The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ And bygynneþ þe prologe of þe Reeue

Whan folk hadde lawhen of þis nyce caas Of Absolon and heende Nicholas Line 3856 Dyuerse folk dyuersely þey seyde But for þe moste part þey lowh and pleyde / Ne at þis tale I sawh no man him greue But it were oonly Osewald þe Reeue Line 3860 By cause he was of Carpentrye craft A litel Ire is in his herte is laft He gan to grucche and blamed it a lite So theek quod he ful wel coude I þe quyte Line 3864 with bleryng of a prowd mylleres ye If þat me luste speke of Ribaudye

But yk am old me list not pley for age Gras tyme is doon my foddir is now forage Line 3868 My whyte top writeþ myn olde ȝeeres / Myn hert is al so moulyd as myn heeres / And ȝit I fare as doþ an open-ers That ilke fruyt is euer lenger þe wers Line 3872 Til it be rote in mullok or in stree we olde men I drede so fare we / Til we be roten can we nat be rype we hoppen alway whil þe world wol pype Line 3876 For in oure wil þer stikeþ euer a nayl To haue an hoor heed and a greene tayl As hath a leek for þough oure might be doon Oure wil desireþ folye euer in oon Line 3880 For whan we may nat do þan wol we speke / [folio 52a] Ȝet in oure aisshen old is fyr I-reke / Foure gledys haue we which I schal deuyse Auantyng / lyyng / angur coueytise Line 3884 This foure sparkys longen vnto eelde / Oure olde lymes mowen be vnweelde /

But wil ne schal nat fayle vs þat is soþ And ȝet I haue alwey a coltes toþ Line 3888 As many a ȝeer as it is passed henne Syn þat my tappe of lyf bygan to renne / For sikirlik whan I was born anon Deth drough þe tappe of lyf and leet it goon Line 3892 And now so longe / haþ þe tappe I-ronne Til þat almost al empty is þe tonne The streem of lyf now droppeth on þe chymbe The sely tonge may wel rynge and chimbe [[? first clymbe]] Line 3896 Of wrecchednes þat passed is ful ȝoore with olde folk / sauf dotage is no more

Whan þat oure host had herd oure sermonyng he gan to speke as lordly as a kyng Line 3900 And seyde what amounteþ al þis wit what schul we speke alday of holy wryt The deuyl made a Reue for to preche Or of a sowter schipman or a leche / Line 3904 Sey forþ þi tale and tarye nat þe tyme Lo heer is Depford / and it is passed prime Lo Grenewich þer many a schrewe is Inne It were al tyme þi tale to bygynne Line 3908

NOw sires quod þis Osewold þe Reue I pray ȝow alle // þat noon of ȝou him greeue Though I answere and somwhat sette his howue For leeful is wiþ force force to showue Line 3912 This dronken myllere haþ I-told vs heer how þat bygiled was a Carpenter Parauenture in scorn for I am oon And by ȝour leue I schal him quyte anoon Line 3916 Right in his cherles termes wol I speke / I pray to God his nekke mot tobreke he can wel in myn eye see a stalke [folio 52b] But in his owne he can nought seen a balke Line 3920

HEre endeþ þe prologe of þe Reue [[No break in the MS.]]