The Miller's Tale
Folio 50v
17 of 19 folios
580
Why ryse ȝe so rathe benedicite
What eyleþ ȝou som gay gurl god it woot
Haþ brougħt ȝou þus vpon þe verytrot
By seinte noet / ȝe wot wel what I mene
This absolon ne roughte nat a bene
585
Of al þis pley no word agayn he ȝaf
For he hadde more tow on his distaf
Than Gerueys knew and seyde freend so deere
That hote cultre in þe Chymney heere
As lene it me I haue þer wiþ to doone
590
I wol it bring agayn to þe ful soone
Gerueys answerde / certes were it gold
Or in a poke nobles al vntold
Ȝe schul him haue as I am trewe smyth
Ey cristes fot\e/ what wil ȝe do þer with
595
Ther of qd absolon be as be may
I schal wel telle it þe to morwe day
And caughte þe cultre by þe colde stele /
Ful soft out at þe dore he gan it stele /
And wente vnto þe carpenteres wal
600
He cowheþ first and knokkeþ þer wiþ al
Vpon þe wyndow right as he dede er
This alisoū answerde who is þer
That knokkest so ; I warant it a þeef
Why nay quod he god woot my sweete leef
605
I am þyn absolon O my derlyng /
Of gold qd he I haue þe brougħt a ryng
My mooder ȝaf it me so god me saue
Ful fyn it is and þerto wel I graue
This wol I ȝiue þe / if þou me kisse
610
This Nicholas was rise for to pysse
And þougħt he wold amenden al þe Iape
He schulde kisse his ers or þat he skape
And vp þe wyndow dyde he hastily
And out his ers putteþ he pryuely
615
Ouer þe buttok to haunche bon
And þer with spak þis clerk þis absolon
Spek sweete bryd I wot nat wher þou art /.