The Reeve's Tale
Folio 45r
7 of 10 folios
Lo whilk a cowplyng is ymel hem alle
A wilde fyr / vp on thair bodyes falle
Wha herkned euere / slyk a ferly thyng
Ye they sal haue / the flour of il endyng
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This lange nygħt / ther tydes me na reste
But yet nafors / al sal be for the beste
For Ioħn seyde he / als euere moot I thryue
If that I may / yon wenche wil I swyue
Som esement has lawe yshapen vs
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For Ioħn / ther is a lawe / that says thus
That gif a man / in a point be ygreued
That in another / he sal be releued
Oure corn is stoln / shortly is ne nay
And we han had / an il fit al this day
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And syn I sal haue neen amendement
Agayn my los / I wil haue esement
By god sale / it sal neen other bee
¶ This Ioħn answerde / Alayn auyse thee
The Miller / is a perilous man he seyde
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And gif that he / out of his sleepe abreyde
He mygħte doon vs / bathe a vileynye
¶ Aleyn answerde / I counte hym nat a flye
And vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte
This wenche lay vp rigħte / and faste slepte
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Til he so ny was / er she mygħte espie
That it had been / to late for to crie
And shortly for to seyn / they were aton
Now pley Aleyn / for I wol speke of Ioħn
This Ioħn lith stille / a furlong wey or two
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And to hym self / he maketh routhe and wo
Allas quod he / this is a wikked Iape
Now may I seyn / that I is but an Ape
Yet has my felawe / som what for his harm
He has / the Milleris doghter / in his Arm
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He auntred hym / and has his nedes sped
And I lye / as a draf sek / in my bed
And whan this Iape is tald another day
I sal been halde a daf a cokenay
I wil arise / and auntre it by my faytħ
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Vnhardy is vnseely / thus men saytħ
And vp he roos / and softely he wente
Vn to the cradel / and in his hand it hente
And baar it softe / vn to the beddes feet
¶ Soone after this / the wyf hir rowtyng leet
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And gan awake / and wente hir out to pisse
And cam agayn / and gan hir cradel mysse
And groped heer and ther / but she foond noon
Allas quod she / I hadde almoost mysgoon