The Reeve's Tale Folio 51v 9 of 10 folios
Allas qd she / I had almost mysgoū
I had almost gon / to the Clerkes bedde
300
Ey bñ dicite / than had I foule spedde
And fortħ she goth / til she the cradil fonde
She gropeth alwey / ferthere with hire honde
And fond the bed / and þ ouȝt nat but good
By cause that the cradil / by it stod
305
And nyst where she was / for it was derke
And faire & wele / she crepte in by the clerke
And lith ful stille / and wold han caugħ t a slepe
W Inne a while / this Ioħ n the Clerk vp lepe
And on this goode wyf / he leyd on sore
310
So mery a fit / ne had she nat ful ȝore
He pryketh hard / and depe / as he were mad
This ioly lyf / han theise two Clerkes lad
Til þ at the .iij. Cok / bygan to syng
315
For he had swonken / al the longħ t
And seide / fare wel Malkyn / swete wygħ t
The day is come / I may no lengere byde
But euer e more / where so I go or ryde
I is thyn owen Clerk / so haue I seele
320
But er thow go / o thyng
Whan that þ u wendest homward / by the Mille
Rigħ t at the entre / of the dore behynde
Thow shalt a cake / of a busshel fynde
325
That was I maked / of thyn owen Mele
Whicħ þ at I halpe / my sire for to stele
And good lemman / god the saue & kepe
And with that word / almost he gan to wepe
330
I wyl go crepe in / be my felawe
And fond the cradil / at his hand a non
By god qd he / al wrang
Myn hed is toty / of my swynk to nygħ t
That makes me / that I go nat Corrected from: <nothing> aa rigħ t
335
I wat wel by the Cradel / I haue mysgaa
He lyes the Millere / and his wyf alswa
Vn to the bedde / þ er e as the Millere lay
He wend han cropen / by his felawe Ioħ n
340
And by the Millere / In he crepe a non
And caugħ t hī by þ e nekke / and softe he spake