Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 26

This Aleyn maketh redy al his gere, And on an hors the sak he caste anon.

Forth goth Aleyn the clerk, and also Iohn, With good swerd and with bokeler by hir syde.

Iohn knew the wey, hem nedede no gyde, 4020 And at the mille the sak adoun he layth. (101) Aleyn spak first, 'al hayl, Symond, y-fayth; How fares thy faire doghter and thy wyf?'

4019. E. Cm. Pt. _om._ with. 4020. Cp. needede (_see_ l. 4161); E.

Hn. Pt. neded; Cm. Hl. nedyth; Ln. nede. 4022. Hn. Symkyn; _rest_ Symond, Symon; _see_ l. 4026.

'Aleyn! welcome,' quod Simkin, 'by my lyf, And Iohn also, how now, what do ye heer?' 4025

'Symond,' quod Iohn, 'by G.o.d, nede has na peer; Him boes serve him-selve that has na swayn, Or elles he is a fool, as clerkes sayn.

Our manciple, I hope he wil be deed, Swa werkes ay the w.a.n.ges in his heed. 4030 And forthy is I come, and eek Alayn, (111) To grinde our corn and carie it ham agayn; I pray yow spede us hethen that ye may.'

4027. E. boes (= North. E. _bus_); Hn. Cp. bihoues; Pt. Ln. byhoue; Cm. muste; Hl. falles. 4033. E. Hn. Cp. heythen; Ln. hethen (_the right form_); Cm. hene; Pt. hepen (_for_ heen).

'It shal be doon,' quod Simkin, 'by my fay; What wol ye doon whyl that it is in hande?' 4035

'By G.o.d, right by the hoper wil I stande,'

Quod Iohn, 'and se how that the corn gas in; Yet saugh I never, by my fader kin, How that the hoper wagges til and fra.'

4036. E. hopur.

Aleyn answerde, 'Iohn, and wiltow swa, 4040 Than wil I be bynethe, by my croun, (121) And se how that the mele falles doun In-to the trough; that sal be my disport.

For Iohn, in faith, I may been of your sort; I is as ille a miller as are ye.' 4045

4040. Cp. Hl. and; _rest om._ 4044. E. Cm. yfayth. 4045. Cm. Pt. is (_for_ are); Ln. es.

This miller smyled of hir nycetee, And thoghte, 'al this nis doon but for a wyle; [118: T. 4046-4079.]

They wene that no man may hem bigyle; But, by my thrift, yet shal I blere hir ye For al the sleighte in hir philosophye. 4050 The more queynte crekes that they make, (131) The more wol I stele whan I take.

In stede of flour, yet wol I yeve hem bren.

"The gretteste clerkes been noght the wysest men,"

As whylom to the wolf thus spak the mare; 4055 Of al hir art I counte noght a tare.'

4049. E. Ln. eye. 4051. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. crekes; Hl. knakkes. 4053.

E. stide. 4054. E. Cm. Hl. _om._ the. 4056. Cm. I counte; Hl. ne counte I; _rest_ counte I.

Out at the dore he gooth ful prively, Whan that he saugh his tyme, softely; He loketh up and doun til he hath founde The clerkes hors, ther as it stood y-bounde 4060 Bihinde the mille, under a levesel; (141) And to the hors he gooth him faire and wel; He strepeth of the brydel right anon.

And whan the hors was loos, he ginneth gon Toward the fen, ther wilde mares renne, 4065 Forth with wehee, thurgh thikke and thurgh thenne.

4061. Cm. Cp. Ln. Hl. leuesel; E. lefsel; Hn. leefsel. 4064. E. Hn.

Cp. Ln. laus; Hl. loos; Cm. los; Pt. louse; _see_ l. 4138.

This miller gooth agayn, no word he seyde, But dooth his note, and with the clerkes pleyde, Til that hir corn was faire and wel y-grounde.

And whan the mele is sakked and y-bounde, 4070 This Iohn goth out and fynt his hors away, (151) And gan to crye 'harrow' and 'weylaway!

Our hors is lorn! Alayn, for G.o.ddes banes, Step on thy feet, com out, man, al at anes!

Allas, our wardeyn has his palfrey lorn.' 4075 This Aleyn al forgat, bothe mele and corn, Al was out of his mynde his housbondrye.

'What? whilk way is he geen?' he gan to crye.

4069. E. weel. 4074. E. out; Hn. Cm. Cp. Pt. Ln. of; Hl. on. 4078.

E. geen; Hn. Ln. gane; Hl. gan; Cm. Cp. Pt. gon.

The wyf cam leping inward with a ren, She seyde, 'allas! your hors goth to the fen 4080 With wilde mares, as faste as he may go. (161) [119: T. 4080-4114.]

Unthank come on his hand that bond him so, And he that bettre sholde han knit the reyne.'

4082. E. Hn. boond.

'Allas,' quod Iohn, 'Aleyn, for Cristes peyne, Lay doun thy swerd, and I wil myn alswa; 4085 I is ful wight, G.o.d waat, as is a raa; By G.o.ddes herte he sal nat scape us bathe.

Why nadstow pit the capul in the lathe?

Il-hayl, by G.o.d, Aleyn, thou is a fonne!'

4084. E. Cm. _om._ Iohn. 4087. E. Hn. G.o.d; _rest_ G.o.ddes, G.o.ddis.

4088. E. Hn. Cm. pit; _rest_ put (putte).

This sely clerkes han ful faste y-ronne 4090 To-ward the fen, bothe Aleyn and eek Iohn. (171)

And whan the miller saugh that they were gon, He half a busshel of hir flour hath take, And bad his wyf go knede it in a cake.

He seyde, 'I trowe the clerkes were aferd; 4095 Yet can a miller make a clerkes berd For al his art; now lat hem goon hir weye.

Lo wher they goon, ye, lat the children pleye; They gete him nat so lightly, by my croun!'

4094. E. _om._ a.

Thise sely clerkes rennen up and doun 4100 With 'keep, keep, stand, stand, Iossa, warderere, (181) Ga whistle thou, and I shal kepe him here!'

But shortly, til that it was verray night, They coude nat, though they do al hir might, Hir capul cacche, he ran alwey so faste, 4105 Til in a dich they caughte him atte laste.

4101. Cm. ware e rere; Hl. ware derere; _rest_ warderere; ed. 1561, wartherere. 4104. E. do; Cm. don; _rest_ dide (did).

Wery and weet, as beste is in the reyn, Comth sely Iohn, and with him comth Aleyn.

'Allas,' quod Iohn, 'the day that I was born!

Now are we drive til hething and til scorn. 4110 Our corn is stole, men wil us foles calle, (191) Bathe the wardeyn and our felawes alle, And namely the miller; weylaway!'

4107. Cm. beste; E. Hn. beest. 4110. E. Hl. dryue; _rest_ dryuen (dreven). 4111. E. stoln me.

Thus pleyneth Iohn as he goth by the way Toward the mille, and Bayard in his hond. 4115 The miller sitting by the fyr he fond, [120: T. 4115-4147.]

For it was night, and forther mighte they noght; But, for the love of G.o.d, they him bisoght Of herberwe and of ese, as for hir peny.

The miller seyde agayn, 'if ther be eny, 4120 Swich as it is, yet shal ye have your part. (201) Myn hous is streit, but ye han lerned art; Ye conne by argumentes make a place A myle brood of twenty foot of s.p.a.ce.

Lat see now if this place may suffyse, 4125 Or make it roum with speche, as is youre gyse.'

4123. E. Hn. Argumentz; Cm. argumentis; Cp. Hl. argumentes. 4126. E.

in (_for_ is).

'Now, Symond,' seyde Iohn, 'by seint Cutberd, Ay is thou mery, and this is faire answerd.

I have herd seyd, man sal taa of twa thinges Slyk as he fyndes, or taa slyk as he bringes. 4130 But specially, I pray thee, hoste dere, (211) Get us som mete and drinke, and make us chere, And we wil payen trewely atte fulle.

With empty hand men may na haukes tulle; Lo here our silver, redy for to spende.' 4135

4128. Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. mery; E. Hn. myrie. 4129. E. taa; Cm. tan; Pt.

taken; Hn. tak; Cp. take. 4131. E. Hn. hoost; Hl. host ful; Pt.

hooste; Cp. Ln. ooste. 4134. Hl. na; Cp. naan; E. Hn. Cm. none; Pt.

not.

This miller in-to toun his doghter sende For ale and breed, and rosted hem a goos, And bond hir hors, it sholde nat gon loos; And in his owne chambre hem made a bed With shetes and with chalons faire y-spred, 4140 Noght from his owne bed ten foot or twelve. (221) His doghter hadde a bed, al by hir-selve, Right in the same chambre, by and by; It mighte be no bet, and cause why, Ther was no roumer herberwe in the place. 4145 They soupen and they speke, hem to solace, And drinken ever strong ale atte beste.