The Reeve's Tale
Folio 187v
4 of 13 folios
Sek lay þõ maūcypele on a malady
Men wendyn wisely þt he schulde dey
75
For which this mellere stal bothe mele & corn
An hundere tyme more þā be forn
For þere be forn he stal but curteysly
But now he was a thef outragyously
For whych þe wardeyn schod & made fare
80
But therof sette this mellere not a tare
He crakyth bost & swor it was not so
Þāne were there pore clerkys too
That dwelledyn in þis halle of whiche I seyde
Testyf þey were & lusty for to pleye
85
And only for here myrthe & reuerye
Vp on þõ wardeyn besily þey crye
To ȝeue hem leue but a lite stoūde
To gon to melle to sen here corn I groūde
And ha\r/dely þey durste leyn here nekke
90
The mellere schulde not stele hē half a pekke
Of corn be sleyghte ne be forse hē reue
And at þõ laste þõ wardeyn ȝaf hē leue
Ion highte þt on & aleyn hyghte þt oþer
Of on toun were þey born þt hyghte strother
95
Fer in the north I can not tellyn where
This aleyn makyth redy al hese gere
And on an hors he caste þõ sak a non
Forth goth aleyn þõ clerk & also Ion
W good swerd & bokeler bi here syde
100
Ion knew þõ weye hē nedyth no gyde
And at þõ melle þõ sak a doū he leyth
Aleyn spak fyrst alheyl symound in feyth
How farys þyn fayre douȝtyr & thyn wif
Aleyn wolcome quod symkyn be myn lyf
105
And Iohn also how now what do ȝe here
Symond quod Iohn bi god nede has no pere
He muste serue hȳ self þt has no sweyn
Or ellis he is a fol as clerkis seyn