The Miller's Prologue
Folio 41v
2 of 3 folios
¶ And seyde / abyde Robyn leeue brother
Som bettre man / shal telle vs first another
Abyde / and lat vs werken thriftily
¶ By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I
25
For I wol speke / or ellis go my wey
¶ Oure hoost answerde / tel on a deuelewey
Thow art a fool / thy wit is ouercome
¶ Now herkneth quod the Millere / alle and some
But first I make a protestacioun
30
That I am dronke / I knowe it by my sown
And therfore / if p I mysspeke / or seye
Wite it / the ale of Southwerk I preye
For I wol telle / a legende and a lyf
Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf
35
How p a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe
¶ The Reue answerde / and seyde stynt thy clappe
Lat be / thy lewed dronken harlotrye
It is a synne / and eek a greet folye
To apeyren any man / or hym diffame
40
And eek to bryngen wyues / in swich fame
Thow mayst ynow / of othere thynges seyn
¶ This dronken Miller / spak ful soone ageyn
And seyde / leue brother Osewold
Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold
45
But I seye nat ther fore / p thow art oon
Ther been ful goode wyues many oon
Why artow angry / wit my tale now
I haue a wyf pardee / as wel as thow
Yet nolde I / for the oxen in my plough
50
Take vp on me / moore than ynough
As demen of my self / p I were oon
I wol bileeue wel / p I am noon
An housbonde / shal noght been Inquisityf /
Of goddes pryuetee / nor of his wyf
55
So he may fynde / goddes foyson there
Of the remenant nedeth noght enquere
¶ What sholde I moore seyn / but this Millere
He nolde his wordes / for no man forbere
But tolde his cherles tale / in his manere
60
Me athynketh / that I shal reherce it heere xxx xxxxxxxx