The Reeve's Tale
Folio 57r
10 of 11 folios
He wende haue crope by his felaw Ion
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And by þe myller in he creep anon
And caught him by þe nekke and soft he spak
And seyde Ion þou swyneshed awak
For cristes sowle and here a noble game
For by þat lord þat cleped is seynt Iame
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As I haue þries in þis schorte nigħt
Swyued þe myllers douȝt er bolt vpright
Whiles þou hast as a coward ben agast
Ȝe false harlot qd þis mellere hast
A false traitour false clerk qd he
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Thou schalt be deed by goddes dignite
Who durste be so bold to disparage
My doughter þat is come of hih lynage /
And by þe þrote bolle he caugħt aleyn
And he hent him dispitously ageyn
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And on þe nose he smot him wiþ his fest
Doun ran þe blody streem vpon his brest
And in þe floor wiþ nose and mouþ tobroke
They walweden as pigges in a poke
And vpon þay goon and doū þey goon anon
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Til þat þe Millner stumbled at a ston
And doun he felle / bakward on his wyf
That wyste noþing of þis nyce stryf
For sche was falle a sleepe a litel wigħt
Wiþ Ion þe Clerk þat waked al þe nigħt
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And wiþ þe falle right out of slepe sche brayde
Help holy croys of Bromholme sche sayde
In manus tuas lord to þe I calle /
Awake Symond þe feend is in þin halle
My hert is broken help I am but deed
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Ther lythe vpon my wombe and on mȳ heed
Help Symkyn for þis false clerkes fight
This Iohñ stert vp as fast as euer he might
And grasped by þe walles to and fro
To fynde a staf & sche sturt vp also
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And knewe þe estres bet þan dede Ion
And by þe wal sche took a staf anon