The Reeve's Prologue
Folio 54v
2 of 2 folios
¶ Here bygynneþ þe Reeues tale
Whan folk han laughen at þis nyce cas
Of absolon and heende Nicholas
Diuerse folk diuersely þey seyde
But for þe more part þei lougħ and pleyde
5
Ne at þis tale I saugh noman him greeue
But it were oonly Osewold þe Reeue
By cause he was of Carpenteres craft
Alitel Ire is in his herte laft
He gan to grucche and blamen it alite
10
So þe ik qd he ful wel couþe I þe quyte
With bleryng of a proud melleres ye
If þat me liste to speke of Ribaudie
But yk am old me list not pley for age
Gras tyme is don my fodder is forage /
15
This white top writeþ myn olde ȝeres
Myn herte is also mouled as myn heeres
But if I fare as doþ an open ers
That ilke fruyt is euer lengere þe wers
Til it be roten in mullok or in stree /
20
We olde men I drede so fare we
Til we be roten can we nought be ripe
We hoppen alwey whil þe world wil pipe
For in oure wille þer stikeþ euer a naile
To haue an hoor heer and a greene taile
25
As haþ a leek for þougħ oure might be gon
Oure wille desireþ folie euer in oon
For whan we may nought doon þan wole we speke
Yet in oure asschen olde is fyr y reke
Foure gleedes han we whiche I schal deuyse /
30
Auauntyng lyuyng anger couetyse
This foure sparkes longeþ vnto eelde
Oure olde lymes mow wel ben vnwelde
But wil ne schal nat failen þat is soþ