The Reeve's Prologue
Folio 41v
1 of 2 folios
For euery clerk / anon right / heeld with oother
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They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue broother
And euery wigħt gan laughen of this stryf
Thus / swyued was / this Carpenteris wyf
For al his kepyng and his Ialousye
And Absolon / hath kist hir nether eye
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And Nicholas / is scalded in the towte
This tale is doon / and god saue al the rowte
¶ Heere endeth the Millere his tale ~
¶ The Prologe / of the Reues tale ~
Whan folk had laughen / at this nyce cas
Of Absolon / and hende Nicholas
Diuerse folk / diuersely they seyde
But for the moore part they loughe and pleyde
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Ne at this tale / I saugh no man hym greue
But it were oonly / Osewold the Reue
By cause / he was / of Carpenteris craft
A litel Ire / is in his herte ylaft
He gan to grucche / and blamed it alite
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¶ So theek quod he / ful wel koude I yow quite
With bleryng / of a proud Milleres eye
If that me liste / speke of ribaudye
But ik am oold / me list no pley for Age
Gras tyme is doon / my fodder is now forage
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This white tope / writeth myne olde yeris
Myn herte is mowled also as myne heris
But if I fare / as dooth an Openers
¶ That ilke fruyt / is euerleng the wers
Til it be roten / in Mullok or in stree
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We olde men / I drede so fare we
Til we be roten / kan we nat be rype
We hoppen ay / whil that the world wol pype
For in oure wyl / ther stiketh euere a nayl
To haue an hoor heed / and a grene tayl
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As hath a leek for thogh oure myght be goon
Oure wyl / desireth folie euere in oon
For whan we may nat doon / than wol we speke
Yet in oure Asshen olde / is fyr yreke
¶ Foure gleedes han we / whiche I shal deuyse
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Auauntyng liyng Anger/ Coueitise
Thise foure sparkles / longen vn to eelde
Oure olde lemes / mowe wel been vnweelde