The Reeve's Tale
Folio 60v
2 of 13 folios
With Ioħn þe clerk þat waked hadde al þe night
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And with þe falle out of hir sleep sche brayde
Help holy cros of bromeholm sche sayde
In manus tuas lord to þe I calle
Awake Symond þe feend is on me falle
Myn herte is broken help I nam but ded
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Ther liþ on vp my wombe and vp myn heed
Help Symkyn for þe false clerkes fighte
This Ioħn starte vp as fast as euer he mighte
And grasped by þe walles to and fro
To fynde a staf and sche stert vp also
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And knew þe estris bet þan did þat Ioħn
And by þe wal astaf sche fond anon
And saugh a litel schymeryng of a light /
For at an hole in schoon þe moone bright
And by þat light sche saugh hem boþe tuo
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But sikerly sche nyste who was who /
But as sche saugh a whit þing in hir eye
And whan sche gan þis white þing aspye
Sche wende þe clerk had wered a voluper
And wiþ þe staf sche drough ay ner and ner
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And wende han hitte þis alayn atte fulle
And smot þe meller on þe pilede skulle
That doun he goth and cryed harrow I dye
This clerkes beet him weel and leet him lye
And greyþen hem and tooke here hors anon
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And eek here mele and on here wey þey goon
And atte Mille yet þai toke here cake /
Of half a busschel flour ful wel y bake
Thus is þe proude Meller wel y bete
And haþ y lost þe gryndyng of þe whete /
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And payed for þe soper euery dele /
Of Alayn and of Ioħn þat bette him weel
His wyf is swyued and his doughter als /
Lo swich it is a mellere to be fals
And þerfore þis prouerbe is seyd ful soth