The Reeve's Tale
Folio 189r
7 of 13 folios
Wyth kep kep / stand stand stand Iossa ware þe rere
Ga whystele thow & I schal kepe hȳm here
But schortly til þt it was veray nyght
They coude not Thow they don al here myȝt
185
Here capil cache he ran al wey so faste
Tyl in a dych þey caughte hȳ at þe laste
Wery & wet as beste is in þe reyn
Comyth sely ion & with hȳ comyth aleyn
Allas quod Ioħn þe day þt I was born
190
Now are we dreuyn tyl hethng & to scorn
Oure xxx corn is stole men wele vs folys calle
Boþe þe wardayn & oure felas alle
And namely þe mellere weyleawey
Thus pleynyth Ioħn as he goth by þe wey
195
Toward þe melle / & bayard in hese hond
The mellere sittȳge by þe fyr he fond
For it was nyȝt & ferþere myȝte þey nougħt
But for þe loue of god þey hȳ be sougħt
Of herberwe & of ese for here peny
200
The mellere seyde a geyn ȝif þere be eny
Swich as it is ȝit schal ȝe haue ȝore part
Myn hous is streyt but ȝe hā lernede art
Ȝe cūne wt argumētis make a place
A myle brod of twēty fote of space
205
Let se now ȝif þis space may suffyse
Or make it roū with speche as is ȝore gyse
Now symond seyde Ioħn be seynt Cutbert
Ay art þu merye & þis is fayre answeryd
I haue herd seyd men schal tan of too thȳgis
210
Swich as he fynd or take swich as he brȳgis
But specially I preye þe hoot\t/ deere
Gete vs sū mete & drynk & make vs chere
And we wele paye trewely at þe folle
With emty hand mē may none haukys tolle
215
Lo here oure syluyr / redy for to spēde
This mellere in to þe toūne hese doughtyr sende