The Reeve's Tale
Folio 52v
4 of 12 folios
That dwelten in the halle / of which I seye
Testyf they were / and lusty for to pleye
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And oonly / for hir myrthe and reuerye
Vp on the wardeyn / bisily they crye
To yeue hem leue / but a litel stounde
To go to Mille / and seen hir corn ygrounde
And hardily / they dorste leye hir nekke
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The Millere / sholde noght stelen hem half a pekke
Of corn by sleighte / ne by force hem reue
And atte laste / the wardeyn yaf hem leue
Ioħn highte that oon / and Aleyn highte that oother
Of oon town were they born / þt highte Strother
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Fer in the North / I kan noght telle where
This Aleyn / maketh redy al his gere
And on an hors / the sak he caste anon
Forth gooth Aleyn the clerk. and also Ioħn
With good swerd / and with bokeler by his syde
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Ioħn knew the wey / hym neded no gyde
And at the Mille / the sak adoun he layth
¶ Aleyn spak first alhayl Symkyn in fayth
How fares / thy faire doghter / and thy wyf
¶ Aleyn wel come / quod Symkyn by my lyf
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And Ioħn also / how now / what do ye here
¶ By god quod Ioħn . / Symond nede has na peere
Hym bihoues serue hym self / þt has na swayn
Or ellis / he is a fool / as clerkes sayn
Oure maunciple / I hope he wol be deed
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Swa werkes ay / the wanges in his heed
And ther fore is I come / and eek Alayn
To grynde oure corn / and carie it heem agayn
I pray yow / speed vs heythen / what ye may
¶ It shal be doon / quod Symkyn by my fay
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What wol ye doon / whil þt it is in hande
¶ By god / right by the hoper / wol I stande
Quod Ioħn / and se how the corn gas In
Yet saw I neuere / by my fader kyn
How þt the hoper / wagges til and fra
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¶ Aleyn answerde / Ioħn wiltow swa
Thanne wol I be byneth / by my crown
And se / how þt the mele falles down