was for dronken / and nat reed
He yexeth / and he speketh / thurgh the nose
As he were / on the quakke / or on the pose
To bedde he goth / and with hym goth his wyf
As any Iay / she light was and Iolyf
235
So was hir ioly whistle wel y wet
The Cradel / at hir beddes feet is set
To rokken / and to yeue the child to sowke
And whan þt dronken / al was in the crowke
To bedde / wente the doghter rigħt anon
240
To bedde wente Aleyn / and also Ioħn
Ther nas namoore / hem neded no dwale
This Miller / hath so wisely bibbed Ale
That as an hors / he fnorteth in his sleepe
Ne of his tayl bihynde / he took no keepe
245
His wyf bar hym a burdon a ful strong
Men mygħte hir rowtyng heere two furlong
The wenche rowteth eek / par compaignye
¶ Aleyn the clerk / that herde this melodye
He poked Ioħn / and seyde slepestow
250
Herdtow euere slyk / a sang er now