The Reeve's Tale Folio 48r 1 of 10 folios
And seide / what amounteth al th is wyt
Why shuln we alday / speke of holy wryt
The deuele mad a Reue / for to preche
50
Or a Soutere / a shipman / or a leche
Sey forth thy tale / and tary nat the tyme
Lo Depforde / and it is half weye pryme
Lo Grenewyche / there many a shrewe is Inne
It were al tyme / thy tale to bygynne
55
Now Sires / qd this Oswold the Reue
I prey ȝow alle / that ȝe nat ȝow greue
Though I answere / and somdel sette his howe
For leueful is / with force / force of showe
This dronken Millere / hath told vs here
60
How that begyled was / a Carpentere
And by ȝoure leue / I shal hi
Rygħ t in his cherles ter mes / wol I speke
I preye to god / his nekke mot to breke
65
He can wel in myn eye / sen a stalke
But in his owen / he can nat sen a balke
At Trompyngtoū / nat fer fro Caumbrygge
There goth a broke / and ouer that a brygge
Vp on þ e whiche broke / there stant a Mille
And this is verray sotħ / that I ȝow telle
5
A Millere was there / dwellyng
As any Pecok / he was proud and gay
Pipe he coude and fisshe / and nettes bete
And tr ne cuppes / & wel wrestel and shete
Ay by his belt / he bar a long
10
And of a swerd / ful trenchaū t was the blade
A Ioly poppere bar he / in his pouche
There was noman / for per il / durst hī touche
A Shefeld whitel / bar he in his hose
Round was his face / & kamuse was his nose
15
As pilled as an Ape / was his skulle
He was a markete betere / at the fulle
There durst no wygħ t / hand vp on hī legge
That he ne swor / he shulde a non a begge
A thef he was / for sothe / of corñ & mele
20
And that a slye / and vsand for to stele
His name was hoten / deignous Symkyn
A wyf he hadde / comyn of noble kyn
The per soū of the toun / hire fader was