The Miller's Tale
Folio 34v
1 of 15 folios
Of storial thyng that toucheth gentillesse
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And eek moralitee / and hoolynesse
Blameth nat me / if that ye chese amys
The Miller / is a cherl / ye knowe wel this
So was the Reue / and othere manye mo
And harlotrie / they tolden bothe two
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Auyseth yow / putteth me out of blame
And eek men shal nat maken ernest of game
¶ Heere bigynneth the Miller his tale ~
Whilom / ther was dwellynge at Oxenford
A riche gnof / that gestes heeld to bord
And of his craft he was a Carpenter
W hym / ther was dwellynge a poure scoler
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Hadde lerned Art but al his fantasye
Was turned / for to lerne Astrologye
And koude / a certeyn of conclusioūs
To demen / by Interrogacioūs
If þt men asked hym / in certein houres
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Whan þt men sholde haue droghte / or elles shoures
Or if men asked hym / what sholde bifalle
Of euery thyng I may nat rekene hem alle
¶ This clerk was cleped / hende Nicholas
Of deerne loue he koude and of solas
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And ther to / he was sleigh / and ful piuee
And lyk a mayden / meke for to see
A chambre hadde he in that hostelrye
Allone / with outen any compaignye
Ful fetisly ydigħt with herbes swoote
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And he hym self / as sweete as is the roote
Of lycorys / or any Cetewale
His Almageste / and bookes grete and smale
His Astrelabie / longynge for his Art
Hise Augrym stones / layen faire a part
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On shelues / couched at his beddes heed
His persse ycouered / with a faldyng reed
And al aboue / ther lay a gay Sautrie
On which / he made a nyghtes melodie
So swetely / that al the chambre rong
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And Angelus Ad Virginem / he song
And after that he song / the kynges noote
Ful often / blessed was his myrie throte
And thus / this sweete clerk his tyme spente
After his freendes fyndyng and his rente
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¶ This Carpenter hadde wedded newe a wyf
Which that he louede / moore than his lyf