Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 27

Aboute midnight wente they to reste.

4138. E. Hn. Cp. boond. E. nat; Cm. not; Hn. namoore; Cp. namore; Pt.

Ln. Hl. no more. 4147. E. drynke; Hn. Cp. Pt. drynken; Hl. Cm.

dronken.

Wel hath this miller vernisshed his heed; [121: T. 4148-4180.]

Ful pale he was for-dronken, and nat reed. 4150 He yexeth, and he speketh thurgh the nose (231) As he were on the quakke, or on the pose.

To bedde he gooth, and with him goth his wyf.

As any Iay she light was and Iolyf, So was hir Ioly whistle wel y-wet. 4155 The cradel at hir beddes feet is set, To rokken, and to yeve the child to souke.

And whan that dronken al was in the crouke, To bedde went the doghter right anon; To bedde gooth Aleyn and also Iohn; 4160 Ther nas na more, hem nedede no dwale. (241) This miller hath so wisly bibbed ale, That as an hors he snorteth in his sleep, Ne of his tayl bihinde he took no keep.

His wyf bar him a burdon, a ful strong, 4165 Men mighte hir routing here two furlong; The wenche routeth eek _par companye_.

4151. Hl. yoxeth. 4160. E. wente; _rest_ gooth (goth). 4161. Cp.

needede (_see_ l. 4020); _rest_ neded. 4162. Hl. wysly; Cm. wysely; E. wisely; _rest_ wisly. 4166. Hl. Cp. a (_for_ two).

Aleyn the clerk, that herd this melodye, He poked Iohn, and seyde, 'slepestow?

Herdestow ever slyk a sang er now? 4170 Lo, whilk a compline is y-mel hem alle! (251) A wilde fyr up-on thair bodyes falle!

Wha herkned ever slyk a ferly thing?

Ye, they sal have the flour of il ending.

This lange night ther tydes me na reste; 4175 But yet, na fors; al sal be for the beste.

For Iohn,' seyde he, 'als ever moot I thryve, If that I may, yon wenche wil I swyve.

Som es.e.m.e.nt has lawe y-shapen us; For Iohn, ther is a lawe that says thus, 4180 That gif a man in a point be y-greved, (261) That in another he sal be releved.

[122: T. 4181-4216.]

Our corn is stoln, shortly, it is na nay, And we han had an il fit al this day.

And sin I sal have neen amendement, 4185 Agayn my los I wil have es.e.m.e.nt.

By G.o.ddes saule, it sal neen other be!'

4170. Cp. Herdestow; Cm. Ln. Herdist thou; Hl. Herdistow; E. Herdtow; Hn. Herd thow. 4171. E. whilk; Hn. Cp. Ln. swilke; Cm. swich; Pt.

sclike; Hl. slik. 4171. Ln. compline; Hn. conplyng; Pt. conplinge; Hl. couplyng (_wrongly_); E. cowplyng; Cm. copil. 4181. Hl.

(_margin_) Qui in vno grauatur in alio debet releuari. 4183. E. Cm.

shortly; _rest_ sothly. E. is; _rest_ it is. Hn. Hl. na; E. ne; _rest_ no (non). 4185. E. neen; Hn. naan; Hl. nan; _rest_ non (noon); _so in_ 4187.

This Iohn answerde, 'Alayn, avyse thee, The miller is a perilous man,' he seyde, 'And gif that he out of his sleep abreyde, 4190 He mighte doon us bathe a vileinye.' (271)

Aleyn answerde, 'I count him nat a flye;'

And up he rist, and by the wenche he crepte.

This wenche lay upright, and faste slepte, Til he so ny was, er she mighte espye, 4195 That it had been to late for to crye, And shortly for to seyn, they were at on; Now pley, Aleyn! for I wol speke of Iohn.

This Iohn lyth stille a furlong-wey or two, And to him-self he maketh routhe and wo: 4200 'Allas!' quod he, 'this is a wikked Iape; (281) Now may I seyn that I is but an ape.

Yet has my felawe som-what for his harm; He has the milleris doghter in his arm.

He auntred him, and has his nedes sped, 4205 And I lye as a draf-sek in my bed; And when this Iape is tald another day, I sal been halde a daf, a c.o.kenay!

I wil aryse, and auntre it, by my fayth!

"Unhardy is unsely," thus men sayth.' 4210 And up he roos and softely he wente (291) Un-to the cradel, and in his hand it hente, And baar it softe un-to his beddes feet.

4206. E. Cm. sek; _rest_ sak. 4213. E. the; _rest_ his.

Sone after this the wyf hir routing leet, And gan awake, and wente hir out to p.i.s.se, 4215 And cam agayn, and gan hir cradel misse, And groped heer and ther, but she fond noon.

'Allas!' quod she, 'I hadde almost misgoon; [123: T. 4217-4252.]

I hadde almost gon to the clerkes bed.

By, _benedicite!_ thanne hadde I foule y-sped:' 4220 And forth she gooth til she the cradel fond. (301) She gropeth alwey forther with hir hond, And fond the bed, and thoghte noght but good, By-cause that the cradel by it stood, And niste wher she was, for it was derk; 4225, But faire and wel she creep in to the clerk, And lyth ful stille, and wolde han caught a sleep.

With-inne a whyl this Iohn the clerk up leep, And on this G.o.de wyf he leyth on sore.

So mery a fit ne hadde she nat ful yore; 4230 He priketh harde and depe as he were mad. (311) This Ioly lyf han thise two clerkes lad Til that the thridde c.o.k bigan to singe.

4217. E. Hn. Pt. foond. 4223. E. Hn. foond. 4226. to] Cm. bi.

4230. E. myrie; _om._ ne. 4231. E. soore; Cm. sore; _rest_ depe (deepe).

Aleyn wex wery in the daweninge, For he had swonken al the longe night; 4235 And seyde, 'far wel, Malin, swete wight!

The day is come, I may no lenger byde; But evermo, wher so I go or ryde, I is thyn awen clerk, swa have I seel!'

4234. Cm. Ln. Pt. wex; _rest_ wax. 4236. Cm. Cp. Hl. far; _rest_ fare; _see note._

'Now dere lemman,' quod she, 'go, far weel! 4240 But er thou go, o thing I wol thee telle, (321) Whan that thou wendest homward by the melle, Right at the entree of the dore bihinde, Thou shalt a cake of half a busshel finde That was y-maked of thyn owne mele, 4245 Which that I heelp my fader for to stele.

And, G.o.de lemman, G.o.d thee save and kepe!'

And with that word almost she gan to wepe.

4246. Cm. halp; E. Hn. heelp.

Aleyn up-rist, and thoughte, 'er that it dawe, I wol go crepen in by my felawe; 4250 And fond the cradel with his hand anon, (331) 'By G.o.d,' thoghte he, 'al wrang I have misgon; Myn heed is toty of my swink to-night, That maketh me that I go nat aright.

[124: T. 4253-4288.]

I woot wel by the cradel, I have misgo, 4255 Heer lyth the miller and his wyf also.'

And forth he goth, a twenty devel way, Un-to the bed ther-as the miller lay.

He wende have cropen by his felawe Iohn; And by the miller in he creep anon, 4260 And caughte hym by the nekke, and softe he spak: (341) He seyde, 'thou, Iohn, thou swynes-heed, awak For Cristes saule, and heer a n.o.ble game.

For by that lord that called is seint Iame, As I have thryes, in this shorte night, 4265 Swyved the milleres doghter bolt-upright, Whyl thow hast as a coward been agast.'

'Ye, false harlot,' quod the miller, 'hast?

A! false traitour! false clerk!' quod he, 'Thou shalt be deed, by G.o.ddes dignitee! 4270 Who dorste be so bold to disparage (351) My doghter, that is come of swich linage?'

And by the throte-bolle he caughte Alayn.

And he hente hym despitously agayn, And on the nose he smoot him with his fest. 4275 Doun ran the blody streem up-on his brest; And in the floor, with nose and mouth to-broke, They walwe as doon two pigges in a poke.

And up they goon, and doun agayn anon, Til that the miller sp.o.r.ned at a stoon, 4280 And doun he fil bakward up-on his wyf, (361) That wiste no-thing of this nyce stryf; For she was falle aslepe a lyte wight With Iohn the clerk, that waked hadde al night.

And with the fal, out of hir sleep she breyde-- 4285 'Help, holy croys of Bromeholm,' she seyde, _In ma.n.u.s tuas!_ lord, to thee I calle!

Awak, Symond! the feend is on us falle, Myn herte is broken, help, I nam but deed; There lyth oon up my wombe and up myn heed; 4290 [125: T. 4289-4322.]

Help, Simkin, for the false clerkes fighte.' (371)

4277. in] Hn. on. 4278. Hl. walweden as pigges. 4280. Hn. on; Cm.

a[gh]en; _rest_ at. 4283. E. lite; Cm. lyte; _rest_ litel. 4286.

Cm. Pt. Ln. Bromeholm; _rest_ Bromholm. 4290. Cp. Ln. vp (_twice_).

E. Hn. Cm. Pt. Hl. vp on (_for 1st_ up). E. Cm. Pt. Hl. on (Hn. vp); _for 2nd_ vp.

This Iohn sterte up as faste as ever he mighte, And graspeth by the walles to and fro, To finde a staf; and she sterte up also, And knew the estres bet than dide this Iohn, 4295 And by the wal a staf she fond, anon, And saugh a litel s.h.i.+mering of a light, For at an hole in shoon the mone bright; And by that light she saugh hem bothe two, But sikerly she niste who was who, 4300 But as she saugh a whyt thing in hir ye. (38l) And whan she gan the whyte thing espye, She wende the clerk hadde wered a volupeer.

And with the staf she drough ay neer and neer, And wende han hit this Aleyn at the fulle, 4305 And smoot the miller on the pyled skulle, That doun he gooth and cryde, 'harrow! I dye!'

Thise clerkes bete him weel and lete him lye; And greythen hem, and toke hir hors anon, And eek hir mele, and on hir wey they gon. 4310 And at the mille yet they toke hir cake (391) Of half a busshel flour, ful wel y-bake.

4292. E. Cm. stirte. E. soone (_for_ faste). 4296. E. Hn. foond; Hl. took. 4301. Hl. ye; Hn. Iye; _rest_ eye. 4307. E. Cm. Hl. And; _rest_ That. 4309. Hl. greyth; Cm. hastede.

Thus is the proude miller wel y-bete, And hath y-lost the grinding of the whete, And payed for the soper every-deel 4315 Of Aleyn and of Iohn, that bette him weel.

His wyf is swyved, and his doghter als; Lo, swich it is a miller to be fals!

And therfore this proverbe is seyd ful sooth, 'Him thar nat wene wel that yvel dooth; 4320 A gylour shal him-self bigyled be.' (401) And G.o.d, that sitteth heighe in magestee, Save al this companye grete and smale!

Thus have I quit the miller in my tale.