The Miller's Tale
Folio 50r
17 of 18 folios
And he was redy / with his Iren hoot
And Nicholas / in the ers he smoot
Of gooth the skyn / an handbrede aboute
The hoote cultour / brende so his toute
625
That for the smert he wende for to dye
As he were wood / for wo he gan to crye
Help water / water/ help for goddes herte
¶ This Carpenter / out of his slomber sterte
And herde oon cryen water / as he were wood
630
And thoghte allas / now cometh Nowelys flood
He sette hym vp / with oute wordes mo
And with his Ax / he smoot the corde atwo
And down gooth al / he foond neither to selle
Ne breed ne ale / til he cam to the Celle
635
Vp on the floor / and ther aswowne he lay
¶ Vp stirte hir / Alison and Nicholay
And cryden out and harrow / in the Strete
The neghebores / bothe smale and grete
In ronnen / for to gauren on this man
640
That aswowne lay / bothe pale and wan
For with the fal / he brosten hadde his arm
But stonde he moste / vn to his owene harm
For whan he spak / he was anon bore doun
With hende Nicholas and Alisoun
645
They tolden euery man / þt he was wood
He was agast so / of Nowelys flood
Thurgh fantasie / þt of his vanytee
He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre
And hadde hem hanged / in the roof aboue
650
And þt he preyde hem / for goddes loue
To sitten in the roof / par compaignye
¶ The folk gan laughen / at his fantasye
In to the roof / they kiken and they cape
And turned al his harm / vn to a Iape
655
For what so / þt this Carpenter answerde
It was for noght no man his reson herde
With othes grete / he was so sworn adoun
That he was holden wood / in al the toun
For euery clerk / anon right heeld with oother
660
They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue brother