The Miller's Tale
Folio 43v
14 of 15 folios
I wyl telle it non other man / certeyn
310
This Carpenter goth doun / and cometh a geyn
And brougħt of mygħty ale / a large quart
And whāne þt ecħ of hem / had dronken his part
This Nicholas / his dore faste shette
And doun the Carpenter / by hī he sette
315
And seide Ioħn myn host / lef and dere
Thow shalt vp on thy treuthe / swere me heere
That to no wygħt / þu shalt my counseil wreye
For it is cristes counseil / þat I seye
And if þu telle ony man / þu art for lore
320
For this vengeaunce / thow shalt haue þerfore
That if þu wreye me / thow shalt be wode
Corrected from: ¶<nothing> cNay
/ criste for bede it
/ for his holy blode
On the left margin, next to this line, a red paraph mark was erased.ODR
Quod tho this sely man / I am non labbe
Ne thougħ I sey it / I nam nat lief to gabbe
325
Sey what þu wyle / I shal it neuere telle
To child ne wyf / by hī þt harwed helle
¶ Now Ioħn qd this Nicholas / I wol Corrected from: þatnatat lye
I haue founden / in myn Astrologye
As I haue loked / in the Mone brigħt
330
That now on monday next / at quarter nygħt
Shal fallen a reyn / and that so wylde & wood
That half so gret / was neuere Noes flod
This world he seide / in lesse than an houre
Shal be dreynt / so hydous is the shoure
335
Thus shal mankynde / drenche / & lese here lif
Corrected from: ¶<nothing> cThis Carpenter answered
/ allas my wyf
On the left margin, next to this line, a red paraph mark was erased.ODR
And shal she drenche / allas myn Alisou
For sorwe of this / he fel al most a doun
And seide / is there no remedye in this cas
340
We ȝis forgode / qd hende Nicholas
If þu wylt werken / after lore and rede
Thow maist nat werken / after þin owen hede
For thus seith Salamou / þt was ful trewe
Werk al by counseyl / and þow shalt nat rewe
345
And if thow werken wolt / by good counsaylle
I vndertake / with outen mast or saylle
Ȝet shal I saue hire / and the and me
Hast þu nat herd / how saued was Noe
Whāne þat oure lord / had warned hī biforn
350
That al the world / wt water shuld be lorn
¶ Ȝis qd this Carpentere / ful ȝore a go
Hast þu nat herd / qd Nicholas also
The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe