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

¶ The prologe / of the Reues tale

WHAN folk hadde laughen / at this nyce cas Of Absolon / and hende Nicholas Line 3856 Diuerse folk / diuersely they seyde But for the moore part they loughe and pleyde Ne at this tale / I saugh no man hym greue But it were oonly / Osewold the Reue Line 3860 By-cause / he was / of Carpenteris craft A litel Ire / in his herte ylaft He gan to grucche / and blamed it a lite ¶ So theek / quod he / ful wel koude I yow quite Line 3864 With bleryng of a proud Milleres eye If that me liste / speke of ribaudye But ik am oold / me list no pley for Age Gras tyme is doon / my fodder is now forage Line 3868 This white tope / writeth myne olde yeris Myn herte is mowled also as myne heris But if I fare / as dooth an Openers ¶ That ilke fruyt / is euer leng the wers Line 3872 Til it be roten / in Mullok or in stree We olde men / I drede so fare we Til we be roten / kan we nat be rype We hoppen ay / whil that the world wol pype Line 3876 ffor in oure wyl / ther stiketh euere a nayl To haue an hoor heed / and a grene tayl As hath a leek / for thogh oure myght be goon Oure wyl / desireth folie euere in oon Line 3880 ffor whan we may nat doon / than wol we speke Yet in oure Asshen olde / is fyr yreke ¶ ffoure gleedes han we / whiche I shal deuyse Avauntyng liyng Anger / Coueitise Line 3884 Thise foure sparkles / longen vn to eelde Oure olde lemes / mowe wel been vnweelde

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