The Reeve's Tale
Folio 56v
9 of 11 folios
And forþ sche goþ til sche þe cradil fand
Sche gropith alway forther with hir hand
And fand þe bed and þoughte nat but good
By cause þat þe cradil by hit stood
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Nat knowyng wher sche was for it was derk
But fair and wel sche creep in to þe clerk
And lith ful stille and wolde han caught a sleep
Wiþinne a while Ioħñ þe clerk vp leep
And on this goode wyf leyþ on ful sore
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So mery a fytt ne hadd sche nat ful ȝore
He prikeþ harde and deepe as he were mad
This Ioly lyf han þis twey clerkes had
Til þat þe þridde cok bygan to synge
Aleyn wax wery in þe dawenynge
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For he had swonken al þe longe nigħt
And seyd far wel malyn my sweete wigħt /
The day is come I may no lenger byde /
But euermo wher so I go or ryde
I am þin owen clerk so haue I seel
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Now deere lēman qd sche go far wel
But or þou go o þing I wol þe telle
Whan þat þou wendist homward by þe melle
Right at þe entre of þe dore byhynde
Thou schalt a cake of half a busshel fynde
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That was I maked of þyn owen mele
Which þat I hilp myn owen self to stele
And goode lemman god þe saue and kepe
And with þat word almost sche gan to weepe
Aleyn vprist and þougħt er þat it dawe
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Wol go crepen in by my felawe
And fand þe cradil wiþ his hand anon
By god þought he al wrong I haue I goon
My heed is toty of my swynk to nyght
That makes me þat I ga nouȝt aright
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I wot wel by þe cradel I haue mys go
Heer lith þe myller and his wyf also
Forþ he goþ in twenty deuelway
Vnto þe bed þer as þe Miller lay he wende