But wyl ne shal nat faillen / that is sooth [folio 46a]
And yet ik haue alwey a Coltes tooth
Line 3888
As many a yeer / as it is passed henne
Syn that my tappe of lif / bigan to renne
ffor sikerly / whan I was bore / anon
Deeth drough the tappe of lyf / and leet it gon
Line 3892
And euer sithe / hath so the tappe yronne
Til that almoost al empty is the tonne
The streem of lyf / now droppeth on the chymbe
The sely tonge / may wel rynge and chymbe
Line 3896
Of wrecchednesse / that passed is ful yoore
With olde folk saue dotage is namoore
Whan that oure hoost / hadde herd this sermonyng
He gan to speke / as lordly as a kyng
Line 3900
He seide / what amounteth al this wit
What shul we speke alday of hooly writ
The deuel / made a Reue for to preche
And of a Soutere / Shipman or a leche
Line 3904
Sey forth thy tale / and tarie nat the tyme
Lo Depeford / and it is half wey pryme
Lo Grenewych / ther many a shrewe is Inne
It were al tyme / thy tale to bigynne
Line 3908
NOw sires / quod this Osewold the Reue
I pray yow alle / that ye nat yow greue
Thogh I answere / and somdeel sette his howue
ffor leueful is / with force force of showue [¶ vim vi repellere]
¶ This dronke Millere hath ytoold vs heer
Line 3913
How that bigyled was a Carpenteer
Perauenture in scorn / for I am oon
And by youre leue / I shal him quite anoon
Line 3916
Right in his cherles termes wol I speke
I pray to god / his nekke mote breke
He kan wel / in myn eye seen a stalke
But in his owene / he kan nat seen a balke
Line 3920
