¶ Now sires / quod this Osewold the Reue
I pray yow alle / that ye noght yow greue
Thogh I answere / and som del sette his howue
For leueful is / with force / force of showue
This dronken Millere / hath ytoold vs heer
How that / bigiled was a Carpenter
Parauenture in scorn / for I am oon
And by youre leue / I shal hym quyte anon
Right / in his cherles termes / wol I speke
I pray to god / his nekke mote to breke
From NlBut ȝit i woll nat on hym me wreke
He kan wel / in myn eye / seen a stalke
But in his owene / he kan noght seen a balke
Here endeth the Prolog of the Tale of the Reeue
From PsExplicit prohemium fabule prepositi
From Cn Hic Incipit fabula prepositi
¶ Heere bigynneth the Reeues Tale
At Trompyngtoun nat fer fro Cantebrygge
Theer gooth a brook and ouer that a brygge
Vp on the which brook ther stant a Melle
And this is verray sooth that I yow telle
A Miller was ther dwellyng many a day
As any pecok he was proud and gay
Pipen he koude and fisshe and nettes beete
And torne coppes and wel wrastle and sheete
And by his belt he baar a long panade
And of a swerd ful trenchaunt was the blade
A ioly popper baar he in his pouche
Ther was no man for peril dorste hym touche
A sheffeld thwitel baar he in his hose
Round was his face and camuse was his nose
As piled as an Ape was his skulle