The Reeve's Tale
Folio 191v
12 of 13 folios
And vp þey gon & don a geyn a non
360
Tyl þt þõ mellere spurnede aȝen a ston
And doū he fyl bakward vp on hese wif
That wiste no þyng of þis nyse stryf
For sche was falle a slepe a lyte wygħt
With Ioħn þe clerk þt wakede al nyȝt
365
And with þe fal out of here slep sche bryde
Help holy croys of bromeholm sche seyde
In manus tuas lord to þe I calle
A wake symond þe fend is on vs falle
Mȳ herte is brokȳ allas I ne am but ded
370
There lyth on vp on mȳ wōbe & on mȳ hed
Help sȳkyn for þe false klerkys fyȝte
This Ioħn styrte vp asfaste as euere he myȝte
And graspith by the waƚƚ to & fra
To fȳde a staf & sche styrte vp alswa
375
And knew þe estis betere þā dede þis Ioħn
And bi þe wal a staf sche fond a non
And saw a lytyl schemeryng of a lyȝt
For at an hole in schō þe mone bryt
And by þt lyȝt sche say hē boþe too
380
But sekyrly sche nyste ho was who
But as sche say a whit thyng in here eye
And whā sche gā þe whyte þyng espye
Sche wēde þe clerk hadde wered a wolyper
And with the staf sche drow ay ner & ner
385
And wēde an hit þes aleyn at þe fulle
And smot þe mellere on þe pylede sculle
That doū he goth harow I deye
These clerkys bete hȳ wel & lete hȳ lye
And hastede hē & toke here leue a non
390
And ek here mele & on here woye þey gon
And at þe melle ȝit þey toke here kake
Of half a buschel flour wol wel I bake
Thus is þe proude mellere wel I bete .b.
And hath I lost the grȳdyng of þe wete .a.