The Miller's Tale
Folio 41v
10 of 15 folios
In hosen rede / he went ful fetislye
I clad he was / ful smal and proprelye
135
Al in a kirtil / of a ligħt vaget
Ful fair & thikke / ben the poyntis set
And ther vp on / he had a gay surplice
As white as is / the blosme on the rice
A mery child he was / so god me saue
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Wel coude he laten blod / & clippe and shaue
And make a charter of lond / or acquietance
In xx i maners / coude he tryppe and daunce
After the scole / of Oxenford tho
And wt hise leggis / casten to and fro
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And pleyen song / on a smal ribible
Ther to he song som tyme / a loude quynyble
And as wel coude he pley / on a geterne
In al the Toun nas there / brewhous ne Tauerne
That he ne vesited / with his solace
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There ony gaylard / tapstere was
But sothe to seyn / he was somdele squeymous
Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous
This Absolou / that ioly was and gay
Goth with a Censer / on the haliday
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Sensyng the wyues / of the Parissħ fast
And many a louely loke / on hem he cast
And namely / on this Carpenteres wyf
To loke on hire / hī þougħt a mery lif
She was so propre / and swete / and likerous
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I dar wel seyn / if she had ben a Mous
And he a kat / he wold hire hent a non
This parissħ Clerk / this ioly Absolou
Hatħ in his hert / swicħ a loue longyng
That of no wyf / toke he non offryng
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For curteisie he seide / he wold non
The Mone / whan it was nygħt / ful brigħt shon
And Absolou / his gytterne / hath I take
For paramors he þougħt / for to wake
And forth he goth / Iolyf and amerous
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Til he cam / to the Carpenters hous
A litel after Cokkes / had I crowe
And dressed hī vp / by a shot wyndowe
That was vp on / the Carpenteres wal
He syngeth in his voys / gentil and smal
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Now dere lady / if thy wyl be
I pray ȝow / þat ȝe wol / rewe on me
Ful wel accordyng / to his gitternyng