The Reeve's Tale
Folio 48v
3 of 10 folios
With hire he ȝaf / ful many a panne of bras
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For that Symkyn / shulde in his blod a lye
She was I fostred / in a Nonnerye
For Symkyn nolde no wyf / as he said
But she were wel norisshed / and a mayd
To sauen his estate / of ȝemanrye
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And she was proud / and pert as a pye
A ful fair sigħt / was it / vp on hē two
On halidayes biforñ hire / wold he go
With his typet wounde / a boute his hede
And she cam after / in a gyte of rede
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And Symkyn had hosen / of the same
There durst no wygħt / clepen hire but dame
Was non so hardy / that went by the weye
That with hire durst rage / or ellis pleye
But if he wolde be slayn / of Symkyn
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W panade / or with knyf / or boydekyn
For ielous folk / ben perilous euere mo
Algate they wold / here wyues wend so
And eke for she was / somdel smoterlicħ
She was as deigne / as water in a dicħ
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So ful of hoker / and of bysmare
Hire þouȝt that a lady / shuld hire spare
What for hire kynrede / and hire norturye
That she had lerned / in the Nonnerye
¶ A doughter had they / bytwix hem two
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Of twenty ȝere / with outen ony mo
Sauyng a child / þt was of half ȝere age
In cradel it lay / and was a propre page
This wenche thikke / & wel I growen was
With camuse nose / and eyen greye as glas
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W bottokes brode / and brestes rounde & heye
But rigħt fair was hire her / I wol nat lye
¶The Parson of the toun / for she was fair
In purpose was / to maken hire his eyr
Bothe of his catel / and his mesuage
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And straunge he mad it / of hire mariage
His purpos was / for to bystowen hire heye
In to som worthy blode / of Auncetrye
For holy chirche good / mot ben dispended
On holy chirche blod / that is descended
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Therfore he wolde / his holy blod honoure
Thougħ þt he / holy chirche / shuld deuoure
¶ Gret soken had this Millere / out of doute
With whete / and malt / of al the lond a bouteAnd namelicħ þere was