The Miller's Tale Folio 44r 15 of 15 folios
Er th at h e mygħ g ete / h is wyf to shipe
355
Hym had be leuere / I dar wel vndertake
At thilk tyme / than alle hise wetheres blake
That she had had / a shipe hire self a lone
And þ er fore wost þ u what / is best to done
This asketh hast / and of an hasty thyng
360
Men mouner che / and maken tariyng
A non go gete vs fattes / in to this Inne
A knedyng trow / or ellis a kamelyne
For ecħ of vs / but loke þ t they be large
In whiche we mounȳ me / as in a barge
365
And haue þ er e Inne / vetaille sufficient
But for o day / fy on the remenaunt
The water shal a slake / and gon a wey
A boute prime / vp on the next day
But Robyn may nat wyte / of this / thy knaue
370
Ne eke thy mayde Gille / I may nat saue
Aske nat why / for thougħ þ u axe me
I wol nat telle / goddis preuyte
Suffiseth the / but if thyne wyttes madde
To han as gret a grace / as Noe hadde
375
Thy wyf shal I wel sauen / ouȝt of doute
Go now thy wey / and spede the here a boute
But whan þ u hast / for hire and the and me
I geten vs / theise knedyng tubbes thre
Thā ne shalt þ u hangen hem / in the roof ful heye
380
That noman / of oure purueance / espie
And whan þ ow hast doñ / as I haue seid
And hast oure vetaille / faire in hem leyd
And eke an ax / to smyte the corde a two
Whan þ t the water cometh / þ t we may go
385
And breke an hole an hey / vp on the gable
Vn to the gardeyn ward / ouer the stable
That we moun
Whā ne þ t the grete shour / is gon a wey
Thā ne shalt þ u swȳ me / as mery I vndertake
390
As doth the white doke / after hire drake
Than wyl I clepe / how Alisoū / how Ioħ n
Be mery / for the flode / shal passe a non
And þ u wolt seyn / heyl Maister Nicholay
Good morwe / I se the wele / for it is day
395
And þ ā ne shuln we / be lordes aƚƚ oure lyf
Of al the world / as Noe and his wyf