The Reeve's Tale
Folio 188v
6 of 13 folios
145
Toward þe fen þere wilde marys renne
And forth wt wehe þor theke & thorw thēne
This mellere gooth a ȝen / no word he seyde
But doth his note & with þe clerkis pleyede
Til þt here corn was wel & fayre groūde
150
And whan þe mele is salkyd & I boūde
This Ioħn goth out & fynt his hors away
And gan to crye harow & weyleaway
Oure hors is lorn aleyn for godys bonys
Step on thȳ foot Aleyn come of atonys
155
Allas oure wardeyn has hese palfrey lorn
This aleyn for gat bothe mele & corn
Al was out of hese mynde hese hosebondrye
What whedir is he gon he gan to crye
The wyf cam lepȳge inward wt a ren
160
Sche seyde alas ȝoure hors goth to þe fen
Wyth wylde marys as faste as sche may go
Vn thank come on hese hand þt bond hym so
And he þt // schulde // bet ere a knyt þe reyne
Allas qd aleyn for crystis peyne
165
Ley doū þyn swerd / & I wele myn al swa
I is ful wyȝt god woot as is a raa
By goddis herte / he schal nat skape vs baþe
Whi ne haddist þu pit þe capyl in þe lathe
Ille hayl aleyn be god þu is a fonne
170
These sely clerkis han ful faste I ronne
Toward þe fen bothe aleyn & ek Ioħn
And whā þe mellere saw þt they were gon
He half a buschel of here flour hath take
And bad hese wif gon knede it in a kake
175
He seyde I trowe þe clerkys were a feryd
Ȝit can a mellere make a clerkys berd
For al here art now lat hē gon here woye
Lo where he goth þt lat þe childerȳ pleye
They gete hȳ not so lyȝtely / be myn croun
180
These sely clerkys rennē vp & doun