The Miller's Tale
Folio 41r
14 of 15 folios
And thoughte / he wolde amenden al the Iape
He sholde kisse his / er that he scape
And vp the wyndowe / dide he hastily
And out his ers / he putteth pryuely
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Ouer the buttok / to the haunche bon
And ther with / spak this clerk this Absolon
Spek sweete bryd / I noot nat where thou art
¶ This Nicholas / anon leet fle a fart
As greet as it had been a thonder dent
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That with the strook he was almoost yblent
And he was redy / with his Iren hoot
And Nicholas / amydde ers he smoot
¶ Of gooth the skyn / an hande brede aboute
The hoote kultour / brende so his toute
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And for the smert he wende for to dye
As he were wood / for wo he gan to crye
Help / water / water / help for goddes herte
¶ This Carpenter / out of his slomber sterte
And herde oon crien water / as he were wood
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And thoughte / allas / now comth Nowelis flood
He sit hym vp / with outen wordes mo
And with his Ax / he smoot the corde atwo
And doun gooth al / he foond neither to selle
Ne breed ne Ale / til he cam to the Celle
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Vp on the floor / and there aswowne he lay
¶ Vp stirte hire / Alison and Nicholay
And criden / out and harrow in the strete
The neighebores / bothe smale and grete
In ronnen / for to gauren on this man
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That yet aswowne he lay / bothe pale and wan
For with the fal / he brosten hadde his Arm
But stonde he moste / vn to his owene harm
For whan he spak / he was anon bore doun
With hende Nicholas / and Alisoun
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They tolden euery man / that he was wood
He was agast so / of Nowelis flood
Thurgh fantasie / that of his vanytee
He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre
And hadde hem hanged / in the roue aboue
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And þt he preyde hem / for goddes loue
To sitten in the roof / par compaignye
¶ The folk gan laughen / at his fantasye
In to the roof / they kiken and they cape
And turned al his harm / vn to a Iape
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For / what so / þt this Carpenter answerde
It was for noght no man his reson herde
With othes grete / he was so sworn adoun
That he was holde wood in al the toun