The Miller's Tale
Folio 43r
13 of 15 folios
A man wot litel / what hym shal betyde
265
This man is fallen / with his Astronomye
In som woodnesse / or in som Agonye
I thougħt ay wele / how that it shulde be
Men shuld nat knowe / of goddis preuyte
Ȝa blissed be alwey / a lewed man
270
That nougħt but only / his byleue can
So ferde a nother clerk / wt his Astronomye
He walked in the feldes / for to prye
Vp on the sterres / what there shuld byfalle
Til þat he / in a marle pyt / was falle
275
He saw nat that / but ȝet be Seynt Thomas
Me reweth sore / of hende Nicholas
He shal be ratid / of his studiyng
If þat I may / be Iħus heuene kyng
Get me a staf / that I may vnder pore
280
While þat þow Robyn / heuest of the dore
He shal ouȝt of his studiyng / as I gesse
And to the chaumbre dore / he gan hī dresse
His knaue was a strong Carl / for the nones
And by the haspe / he haf it of at ones
285
In to the flore / the dore fel a non
This Nicholas sat ay as stille / as ony ston
And euere he gaped vpward / in to the Eyre
This Carpentere wende / he were in dispeyre
And hent hī / by the shuldres / mygħttyly
290
And shoke hī harde / and cried spetously
What Nicholay / what how / loke a doun
A wake / and thynk on cristes passiou
I crouche the from Elues / and fro wygħtes
There with the nygħt spel / seide he a non rigħtes
295
On foure halues / of the hous a boute
And on the thressewold / at the dore wt oute
Iħu crist / and Seynt Benedygħt
Blisse this hous / fro euery euyl wygħt
For the nygħtesmare / the whyȝt Pater noster
300
Where wonest thow / Seynt Petres Suster
¶ And at the last / this hende Nicholas
Gan for to sigħe sore / and seide allas
Shal al the world / be lost eftsones now
This Carpenter answered / what seist þu
305
What thynk on god / as we don men þt swynke
¶ This Nicholas answered / fecche me a drynke
And after wol I speke / in preuyte
Of thyng þat toucheth / the and me