The Reeve's Tale
Folio 52v
9 of 10 folios
And forþe he goþe a twenty deuelweye
Vnto þe bedde þere as þe Meller leye
He wende haue cropen be his felawe Ioħon
340
And by þe Meller ine he crape a none
And kauht him be þe nekke & soft he spakke
He seide þou Iohñ þou swyneshede a wake
For cristes soule & here a noble game
For þat lorde þat called is seinte Iame
345
As .I. haue þries in þis schorte nyhte
Swyuede þe meller douhter bolt vpriht
While þou hast as a cowarde bene agaste
Ȝe false harlot qd Meller haste
A false traytur false traitur qd he
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Thou schal be dede be goddes dignite
Who dorste be so bolde to disparage
My douhter þat is comen of suche lignage
¶ And be þrote bolle he cauht Aleyne
And he hinte him dispitously aȝeine
355
And one þe nose he smote him wiþ his fiste
Doune ran þe blode streme vpon his briste
And in þe flore wiþ nose & mouþe to broke
Þei walowe as tuo pigges in a poke
And vpe þei gone and doune a ȝeine anone
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Til þat þe meller sporned att astone
And doune he fel bakwarde vpon his wif
That wist no þinge of þis nice strif
For sche was fal a slepe a litel wyht
Wiþ Iohoñ þe clerke þat waked had al þe nyhte
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And wiþ þe fal oute of here slepe sche braide
Helpe holy cros of bromeholme sche saide
In manus tuas lorde to þe I. caƚƚ
Awake Simonde þe fende is on me faƚƚ
Myne herte is broken helpe .y. neam bot dede
370
There one vp my wombe & vp myne hede
Helpe Simkyn for þe false clerkes fihte
Þis Iohñ stert vp al so fast as euer he myhte
And grasped be þe walles to & froo
To finde a staf & sche sterte vp also
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And knewe þatestres beter þan dide þat Ioħn
And by þe wal a staf sche fande a none
And sawhe alitel schimeringe of a lyght
For att an hole in schone þe mone briht