The Reeve's Tale Folio 52r 10 of 10 folios
For cristes soule / and here a noble game
For by that lord / that called is Seynt Iame
345
As I haue thries / in this short nygħ t
Swyued the Milleres dougħ ter / bolt vp rigħ t
While thow hast / as a coward / ben a gast
A fals ta ytour / fals Clerk qd he
350
Thow shalt be ded / by goddis dignyte
Who durst be so bold / to dispar age
My dougħ ter þ t is come / of swicħ lynage
And by the throte bolle / he caugħ t Aleyn
And he hent hī / dispetously a geyn
355
And on the nose / he smot hī with his fist
Doun ran the blody strem / vp on his brest
And in the flore / wt nose & moutħ to broke
They walwen / as don / tweyne pygges in a poke
And vp they gon / and doun a geyn a non
360
Til þ t the Millere / spurned at a ston
And doun he fel bakward / vp on his wyf
That wyst no thyng
For she was falle a slepe / a litel wygħ t
W Ioħ n the Clerk / that waked had al nygħ t
365
And with the fal / out of hire slepe she breyde
Help holy croys of Bromholme / she seide
In manus tuas / lord to the I calle
A wake Symkyn / the fend is on me falle
Myn hert is broken / help I nam but dede
370
There lith vp on my wombe / & on myn hede
Help Symkyn / for the fals Clerkes figħ t
And gropeth by the walles / to and fro
To fynde a staf / and she stert vp also
375
And knew the estres / bet þ ā ne dide this Ioħ n
And by the wal / a staf she fond a non
And saw a litel slemeryngħ t
For at an hole / in shon the Mone brigħ t
And by þ at ligħ t / she saw hē bothe two
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But sekerly she nyst / who was who
But as she saw / a whit þ ing
And whan she gan / this white þ ing
She wende the Clerk / had wered a volupere
And with the staf / she drow ay nere & nere
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And wend han hit / this Aleyn at the fulle
And smot the Millere / on the pyled skulle