The Reeve's Tale
Folio 191r
11 of 13 folios
Ryȝt at þe entre of þe dore be hȳde
Þu schat a cake of half a buschel fȳde
325
Þ was I makyd ryȝt of þȳ owene mele
Which þt I halp mȳ fadyr for to stele
And goode lemā god þe saue & kepe
And wt þt word sche gan almost to wepe
Aleyn vp ryst & thoughte er þā it dawe
330
I wele gon crepe in by mȳ felawe
And fond þe cradyl wt hese hand a non
By god þouȝte he al wrong I haue mys gō
Mȳ hed is toty of mȳ swynk to nyȝt
Þ makyth me þt I go not aryȝt
335
I wot wel by þe cradyl I haue mys go
Here lyth þe mellere & hese wyf also
And forth he goth a twēty deleway
Vn to þe bed þere þt þe mellere lay
He wende acrepid bi hese felawe Ion
340
And by þe mellere in he crepede a non
And cauȝte hȳ by þe nekke softe he spak
He seyde þu Ioħn þu swenenyst a wak
For cristis soule & here a nobele game
For by þt lord þt called is seynt Iame
345
As I haue thryes in þe schorte nyȝt
Swyuyd þe melleris douȝtyr bolt vp ryȝt
Whil þu hast as a coward been a gast
Ȝa false harlot quod þe mellere hast
A false traytor false clerk quod he
350
Thow schat ben ded by godis dynete
Ho durste ben so bold to disparage
Mȳ douȝtyr þt is comȳ of swych lenage
And by the throte bolle he caughte aleyn
And he hēte hȳ dyspitously a geyn
355
And on þe nose he smot hȳ with hese fest
Doū rā þe blod strēx vp on hese brest
And in þe floor wt nose & mouth to broke
They walwe as don too piggis in a poke