The Reeve's Tale
Folio 50r
6 of 10 folios
The wyf cam lepyng inward / with a renne
160
She seide allas / ȝoure hors goth to the fenne
With wylde Mares / as fast as he may go
Vnthank come on his hand / þt bond hī so
And he þt betir / shuld han knyt the reyne
Allas qd Ioħn / Aleyn for cristes peyne
165
Lay doun thy swerd / and I wyl myn alswa
I is ful wygħt / god wayt as is a raa
By goddes hert / he shal nat skape vs bathe
Why ne had thow put / the capul in the lathe
Il hayl / by god Aleyn / thow is a fonne
170
¶ Theise sely Clerkes / han ful fast I ronne
Toward the fen / bothe Aleyn & Ioħñ
And whāne the Millere saw / þt they weren gon
He half a busshel / of here flour hath take
And bad his wyf / go knede it in a kake
175
He seide I trowe / the Clerkes ben a ferd
Ȝet can a Millere / make a Clerkes berd
For al his art / ȝa lat hem gon here wey
Lo where they go / ȝe late the children pley
They get hī nat / so ligħtly / be my croun
180
Theise sely Clerkes / rennen vp and doun
With kepe kepe / stand stand / Iossa warderere
Ga / whistel thow / and I shal kepe hī here
But shortly / til it was verray nygħt
They coude nat / thougħ they dede al here mygħt
185
Here capel cacche / he ran alwey so fast
Til in a diche / they cached hī at the last
Wery and wete / as beest is in the reyn
Cometh sely Ioħn / & witħ hī cometħ Aleyn
¶ Allas qd Ioħn / that day that I was borñ
190
Now ar we dreuyn til hethyng / and to skorn
Oure corn is stole / men wyl vs fonnes calle
Bothe the wardeyn / and oure felawes alle
And namely the Millere / weylawey
Thus pleyneth Ioħn / as he gotħ by the wey
195
Toward the Mille / and bayard in his hond
The Millere sittyng by the fyr / he fond
For it was nyg
ħt
/ and ferthere myg
ħt
þei noug
ħt
There is a small pricking in the right margin just above the one made to rule the frame. This pricking is present in all the folios up to fol. 58r.ODR
But for the loue of god / they hī bysougħt
Of herberwe & of ease / as for here peny
200
¶ The Millere seide a geyn / if here be eny
Swicħ as it is / ȝet shuln ȝe han ȝoure part
Myn hous is streyt / but ȝe han lerned art
Ȝe conne by argumentez / maken a place