¶ 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 /
