The Hengwrt ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ Here bigynneth the Millerys tale.

Whilom ther was dwellyng at Oxenford A riche gnof that gestes heeld to bord Line 3188 And of his craft he was a Carpenter With hym ther was dwellynge a poure Scoler Hadde lerned art but al his fantasie Was turned / for to leere Astrologie Line 3192 And koude / a certeyn of conclusions To demen / by interrogacions If þat men axed hym / in certein houres Whan þat men sholde haue droghte / or ellis shoures Line 3196 Or if men axed hym / what shal bifalle Of euery thyng / I may nat rekene hem alle ¶ This clerk / was clepyd hende Nicholas Of derne loue he koude / and of solas Line 3200 And ther-to he was sleigh / and ful pryuee And lyk a mayde meke / for to see A chambre hadde he / in that hostelrie Allone / with-outen any compaignye Line 3204 fful fetisly dight / with herbes swoote And he hym self as sweete as is the roote Of lycorys / or any Cetuale [folio 42b] His Almageste / and bookes grete and smale Line 3208 His Astrelabye / longynge for his Art His Augrym stones / layen faire a part On shelues couched / at his beddes heed His presse / ycouered with a ffaldyng reed Line 3212 And al aboue / ther lay a gay Sautrye On which / he made a nyghtes melodye So swetely / þat al the chambre roong And Angelus ad virginem / he soong Line 3216 And after that he soong the kynges note fful often blissed was / his murye throte

And thus this swete clerk / his tyme spente After his freendes fyndyng and his rente Line 3220 ¶ This Carpenter / hadde wedded newe a wyf Which þat he louede / moore than his lyf Of .xviij. yeer / she was of age Ialous he was / and heeld hire narwe in Cage Line 3224 ffor she was wilde and yong / and he was old And demed hym self / been lyk a Cokewold He knew nat Caton / for his wit was rude That bad / man sholde wedde his similitude Line 3228 Men sholde wedden / after hir estaat ffor youthe and Elde / is often at debaat But sith þat he / was fallen in the snare He moste endure / as oother folk his care Line 3232 ¶ ffair was this yonge wyf / and ther with al As any wesele / hir body gent and smal A ceynt she werde / barred al of sylk/ A barmclooth / as whit as morne Mylk Line 3236 Vp on hir lendes / ful of many a goore Whit was hir smok and broyden al bifoore And eek bihynde / on hir coler aboute Of col blak silk / with-Inne and eek with-oute Line 3240 The tapes / of hir white voluper Were of the same sute / of hir coler Hir filet brood of sylk and set ful hye And sikerly / she hadde a likerous Iye Line 3244 fful smale ypulled / were hir browes two And tho were bent / and blake as is a slo She was ful moore / blisful on to see [folio 43a] Than is the newe / Pereionette tree Line 3248 And softer / than the wolle is of a wether And by hir girdel / heeng a purs of lether Tasseled with silk / and perled with latoun In al this world / to seken vp and doun Line 3252 Ther nys no man so wys / þat koude thenche So gay a Popelote / or swich a wenche

fful brighter was / the shynyng of hir hewe Than in the Tour / the noble yforged newe Line 3256 But of hir soong it was as loude and yerne As any swalwe / sittyng on a Berne Ther-to / she koude skippe / and make game As any kyde / or Calf / folwynge his dame Line 3260 Hir mouth was sweete / as Bragot or the meeth Or hoord of Apples / leyd in hey or heeth Wynsynge she was / as is a ioly Colt Loong as a Mast / and vprighte as a bolt Line 3264 A brooch she baar / vp on hir loue coler As brood / as is the boos of a Bokeler Hir shoes were laced / on hir legges hye She was a Prymerole / a piggesnye Line 3268 ffor any lord / to leggen in his bedde Or yet for any good yeman to wedde ¶ Now sire and eft sire / so bifel the cas That on a day / this hende Nicholas Line 3272 ffil with this yonge wyf / to rage and pleye Whil þat hir housbonde / was at Osneye As clerkes been / ful subtil and ful queynte And pryuely / he caughte hire by the queynte Line 3276 And seyde ywys / but if ich haue my wille ffor derne loue / of thee lemman I spille And heeld hire harde / by the haunche bones And seyde lemman / loue me al atones Line 3280 Or I wol dyen / al so god me saue And she sproong as a Colt dooth in the Traue And with hir heed / she wryed faste awey She seyde I wol nat kisse thee by my fey Line 3284 Wy lat be quod ich / lat be Nicholas Or I wol crye / out harrow and allas Do wey youre handes / for youre curteisye [folio 43b] ¶ This Nicholas / gan mercy for to crye Line 3288 And spak so faire / and profred hym so faste That she hir loue / hym graunted atte laste,

And swoor hir ooth / by Seint Thomas of Kent That she wolde been / at his comaundement Line 3292 Whan þat she may / hir leyser wel espie Myn housbonde / is so ful of Ialousie That but ye waite wel / and been pryuee I woot right wel / I nam but deed quod she Line 3296 Ye moste been ful derne / as in this cas ¶ Nay ther of / care thee noght quod Nicholas A clerc hadde lutherly / biset his while But if he koude / a Carpenter bigyle Line 3300 And thus they been acorded and y-sworn To waite a tyme / as I haue told biforn Whan Nicholas / hadde doon thus euerydel And thakked hire / vp on the lendes wel Line 3304 He kiste hir sweete / and taketh his sautrye And pleyeth faste / and maketh melodye ¶ Thanne fil it thus / þat to the parissh chirche Cristes owene werkes / for to wirche Line 3308 This goode wyf / wente on an haliday Hir forheed shoon / as bright as any day So was it wasshen / whan she leet hir werk ¶ Now was ther of that chirche a parissh clerk Line 3312 The which / þat was yclepid Absolon Crul was his heer / and as the gold it shoon And strouted as a ffanne / large and brode fful streight and euene / lay his ioly shode Line 3316 His rode was reed / hise eyen greye as goos With Poules wyndow / coruen on his shoos In hoses rede / he wente fetisly Yclad he was / ful smal and proprely Line 3320 Al in a kirtel / of a light waget fful faire and thikke / been the pointes set And ther vp on / he hadde a gay surplys As whit as is the blosme vp on the rys Line 3324 A murye child he was / so god me saue Wel koude he laten blood / and clippe and shaue

And maken a chartre of lond / or Aquitaunce [folio 44a] On twenty manere / koude he trippe and daunce Line 3328 After the scole / of Oxenford tho And with his legges / casten to and fro And pleyen songes / on a smal Rubible Ther-to he soong som tyme / a loud quynyble Line 3332 And as wel / koude he pleye on a gyterne In al the town / nas Brewhous ne Tauerne That he ne visited / with his solas Ther any gaylard tappestere was Line 3336 But sooth to seyn / he was som del squaymous Of fartyng / and of speche daungerous ¶ This Absolon / þat ioly was and gay Gooth with a sencer / on the haliday Line 3340 Sensynge the wyues / of the parisshe faste And many a louely look / on hem he caste And namely / on this Carpenters wyf To looke on hire / hym thoughte a murye lyf Line 3344 She was so propre and sweete and likerous I dar wel seyn / if she hadde been a Mous And he a cat he wolde hir hente anon This parisshe clerk this ioly Absolon Line 3348 Hath in his herte / swich a loue longynge That of no wyf / ne took he noon offrynge ffor curteisye / he seyde he wolde noon The Moone / whan it was nyght ful brighte shoon Line 3352 And Absolon / his gyterne / hath ytake ffor paramours / he thoghte for to wake And forth he gooth / iolyf and amorous Til he cam / to the Carpenters hous Line 3356 A litel after the cokkes hadde ycrowe And dressed hym vp / by a shot wyndowe That was / vp on the Carpenters wal He syngeth / in his voys / gentil and smal Line 3360 Now deere lady / if thy wille be I prey yow / þat ye wol rewe on me

fful wel acordant to his giternynge This Carpenter awook and herde hym synge Line 3364 And spak vn to his wyf / and seyde anon What Alison / herestow noght Absolon That chaunteth thus / vnder oure boures wal [folio 44b] ¶ And she / answerde hir housbonde / ther with al Line 3368 Yis god woot Iohn / I here it euerydel This passeth forth / what wol ye bet than wel ffro day to day / this ioly Absolon So woweth hire / þat hym is wo bigon Line 3372 He waketh al the nyght and al the day He kembed his lokkes brode / and made hym gay He woweth hire by meenes / and brocage And swoor / he wolde been hir owene page Line 3376 He syngeth brokkyng as a nyghtyngale He sente hir pyment Meeth / and spiced Ale And wafres pipyng hoot / out of the gleede And for she was of towne / he profred meede Line 3380 ffor som folk / wol be wonnen for richesse And som for strokes / and som for gentilesse Som tyme to shewe / his lightnesse and maistrye He pleyeth Herodes / vp on a scaffold hye Line 3384 But what auailleth hym / as in this cas She loueth so / this hende Nicholas That Absolon / may blowe the Bukkes horn He ne hadde for his labour / but a scorn Line 3388 And thus she maketh / Absolon hir Ape And al his ernest / turneth til a Iape fful sooth is this prouerbe / it is no lye Men seith right thus / alwey the neighe slye Line 3392 Maketh / the ferre leeue to be looth ffor thogh þat Absolon / be wood or wrooth By cause / þat he fer was from hir sighte This neighe Nicholas / stood in his lighte Line 3396 ¶ Now bere thee wel / thow hende Nicholas ffor Absolon / may waille / and synge allas

¶ And so bifel it on a Saterday This Carpenter / was goon til Osenay Line 3400 And hende Nicholas / and Alison Acorded been / to this conclusion That Nicholas / shal shapen hem a wile This sely Ialous housbonde / to bigile Line 3404 And if so be / this game wente aright She sholde slepen / in his arm al nyght ffor this was hir desir / and his also [folio 45a] And right anoon / with-outen wordes mo Line 3408 This Nicholas / no lenger wolde tarie But dooth ful softe / vn to his chambre carie Bothe mete and drynke / for a day or tweye And to hir housbonde / bad hir for to seye Line 3412 If þat he axed / after Nicholas She sholde seye / she nyste wher he was Of al that day / she seigh hym nought with Iye She trowed / þat he was in maladye Line 3416 ffor / for no cry / hir mayde koude hym calle He nolde answere / for no thyng þat myghte falle ¶ This passeth forth / al thilke Saterday That Nicholas / stille in his chambre lay Line 3420 And eet and sleepe / or dide what hym leste Til Sonday / þat sonne gooth to reste ¶ This sely Carpenter / hath greet meruaille Of Nicholas / or what thyng myghte hym aille Line 3424 And seyde / I am adrad / by Seint Thomas It stondeth nat aright with Nicholas God shilde / þat he deyde sodeynly This world is now / ful tikel sikerly Line 3428 I seigh to day a corps / born to chirche That now a monday last I seigh hym wirche Go vp quod he / vn to his knaue anoon Clepe at his dore / or knokke with a stoon Line 3432 Looke how it is / and tel me boldely ¶ This knaue gooth hym vp / ful sturdily

And at the chambre dore / whil þat he stood He cryde and knokked / as þat he were wood Line 3436 What how / what do ye maister Nicholay How may ye slepen / al the longe day But al for noght he herde nat a word An hole he foond / ful lowe vp on a bord Line 3440 Ther as the Cat / was wont In for to crepe And at that hole / he looked In ful depe And atte laste / he hadde of hym a sighte ¶ This Nicholas / sat euere capyng vp-righte Line 3444 As he hadde kiked / on the newe moone Adown he gooth / and tolde his maister soone In what array / he saw this ilke man [folio 45b] ¶ This Carpenter / to blessen hym bigan Line 3448 And seyde / help vs seinte ffrideswyde A man woot litel / what hym shal bityde This man is falle / with his Astromye In som woodnesse / or in som Agonye Line 3452 I thoghte ay wel / how þat it sholde be Men sholde noght knowe / of goddes priuetee Ye blissed be alwey / a lewed man That noght but oonly his bileue kan Line 3456 So ferde another clerk with Astromye He walked in the feeldes / for to prye Vp on the sterres / what ther sholde bifalle Til he was / in a Marle pit yfalle Line 3460 He saw nat that but yet by Seint Thomas Me reweth sore / for hende Nicholas He shal be rated / of his studiyng If þat I may / by Ihesus heuene kyng Line 3464 Get me a staf / þat I may vnder-spore Whil þat thow Robyn / heuest vp the dore He shal out of his studyyng as I gesse And to the chambre dore / he gan hym dresse Line 3468 His knaue / was a strong carl / for the nones And by the haspe / he haaf it vp atones

In to the floor / the dore fil anoon This Nicholas / sat ay as stille as stoon Line 3472 And euere caped vp / in to the Eyr This Carpenter / wende he were in despeyr And hente hym / by the sholdres myghtily And shook hym harde / and cryde spitously Line 3476 What Nicholay / what how looke adoun Awake / and thenk on Cristes passioun I crouche thee / from Elues and fro wightes Ther-with the nyght spel / seyde he anon rightes Line 3480 On foure halues / of the hous aboute And on the thresshfold / on the dore with-oute Ihesu crist and Seint Benedight Blesse this hous / from euery wikked wight Line 3484 ffor the nyghtesuerye / the white Pater noster Where wentestow / seinte Petres suster And at the laste / this hende Nicholas [folio 46a] Gan for to sike soore / and seyde allas Line 3488 Shal al the world / be lost eft soones now ¶ This Carpenter answerde / what seistow What thenk / on god / as we doon men þat swynke ¶ This Nicholas answerde / fecche me drynke Line 3492 And after / wol I speke in pryuetee Of certein thyng / þat toucheth me and thee I wol telle it / noon oother man certayn ¶ This Carpenter gooth doun / and comth agayn Line 3496 And broghte of myghty ale / a large quart And whan þat eech of hem / hadde dronke his part This Nicholas / his dore faste shette And doun the Carpenter / by hym he sette Line 3500 And seyde / Iohn / myn hoost lief and deere Thou shalt vp on thy trouthe / swere me heere That to no wight thou shalt this conseil wreye ffor it is cristes conseil / that I seye Line 3504 And if thou telle it man thou art forlore ffor this vengeaunce / thow shalt haue ther fore

That if thow wreye me / thow shalt be wood ¶ Nay Crist forbede it / for his holy blood Line 3508 Quod tho this sely man / I nam no labbe And thogh I seye / I nam nat lief to gabbe Sey what thow wolt I shal it neuere telle To child ne wyf / by hym that harwed helle Line 3512 ¶ Now Iohn quod Nicholas / I wol noght lye I haue yfounde / in myn Astrologye As I haue looked / in the moone bright That now a monday next at quarter nyght Line 3516 Shal falle a reyn / and that so wilde and wood That half so greet was neuere Nowels flood This world he seyde / in lasse than in an hour Shal al be dreynt so hidous is the shour Line 3520 Thus shal man-kynde drenche / and lese hir lyf ¶ This Carpenter answerde / allas my wyf And shal she drenche / allas myn Alisoun ffor sorwe of this / he fil almoost adoun Line 3524 And seyde / is ther no remedie in this cas ¶ Why yis for gode / quod hende Nicholas If thow wolt werken / after loore and reed [folio 46b] Thow mayst noght werken / after thyn owene heed Line 3528 ffor thus seith Salomon / þat was ful trewe Werk al by conseil / and thow shalt noght rewe And if thow werken wolt by good consayl I vndertake / with-outen mast or sayl Line 3532 Yit shal I saue hire / and thee and me Hastow nat herd / how saued was Noe Whan þat oure lord / hadde warned hym biforn That al the world / with water sholde be lorn Line 3536 ¶ Yis quod this Carpenter / ful yore ago ¶ Hastow nat herd / quod Nicholas also The sorwe of Noe / with his felaweshipe Er þat he myghte / gete his wyf to shipe Line 3540 Hym hadde leuere / I dar wel vndertake At thilke tyme / than alle hise wetheres blake

That she hadde had a shipe / hir self allone And ther-fore / wostow what is best to done Line 3544 This axeth haste / and of any hastyf thyng Men may noght preche / or maken tariyng Anoon go gete vs faste / in to this In A knedyng trogh / or ellis a kymelyn Line 3548 ffor eech of vs / but looke þat they be large In whiche we mowen swymme / as in a barge And han ther-Inne / vitaille suffisaunt But for a day / fy on the remenaunt Line 3552 The water shal aslake / and goon away Aboute pryme / vp on the nexte day But Robyn may nat wite of this / thy knaue Ne eek thy mayde Gille / I may nat saue Line 3556 Axe noght why / for thogh thou axe me I wol noght tellen goddes pryuetee Suffiseth thee / but if thy wittes madde To han as greet a grace / as Noe hadde Line 3560 Thy wif shal I wel sauen / out of doute Go now thy wey / and speed thee heer aboute But whan thou hast / for hire and thee and me Ygeten vs / thise knedyng tubbes thre Line 3564 Thanne shaltow hangen hem / in the roof ful hye That no man / of oure purueiance espye And whan thow thus hast doon / as I haue seyd [folio 47a] And hast oure vitaille / faire in hem yleyd Line 3568 And eek an Ax / to smyte the corde atwo Whan þat the water cometh / þat we may go And breke an hole / an heigh vp on the gable Vn to the gardynward / ouer the stable Line 3572 That we may frely / passen forth oure wey Whan þat the grete shour / is goon awey Thanne shaltow swymme / as murye I vndertake As dooth the white doke / after his drake Line 3576 Thanne woltow clepe / how Alison / how Iohn Be murye / for the flood wol passe anon

And thou wolt seyn / hail maister Nicholay Good morwe / I see thee wel / for it is day Line 3580 And thanne shal we be lordes al oure lyf/ Of al the world / as Noe and his wyf/ But of o thyng / I warne thee ful right Be wel auysed / on that ilke nyght Line 3584 That we been entred / in to shippes bord That noon of vs / ne speke noght a word Ne clepe ne crye / but been in his prayere ffor it is / goddes owene heste deere Line 3588 Thy wyf and thow / mote hange fer atwynne ffor þat bitwix yow / shal be no synne Namoore in lookyng / than ther shal in dede This ordinaunce is seyd / go god thee spede Line 3592 Tomorwe at nyght whan men been alle aslepe In to oure knedyng tubbes / wol we crepe And sitten there / abidyng goddes grace Go now thy wey / I haue no lenger space Line 3596 To make of this / no lenger sermonyng Men seyn thus / seend the wise and sey no thyng Thow art so wys / it nedeth thee nat teche Go saue oure lyf and that I thee biseche Line 3600 ¶ This sely Carpenter / gooth forth his wey fful ofte he seyde / allas and weylaway And to his wyf / he tolde his priuetee And she was war / and knew it bet than he Line 3604 What al this queynte cast was for to seye But nathelees / she ferde as she wolde deye And seyde allas / go forth thy wey anon [folio 47b] Help vs to scape / or we been dede echon Line 3608 I am thy trewe / verray wedded wyf Go deere spouse / and help to saue oure lyf ¶ Lo which a greet thyng / is affeccion Men may dyen / of ymaginacion Line 3612 So depe / may impression be take This sely Carpenter / bigynneth quake

Hym thynketh verrailiche / þat he may se Noes flood / come walwyng as the see Line 3616 To drenchen Alison / his hony deere He wepeth / waileth / maketh sory cheere He siketh / with ful many a sory swogh And gooth / and geteth hym a knedyng trogh Line 3620 And after / a tubbe and a kymelyn And pryuely / he sente hem to his In And heeng hem / in the roof in priuetee His owene hand / he made laddres thre Line 3624 To clymben / by the ronges and the stalkes Vn to the tubbes / hangyng in the balkes And hem vitailed / bothe trogh and tubbe With breed and chese / and good ale in a Iubbe Line 3628 Suffisynge right ynogh / as for a day But er þat he hadde maad / al this array He sente his knaue and / eek his wenche also Vp on his nede / to london for to go Line 3632 And on the monday / whan it drogh to nyght He shette his dore / with-outen candel lyght And dressed alle thyng as it sholde be And shortly / vp they clomben alle thre Line 3636 They seten stille / wel a furlong way Now Pater noster / clom seyde Nicholay And clum quod Iohn / and clum seyde Alison This Carpenter / seyde his deuocion Line 3640 And stille he sit and biddeth his prayere Awaitynge on the reyn / if he it heere ¶ The dede sleepe / for wery bisynesse ffil on this Carpenter / right as I gesse Line 3644 Aboute corfew tyme / or litel moore ffor trauaillyng of his goost he groneth soore And eft he routeth / for his heed myslay [folio 48a] ¶ Doun of the laddre / stalketh Nicholay Line 3648 And Alison / ful softe adoun she spedde With-outen wordes mo / they goon to bedde

Ther as the Carpenter / is wont to lye Ther was the reuel / and the melodye Line 3652 And thus lyth Alison / and Nicholas In busynesse of myrthe / and in solas Til that the belle of laudees / gan to rynge And freres in the chauncel / gonne synge Line 3656 ¶ This parissh clerk this amorous Absolon That is for loue / alwey so wo bigon Vp on the monday / was at Osneye With compaignye / hym to disporte and pleye Line 3660 And axed vp on caas / a Cloistrer fful pryuely / after Iohn the Carpenter And he drogh hym a part out of the cherche And seyde I noot I saugh hym here noght werche Line 3664 Sith Saterday / I trowe þat he be went ffor tymber / ther oure Abbot hath hym sent ffor he is wont for tymber for to go And dwellen atte graunge / a day or two Line 3668 Or ellis / he is at his hous certeyn Where þat he be / I kan noght soothly seyn ¶ This Absolon / ful iolyf was and lyght And thoghte / now is tyme to wake al nyght Line 3672 ffor sikerly / I saugh hym noght stirynge Aboute his dore / syn day bigan to sprynge So mote I thryue / I shal at Cokkes crowe fful priuely / knokken at hys wyndowe Line 3676 That stant ful lowe / vp on his boures wal To Alison / now wol I tellen al My loue longyng . for yit I shal nat mysse That at the leeste wey / I shal hir kisse Line 3680 Som manere confort / shal I haue parfay My mouth hath icched / al this longe day That is a signe of kissyng at the leeste Al nyght me mette eek / I was at a feeste Line 3684 Ther-fore I wol go slepe / an houre or tweye And al the nyght than wol I wake and pleye

¶ Whan þat the firste cok hath crowe anon [folio 48b] Vp rist / this ioly louere Absolon Line 3688 And hym arrayeth gay / at point deuys But first / he cheweth grayn and likorys To smellen swete / er he hadde kembd his heer Vnder his tonge / a trewe loue he beer Line 3692 ffor ther by / wende he to be gracious He rometh / to the Carpenters hous And stille he stant vnder the shot wyndowe Vn to his brest it raughte / it was so lowe Line 3696 And ofte he cogheth / with a semy sown What do ye hony comb / swete Alisoun My faire bryd / my swete cynamone Awaketh lemman myn / and speketh to me Line 3700 Wel litel thynken ye / vp on my wo That for youre loue / I swete ther I go No wonder is / thogh þat I swelte and swete I moorne / as dooth a lamb / after the tete Line 3704 Ywis lemman / I haue swich loue longyng That lyk a turtle trewe / is my moornyng I may nat ete / namoore than a mayde ¶ Go fro the wyndow / Iakke fool she sayde Line 3708 As help me god / it wol nat be com pa me I loue another / and ellis I were to blame Wel bet than thee / by Ihesu Absolon Go forth thy wey / or I wol caste a stoon Line 3712 And lat me slepe / a twenty deuele wey ¶ Allas quod Absolon / and weilawey That trewe loue / was euere so yuel biset Thanne kys me / syn þat it may be no bet Line 3716 ffor Ihesus loue / and for the loue of me ¶ Woltow thanne / go thy wey ther-with quod she ¶ Ye certes lemman / quod this Absolon ¶ Thanne make thee redy quod she / I come anon Line 3720 . . . . . . . . . .] ¶ This Absolon / doun sette hym on his knees

And seyde / I am a lord / at alle degrees Line 3724 ffor after this / I hope ther cometh moore Lemman thy grace / and swete bryd thyn oore ¶ The wyndow she vndooth / and that in haste Haue do quod she / com of and speed thee faste Line 3728 Lest þat oure neghebores / thee espye [folio 49a] ¶ This Absolon / gan wipe his mouth ful drye Derk was the nyght as pych / or as the cole And at the wyndow / out she putte hir hole Line 3732 And Absolon / hym fil no bet ne wers But with his mouth / he kiste hir naked ers fful sauourly / er he were war of this Abak he sterte / and thoghte it was amys Line 3736 ffor wel he wiste / a womman hath no berd He felte a thyng al rogh / and longe y-herd And seyde fy allas / what haue I do ¶ Te hee quod she / and clapte the wyndow to Line 3740 And Absolon / gooth forth a sory paas ¶ A berd / a berd / quod hende Nicholas By goddes corpus / this gooth faire and wel ¶ This sely Absolon / herde euery del Line 3744 And on his lippe / he gan for anger byte And to hym self / he seyde I shal thee quyte ¶ Who rubbeth now / who froteth now his lippes With dust with sond / with straw / with clooth / with chippes But Absolon / þat seith ful ofte allas My soule / bitake vn to Sathanas But me were leuere / than al this town quod he Of this despit awreken for to be Line 3752 Allas quod he / allas I ne hadde ybleynt His hote loue was coold / and al yqueynt ffor fro that tyme / þat he hadde kist hir ers Of paramours / he sette noght a kers Line 3756 ffor he was heelyd / of his maladye fful ofte paramours / he gan defye And weep / as dooth a child þat is ybete A softe paas / he went ouer the strete Line 3760

Line 3760 Vn til a smyth / men clepen daun Gerueys That in his forge / smythed plogh harneys He sharpeth shaar / and cultour bisily This Absolon / knokketh al esily Line 3764 And seyde / vndo Gerueys and that anoon ¶ What who artow?/ it am I Absolon What Absolon / what Cristes swete tree Why rise ye so rathe / ey benedicitee Line 3768 What eyleth yow / som gay gerl / god it woot [folio 49b] Hath broght yow thus / vp on the viritoot By Seinte note / ye woot wel what I mene ¶ This Absolon / ne roghte nat a bene Line 3772 Of al his pley / no word agayn he yaf He hadde moore tow / on his dystaf Than Gerueys knew / and seyde freend so deere That hoote cultour / in the chymenee heere Line 3776 As lene it me / I haue ther-with to doone I wol brynge it thee / agayn ful soone ¶ Gerueys answerde / certes were it gold Or in a poke / nobles al vntold Line 3780 Thow sholdest haue / as I am trewe Smyth Ey Cristes foo / what wol ye do ther-with ¶ Ther-of quod Absolon / be as be may I shal wel telle it thee / another day Line 3784 And caughte the cultour / by the colde stele fful softe / out at the dore he gan to stele And wente / vn to the Carpenters wal He cogheth first and knokketh ther with al Line 3788 Vp on the wyndow / right as he dide er ¶ This Alison answerde / Who is ther? That knokketh so / I warante it a theef ¶ Wy nay quod he god woot my swete lief Line 3792 I am thyn Absolon / my derelyng Of gold quod he / I haue thee broght a ryng My moder yaf it me / so god me saue fful fyn it is / and ther-to wel ygraue Line 3796

Line 3796 This wol I yeuen thee / if thow me kisse ¶ This Nicholas / was risen for to pisse And thoghte / he wolde amenden al the Iape He sholde kisse his ers / er þat he scape Line 3800 And vp the wyndow / dide he hastely And out his ers / he putteth pryuely Ouer the buttok / to the haunche bon ¶ And ther-with / spak this clerk this Absolon Line 3804 Spek swete herte / I noot noght wher thow art This Nicholas / anoon leet fle a fart As greet as it hadde been a thonder dent That with the strook he was almoost yblent Line 3808 And he was redy / with his Iren hoot [folio 50a] And Nicholas / in the ers he smoot Of gooth the skyn / an handbrede aboute The hoote cultour / brende so his toute Line 3812 That for the smert he wende for to dye As he were wood / for wo he gan to crye Help water / water / help for goddes herte ¶ This Carpenter / out of his slomber sterte Line 3816 And herde oon cryen water / as he were wood And thoghte allas / now cometh Nowelys flood He sette hym vp / with-oute wordes mo And with his ax / he smoot the corde atwo Line 3820 And down gooth al / he foond neither to selle Ne breed ne ale / til he cam to the Celle Vp on the floor / and there aswowne he lay ¶ Vp stirte hire / Alison and Nicholay Line 3824 And cryden out and harrow / in the Strete The neghebores / bothe smale and grete In ronnen / for to gauren on this man That aswowne lay / bothe pale and wan Line 3828 ffor with the fal / he brosten hadde his arm But stonde he moste / vn to his owene harm ffor whan he spak / he was anon bore doun With hende Nicholas and Alisoun Line 3832

Line 3832 They tolden euery man / þat he was wood He was agast so / of Nowelys flood Thurgh fantasie / þat of his vanytee He hadde yboght hym / knedyng tubbes thre Line 3836 And hadde hem hanged / in the roof aboue And þat he preyde hem / for goddes loue To sitten in the roof / par compaignye ¶ The folk gan laughen / at his fantasye Line 3840 In to the roof / they kiken and they cape And turned al his harm / vn to a Iape ffor what so / þat this Carpenter answerde It was for noght no man his reson herde Line 3844 With othes grete / he was so sworn adoun That he was holden wood / in al the toun ffor euery clerk / anon right heeld with oother They seyde / the man was wood / my leeue brother Line 3848 And euery wight gan laughen at this stryf [folio 50b] Thus swyued / was the Carpenters wyf ffor al his kepyng and his Ialousye And Absolon / hath kist hir nether Iye Line 3852 And Nicholas / is scalded in the toute This tale is doon / and god saue al the route

. ¶ Here is ended / the Millerys tale.

Notes

• [set later]
• Vnde Ouidius Ictibus Agrestis.
• no gap in the MS.
• . Nota malum quid
• [No gap in the MS.]