The Miller's Tale
Folio 43r
2 of 19 folios
10
Whan þat men schuld han drought or ellys schoures /
Or if men axed him what schulde bifalle
Of euery þing I may nouȝt reken hem alle
This clerk was cleped heende Nicholas
Of derne loue he cowde and of solas
15
And þer wiþ he was sleigh and ful priue
And lik amayden meke for to se
A chambir had he in his hostillerye
Alone wiþouten eny compaignye
Ful fetisly I digħt with herbes soote /
20
And he himself as swete as is þe roote
Of lokorys or eny Cetewale
His almagest and bookes gret and smale
His astrylabe longyng for his art
His augrym stoones leyen fair a part
25
On schelues couched at his beddes heed
His presse I couered wiþ a faldyng reed
And al aboue þer lay a gay Sawtrye
On which he made a nightes melodye
So swetely þat al þe chambur rang
30
And angelus ad viginem he sang
And after þat he sang þe kynges note
Ful often blissed was his mery þrote
And þus þis sweete clerk his tyme spente
After his frendes fyndyng and his rente
35
This carpenter had weddid newe a wyf
Which þat he loued more þan his lyf
Of eyȝteteene ȝeer sche was of age
Gelous he was and heeld hir narwe in cage
For sche was wilde & ȝong and he was old
40
And demed himself be lik a Cokewold
He knew nat Catoū for his wit was rude
That bad man schulde wedde his similitude
Men schulde wedde aftir here astaat
For eelde and ȝouþe ben often at debaat
45
But syn þat he was brouȝt in to þe snare
He moste endure as oþere doon his care
Fair was þe ȝonge wyf and þer wiþ al