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

¶ The prologe of the Milleres tale.

WHan that the knyght hadde thus his tale ytoold In al the compaignie / nas ther yong ne oold That he ne seyde / it was a noble Storie And worthy / for to drawen to memorie Line 3112 And namely / the gentils euerichon ¶ Oure hoost lough / and swoor so moot I gon This gooth aright vnbokeled is the male Lat se now / who shal telle another tale Line 3116 ffor trewely / the game is wel bigonne Now telleth ye sire Monk / if þat ye konne Som what / to quite with the knyghtes tale ¶ The Millere / that for-dronken was a pale Line 3120 So that vnnethe / vp on his hors he sat He nolde aualen / neither hood ne hat Ne abiden no man / for his curteisye But in Pilates voys / he gan to crye Line 3124 And swoor by armes / and by blood and bones I kan a noble tale / for the nones With which / I wol now quite the knyghtes tale ¶ Oure Hoost saugh / þat he was dronke of ale Line 3128 ¶ And seyde / abyde Robyn leeue brother [folio 41b] Som bettre man / shal telle vs first another Abyde / and lat vs werken thriftily ¶ By goddes soule quod he / that wol nat I Line 3132 ffor I wol speke / or ellis go my wey ¶ Oure Hoost answerde / tel on a deuele wey Thow art a fool / thy wit is ouercome ¶ Now herkneth quod the Millere / alle and some Line 3136 But first I make a protestacioun That I am dronke / I knowe it by my sown And therfore / if þat I mysspeke / or seye Wite it / the ale of Southwerk I preye Line 3140

Line 3140 ffor I wol telle / a legende and a lyf Bothe of a Carpenter / and of his wyf How þat a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe ¶ The Reue answerde / and seyde stynt thy clappe Line 3144 Lat be / thy lewed dronken harlotrye It is a synne / and eek a greet folye To apeyren any man / or hym diffame And eek to bryngen wyues / in swich fame Line 3148 Thow mayst ynow / of othere thynges seyn ¶ This dronken Millere / spak ful soone ageyn And seyde / leeue brother Osewold Who hath no wyf / he is no Cokewold Line 3152 But I seye nat ther-fore / þat thow art oon Ther been ful goode wyues many oon . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 3156 Why artow angry / wit my tale now I haue a wyf pardee / as wel as thow Yet nolde I / for the oxen in my plough Take vp on me / moore than ynough Line 3160 As demen of my self / þat I were oon I wol bileeue wel / þat I am noon An housbonde / shal noght been Inquisityf/ Of goddes pryuetee / nor of his wyf Line 3164 So he may fynde / goddes foyson there Of the remenant nedeth noght enquere ¶ What sholde I moore seyn / but this Millere He nolde his wordes / for no man forbere But tolde his cherles tale / in his manere Me athynketh / that I shal reherce it heere And ther-fore / euery gentil wight I preye [folio 42a] Demeth noght for goddes loue / þat I seye Line 3172 Of yuel entente / but for I moot reherse Hir tales alle / be they bet or werse Or ellis falsen / som of my matere And ther-fore / who so list it noght yhere Line 3176

Line 3176 Turne ouer the leef / and chese another tale ffor he shal fynde ynowe / grete and smale Of storial thyng that toucheth gentilesse And eek moralitee / and holynesse Line 3180 Blameth noght me / if þat ye chese amys The Millere is a cherl / ye knowe wel this So was the Reue eek and othere mo And harlotrye / they tolden bothe two Line 3184 Auyseth yow / and put me out of blame And eek men shal noght maken ernest of game [[Slight break in the MS.]]