The Miller's Tale
Folio 40r
12 of 15 folios
No wonder is / thogh that I swelte and swete
I moorne / as dooth a lamb after the tete
Ywis lemman / I haue swich loue longynge
520
That lik a turtel trewe / is my moornynge
I may nat ete / namoore than a mayde
¶ Go fro the wyndow / Iakke fool she sayde
As help me god / it wol nat be com pame
I loue another / and elles I were to blame
525
Wel bet than thee / by Ihū Absolon
Go forth thy wey / or I wol caste a ston
And lat me slepe / a twenty deuelwey
¶ Allas quod Absolon / and weylawey
That trewe loue / was euere so yuel biset
530
Thanne kys me / syn it may be no bet
For Ihūs loue / and for the loue of me
¶ Wiltow thanne / go thy wey quod she ;
¶ Ye certes lemman / quod this Absolon
¶ Thanne make thee redy quod she I come anon
And vn to Nicholas / she seyde stille
Now hust and thou shalt laughen al thy fille
535
¶ This Absolon / doun sette hym on his knees
And seyde / I am lord at alle degrees
For after this / I hope ther cometh moore
Lemman thy grace / and sweete bryd thyn oore
¶ The wyndow / she vndoth / and that in haste
540
Haue do quod she / com of and speed the faste
Lest that oure Neighebores / thee espie
¶ This Absolon / gan wype his mouth ful drie
Dirk was the nygħt as pich / or as the cole
And at the wyndow / out she pitte hir hole
545
And Absolon / hym fil no bet ne wers
But wt his mouth / he kiste hir naked ers
Ful sauourly / er he was war of this
¶ Abak he stirte / and thoughte it was amys
For wel he wiste / a womman hath no berd
550
He felte a thyng al rough / and longe yherd
And seyde / fy allas what haue I do
¶ Tehee quod she / and clapte the wyndow to
And Absolon / gooth forth a sory pas
¶ A berd a berd / quod hende Nicholas
555
By goddes corpus / this goth faire and weel
¶ This sely Absolon / herde euery deel
And on his lippe / he gan for anger byte
And to hym self / he seyde I shal thee quyte
¶ Who rubbeth now / who froteth now his lippes
560
W dust wt sond / wt straw / wt clooth wt chippes
But Absolon / that seith ful ofte allas
My soule / bitake I vn to Sathanas