The Reeve's Tale
Folio 51r
8 of 10 folios
Lo slike a complyng / is ymeƚƚ hem alle
A wylde fyr / on theire bodies falle
Wha herd euere / slike a ferly thyng
Ȝe they sal haue / the flour of euele endyng
255
This lang nygħt / ne tydes me na rest
But ȝet na force / al sal be for the best
For Ioħn seide he / as euere mot I thryue
If þat I may / ȝone lasse wol I swyue
Som easement / has lawe shapen vs
260
For Ioħn there is a lawe / that seith thus
That gyf a man / in a poynt be greued
That in a nother / he shal bereleued
Oure corn is stolen / sothly it is na nay
And we han had / an ylle fyt this day
265
And syn I sal haue / nan amendement
Agayn my losse / I wyl haue an easement
By goddes saule / it sal nan other be
¶ This Ioħn answered / Aleyn a vyse the
The Millere is a perlious man / he seide
270
And gyf that he / ouȝt of his slepe breyde
He mygħt do vs bathe / a velanye
Aleyn answered / I counte hī nat a flye
Vp he rist / and by the wenche he crepte
This wenche lay vp rigħt / & faste slepte
275
Til he so ny was / er she mygħt a spye
That it had ben to late / for to crye
And shortly for to seyn / they were at on
Now pley Aleyn / for I wyl speke of Ioħn
¶ This Ioħn lith stille / Corrected from: <nothing> aa forlong wey or two
280
And to hī self / he maketh reuthe and woo
Allas qd he / this is / a wykked Iape
Now may I sey / that I is but an Ape
Ȝet has my felawe / somwhat for his harm
He has the Milleres dougħter / in his arm
285
He auntred hī / and has his nedes spedde
And I ly as a drafsakke / in my bedde
And whan this iape / is tald another day
I sal behalden a daffe / a Cokenay
I wyl aryse / and auntre it be my feitħ
290
Vnhardy / is vnsely / thus men seitħ
And vp he roos / and softly he went
Vn to the cradel / and in his hand it hent
And bar it softe / vn to his beddes fete
¶ Sone after this / the wyf hire routyng lete
295
And gan a wake / and went hire ouȝt to pisse
And cam a geyn / and gan hire cradel mysse