The Miller's Tale
Folio 30v
4 of 18 folios
As clerkes ben ful sotil and ful queynt
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And piuely he caught hir by the queynt
And seide I wis but I haue my wille
Of derne loue of the lemman I spille
And held hir hard by the haunche bones
And seyde loue me lemman at ones
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Ar I wol dyen al so god me saue
And she sprong as a colt doth in the traue
And wyth hir heed she wryed fast aweye
She seide I wol not kesse yow by my feye
Whi lat be that quod she lat be Nicholas
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Or I wol crye out harrow and allas
Do way your handes for your curtesye
¶ This Nicholas gan mercy for to crye
And spak so faire and profered him so fast
That she hir loue graunt him at last
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And swore hir othe by seint thomas of kent
That she wolde be al at his commaundement
When that she myght hir leiser wel espye
Myn housbond is so ful of Ialousye
But that ye waite wel and be piuee
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I wot ryght wel y nam but ded quod she
Ye most be ful dern as in this cas
¶ Nay ther of care yow noght quod hend Nicholas
A clerk had litherly biset his while
But yif he couthe a carpenter bygyle
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And thus thei ben acorded and I sworn
To waite a tyme as I haue seide biforn
¶ Whan Nicholas had doon this euerydel
And thakked hir aboute hir lendes wel
He kist hir swete and taketh his sawtrye
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And pleyeth fast and maketh melodye
¶ Than fil it thus that to the parysh chirche
Cristes owne werkes for to worche
This good wyf went on an holy day
Hir forhed shone as bryght as eny day
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So was it wesshen whan that she laft hir werke
¶ Now was ther of the parysh chirche a clerk
The which that cleped was absolon