Canterbury Tales (Middle English) — The Reeve's Tale
3885. E.
eelde.
3886. E.
vnweelde.
3893. Hn.
sith; E. sithe.
Whan that our host hadde herd this sermoning, He gan to speke as lordly as a king; 3900 He seide, ‘what amounteth al this wit?
What shul we speke alday of holy writ?
The devel made a reve for to preche, And of a souter a shipman or a leche.
(50) Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme, 3905 Lo, Depeford!
and it is half-way pryme.
Lo, Grenewich, ther many a shrewe is inne;
It were al tyme thy tale to biginne.
’ 3904. E.
Cm.
And; _rest_ Or.
_All but_ Hn.
_om.
2nd_ a. 3907. Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
that (_for_ ther).
3908. Pt.
hie (_for_ al).
‘Now, sires,’ quod this Osewold the Reve, ‘I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve, 3910 Thogh I answere and somdel sette his howve;
For leveful is with force force of-showve.
3912. _In margin of_ E. —vim vi repellere.
This dronke millere hath y-told us heer, How that bigyled was a carpenteer, (60) Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.
3915 And, by your leve, I shal him quyte anoon;
Right in his cherles termes wol I speke.
I pray to god his nekke mote breke;
He can wel in myn yë seen a stalke, But in his owne he can nat seen a balke.
3920 3918. Hl.
tobreke; Pt.
alto-breke.
3919. Pt.
ye; Cp.
ȝe; rest eye.
[114: T.
3919-3943. ] * * * * * THE REVES TALE.
* * * * * HERE BIGINNETH THE REVES TALE.
At Trumpington, nat fer fro Cantebrigge, Ther goth a brook and over that a brigge, Up-on the whiche brook ther stant a melle;
And this is verray soth that I yow telle.
A Miller was ther dwelling many a day; 3925 As eny pecok he was proud and gay.
Pypen he coude and fisshe, and nettes bete, And turne coppes, and wel wrastle and shete;
And by his belt he baar a long panade, And of a swerd ful trenchant was the blade.
3930 A Ioly popper baar he in his pouche; (11) Ther was no man for peril dorste him touche.
A Sheffeld thwitel baar he in his hose;
Round was his face, and camuse was his nose.
As piled as an ape was his skulle.
3935 He was a market-beter atte fulle.
Ther dorste no wight hand up-on him legge, That he ne swoor he sholde anon abegge.
A theef he was for sothe of corn and mele, And that a sly, and usaunt for to stele.
3940 His name was hoten dëynous Simkin.
(21) A wyf he hadde, y-comen of noble kin;
The person of the toun hir fader was.
With hir he yaf ful many a panne of bras, For that Simkin sholde in his blood allye.
3945 [115: T.
3944-3976. ] She was y-fostred in a nonnerye;
For Simkin wolde no wyf, as he sayde, But she were wel y-norissed and a mayde, To saven his estaat of yomanrye.
And she was proud, and pert as is a pye.
3950 A ful fair sighte was it on hem two; (31) On haly-dayes biforn hir wolde he go With his tipet bounden about his heed, And she cam after in a gyte of reed;
And Simkin hadde hosen of the same.
3955 Ther dorste no wight clepen hir but ‘dame.
’ Was noon so hardy that wente by the weye That with hir dorste rage or ones pleye, But-if he wolde be slayn of Simkin With panade, or with knyf, or boydekin.
3960 For Ialous folk ben perilous evermo, (41) Algate they wolde hir wyves wenden so.
And eek, for she was somdel smoterlich, She was as digne as water in a dich;
And ful of hoker and of bisemare.
3965 Hir thoughte that a lady sholde hir spare, What for hir kinrede and hir nortelrye That she had lerned in the nonnerye.
3923. E.
Hn.
Cm.
which; _rest_ whiche.
3928. Hl.
wrastle wel (_om.
_ and).
3934. Hl.
camois; Pt.
camoyse.
3939. E.
was of corn and eek of Mele.
3941. E.
Cp.
Hl.
hoote; Cm.
hotyn; _rest_ hoten.
Pt.
deyneȝouse.
3944. panne] Cm.
peny.
3948. E.
But if; _rest_ But.
3949. Hn.
Cm.
Pt.
yemanrye.
3950. E.
Hn.
Pt.
peert.
3951. Cm.
Hl.
on; _rest_ vp-on.
3953. Cm.
boundyn; Pt.
bounden; Hn.
Cp.
Ln.
wounden; Hl.
ybounde.
3956. Hl.
ma dame.
3958. Hl.
elles (_for_ ones).
3959. Hl.
Symekyn.
3965. Hn.
Cm.
And; _rest_ As.
Hl.
bissemare; Cp.
bisemare; E. Hn.
Pt.
Ln.
bismare.
A doghter hadde they bitwixe hem two Of twenty yeer, with-outen any mo, 3970 Savinge a child that was of half-yeer age; (51) In cradel it lay and was a propre page.
This wenche thikke and wel y-growen was, With camuse nose and yën greye as glas;
With buttokes brode and brestes rounde and hye, 3975 But right fair was hir heer, I wol nat lye.
3974. Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
Hl.
camoys.
MSS.
eyen, eyȝen.
3975. E.
Cm.
_om.
_ With.
The person of the toun, for she was feir, In purpos was to maken hir his heir [116: T.
3977-4012. ] Bothe of his catel and his messuage, And straunge he made it of hir mariage.
3980 His purpos was for to bistowe hir hye (61) In-to som worthy blood of auncetrye;
For holy chirches good moot been despended On holy chirches blood, that is descended.
Therfore he wolde his holy blood honoure, 3985 Though that he holy chirche sholde devoure.
3977. E.
Cm.
This; _rest_ The.
Gret soken hath this miller, out of doute, With whete and malt of al the land aboute;
And nameliche ther was a greet collegge, Men clepen the Soler-halle at Cantebregge, 3990 Ther was hir whete and eek hir malt y-grounde.
(71) And on a day it happed, in a stounde, Sik lay the maunciple on a maladye;
Men wenden wisly that he sholde dye.
For which this miller stal bothe mele and corn 3995 An hundred tyme more than biforn;
For ther-biforn he stal but curteisly, But now he was a theef outrageously, For which the wardeyn chidde and made fare.
But ther-of sette the miller nat a tare; 4000 He craketh boost, and swoor it was nat so.
(81) 3987. E.
Cm.
sokene.
Than were ther yonge povre clerkes two, That dwelten in this halle, of which I seye.
Testif they were, and lusty for to pleye, And, only for hir mirthe and revelrye, 4005 Up-on the wardeyn bisily they crye, To yeve hem leve but a litel stounde To goon to mille and seen hir corn y-grounde;
And hardily, they dorste leye hir nekke, The miller shold nat stele hem half a pekke 4010 Of corn by sleighte, ne by force hem reve; (91) And at the laste the wardeyn yaf hem leve.
Iohn hight that oon, and Aleyn hight that other;
Of o toun were they born, that highte Strother, [117: T.
4013-4045. ] Fer in the north, I can nat telle where.
4015 4002. Pt.
Ln.
Than; _rest_ Thanne.
4004. Pt.
Teestif.
4005. Ln.
revelrie; _rest_ reuerye; ed.
1561, reuelry.
4013. E.
highte (_1st_);
heet (_2nd_).
Cp.
Pt.
Ln.
Hl.
hight.
This Aleyn maketh redy al his gere, And on an hors the sak he caste anon.
Forth goth Aleyn the clerk, and also Iohn, With good swerd and with bokeler by hir syde.
Iohn knew the wey, hem nedede no gyde, 4020 And at the mille the sak adoun he layth.
(101) Aleyn spak first, ‘al hayl, Symond, y-fayth;
How fares thy faire doghter and thy wyf?
’ 4019. E.
Cm.
Pt.
_om.
_ with.
4020. Cp.
needede (_see_ l. 4161); E.
Hn.
Pt.
neded; Cm.
Hl.
nedyth; Ln.
nedeþ.
4022. Hn.
Symkyn; _rest_ Symond, Symon; _see_ l. 4026. ‘Aleyn!
welcome,’ quod Simkin, ‘by my lyf, And Iohn also, how now, what do ye heer?
’ 4025 ‘Symond,’ quod Iohn, ‘by god, nede has na peer;
Him boës serve him-selve that has na swayn, Or elles he is a fool, as clerkes sayn.
Our manciple, I hope he wil be deed, Swa werkes ay the wanges in his heed.
4030 And forthy is I come, and eek Alayn, (111) To grinde our corn and carie it ham agayn;
I pray yow spede us hethen that ye may.
’ 4027. E.
boes (= North.
E.
_bus_); Hn.
Cp.
bihoues; Pt.
Ln.
byhoueþ;
Cm.
muste; Hl.
falles.
4033. E.
Hn.
Cp.
heythen; Ln.
hethen (_the right form_); Cm.
hene; Pt.
hepen (_for_ heþen).
‘It shal be doon,’ quod Simkin, ‘by my fay;
What wol ye doon whyl that it is in hande?
’ 4035 ‘By god, right by the hoper wil I stande,’ Quod Iohn, ‘and se how that the corn gas in;
Yet saugh I never, by my fader kin, How that the hoper wagges til and fra.
’ 4036. E.
hopur.
Aleyn answerde, ‘Iohn, and wiltow swa, 4040 Than wil I be bynethe, by my croun, (121) And se how that the mele falles doun In-to the trough; that sal be my disport.
For Iohn, in faith, I may been of your sort;
I is as ille a miller as are ye.
’ 4045 4040. Cp.
Hl.
and; _rest om.
_ 4044. E.
Cm.
yfayth.
4045. Cm.
Pt.
is (_for_ are); Ln.
es.
This miller smyled of hir nycetee, And thoghte, ‘al this nis doon but for a wyle;
[118: T.
4046-4079. ] They wene that no man may hem bigyle;
But, by my thrift, yet shal I blere hir yë For al the sleighte in hir philosophye.
4050 The more queynte crekes that they make, (131) The more wol I stele whan I take.
In stede of flour, yet wol I yeve hem bren.
“The gretteste clerkes been noght the wysest men,” As whylom to the wolf thus spak the mare; 4055 Of al hir art I counte noght a tare.
’ 4049. E.
Ln.
eye.
4051. E.
Hn.
Cp.
Ln.
crekes; Hl.
knakkes.
4053. E.
stide.
4054. E.
Cm.
Hl.
_om.
_ the.
4056. Cm.
I counte; Hl.
ne counte I; _rest_ counte I. Out at the dore he gooth ful prively, Whan that he saugh his tyme, softely;
He loketh up and doun til he hath founde The clerkes hors, ther as it stood y-bounde 4060 Bihinde the mille, under a levesel; (141) And to the hors he gooth him faire and wel;
He strepeth of the brydel right anon.
And whan the hors was loos, he ginneth gon Toward the fen, ther wilde mares renne, 4065 Forth with wehee, thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne.
4061. Cm.
Cp.
Ln.
Hl.
leuesel; E. lefsel; Hn.
leefsel.
4064. E.
Hn.
Cp.
Ln.
laus; Hl.
loos; Cm.
los; Pt.
louse; _see_ l. 4138. This miller gooth agayn, no word he seyde, But dooth his note, and with the clerkes pleyde, Til that hir corn was faire and wel y-grounde.
And whan the mele is sakked and y-bounde, 4070 This Iohn goth out and fynt his hors away, (151) And gan to crye ‘harrow’ and ‘weylaway!
Our hors is lorn!
Alayn, for goddes banes, Step on thy feet, com out, man, al at anes!
Allas, our wardeyn has his palfrey lorn.
’ 4075 This Aleyn al forgat, bothe mele and corn, Al was out of his mynde his housbondrye.
‘What?
whilk way is he geen?
’ he gan to crye.
4069. E.
weel.
4074. E.
out; Hn.
Cm.
Cp.
Pt.
