That ilke fruyt is ever leng the wers
Til it be roten in mullok, or in stree.1

"We olde men, I drede, so fare we, Til we be roten kan we nat be rype.

We hoppen ay whil that the world wol pype,
For in oure wyl ther stiketh evere a nayl,
To have an hoor heed and a grene tayl,

As hath a leek; for thogh oure myght be goon,
Oure wyl desireth folie evere in oon ;

3880 For whan we may nat doon, than wol we speke, Yet in oure asshen olde is fyr yreke.2

3

Foure gleedes han we, whiche I shal devyse, Avauntyng, liyng, anger, coveitise.

4

Thise foure sparkles longen un-to eelde.

Oure olde lemes 5 mowe wel been unweelde,
But wyl ne shal nat faillen, that is sooth;,
And yet ik have alwey a coltes tooth,

As many a yeer as it is passed henne

Syn that my tappe of lif bigan to renne; 3890 For sikerly whan I was bore anon

6

Deeth drough the tappe of lyf and leet it gon,
And ever sithe hath so the tappe yronne,
Til that almoost al empty is the tonne.
The streem of lyf now droppeth on the chymbe,
The sely tonge may wel rynge and chymbe
Of wrecchednesse that passed is ful yoore ;
With olde folk, save dotage, is namoore."
Whan that oure Hoost hadde herd this ser-

monyng,

1 Rubbish or straw.

5 Limbs.

6 Chimb.

2 Smouldering. 8 Live coals. 7 Chime.

7

4 Belong.

THE MILLER OF TRUMPYNGTOUN. 147

He gan to speke as lordly as a kyng.

3900

He seide: "What amounteth al this wit?

What, shul we speke alday of hooly writ?
The devel made a Reve for to preche, (3901 T.)
And of a soutere,1 shipman, or a leche.
Sey forth thy tale, and tarie nat the tyme,
Lo, Depeford, and it is half wey pryme.
Lo, Grenewych, ther many a shrewe is inne,
It were al tyme thy tale to bigynne.”

"Now, sires," quod this Osewold the Reve, "I pray yow alle that ye nat yow greve, 3910 Thogh I answere and somdeel sette his howve,2 For leveful is, with force force of showve ;* This dronke Millere hath ytoold us heer How that bigyled was a carpenteer, Peraventure in scorn for I am oon,

And, by youre leve, I shal him quite anoon.
Right in his cherles termes wol I speke;

I

pray to God his nekke mote breke. 3918 He kan wel in myn eye seen a stalke, (3917 T.) But in his owene he kan nat seen a balke." 5

Heere bigynneth The Reves Tale.

At Trumpyngtoun, nat fer fro Cantebrigge, Ther gooth a brook, and over that a brigge,

1 Cobbler. 2 Set his hood, i. e., get the better of him. Cf. 1. 586.

3 Lawful. 4 Repel. 5 Beam. 6 The Reeve's tale is in its main features the same as the sixth novel of the ninth day of the Decamerone, but it was often told in the olden time. Two French versions, having more details than Boccaccio gives, were printed by the Chaucer Society in 1872.

Up-on the whiche brook ther stant a melle;
And this is verray sooth that I yow tell.
A millere was ther dwellynge many a day,
As eny pecok he was proud and gay.
Pipen he koude, and fisshe, and nettes beete,1
And turne coppes,2 and wel wrastle and sheete ;3
And by his belt he baar a long panade, 3929
And of a swerd ful trenchant was the blade.

5

A joly poppere baar he in his pouche,

4

1

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 ;

8

9

He was a market-betere atte fulle;

Ther dorste no wight hand up-on hym legge 10
That he ne swoor he sholde anon abegge.11

A theef he was of corn and eek of mele,
And that a sly and usaunt for to stele.
His name was hoote, deynous, Symkyn.12
A wyf he hadde, ycomen of noble kyn,
The person
18 of the toun hir fader was,
With hire he gaf ful many a panne of bras
For that Symkyn sholde in his blood allye.
She was yfostred in a nonnerye,

3940

For Symkyn wolde no wyf, as he sayde,
But if she were wel ynorissed and a mayde,
To saven his estaat of yomanrye.

14

3949

And she was proud and peert as is a pye.

1 Mend. 2 Cups (in a lathe). 3 Shoot. 4 Weapon. 5 Dagger. 6 Whittle. 7 Crooked. 8 Pilled. 9 Swaggerer. fer. 12 Called in contempt "Little Simon." 13 Parson.

10 Lay

11 Sut 14 Airy

THE CULTURE OF THE WIFE.

149

A ful fair sighte was it up-on hem two (3949 T.)
On haly dayes; biforn hire wolde he go
With his typet ybounde about his heed ;
And she cam after in a gyte1 of reed;
And Symkyn hadde hosen of the same.
Ther dorste no wight clepen hire but "Dame ;"
Was noon so hardy that wente by the weye
That with hire dorste rage, or ones pleye,
But if he wolde be slayn of Symkyn,

With panade, or with knyf, or boidekyn; 3960
For jalous folk ben perilous everemo ;
Algate they wolde hire wyves wenden so.
And eek for she was somdel smoterlich,2
She was as digne3 as water in a dich,1
As ful of hoker," and of bisemare.
Hir thought that a lady sholde hire spare,"
What for hire kynrede and hir nortelrie
That she hadde lerned in the nonnerie.
A doghter hadde they bitwixe hem two
Of twenty yeer, with-outen any mo, 3970
Savynge a child that was of half yeer age ;
In cradel it lay, and was a propre page.9
This wenche thikke and wel ygrowen was,
With kamuse nose, and eyen greye as glas ;
Buttokes brode, and brestes rounde and hye,
But right fair was hire heer, I wol nat lye.
This person of the toun, for she was feir,
In purpos was to maken hire his heir,

1 Gown. 2 Smutty. tance. 5 Frowardness.

9 Boy.

3 Repellant. 4 She kept people at a dis6 Abusive talk. 7 Consider. 8 Culture

And straunge2 he made it of hir mariage.
His purpos was for to bistowe hire hye
In-to som worthy blood of auncetrye;

3979

For hooly chirches good moot been despended On hooly chirches blood that is descended; Therfore he wolde his hooly blood honoure, Though that he hooly chirche sholde devoure.

Gret sokene hath this millere, out of doute, With whete and malt of al the land aboute; And nameliche, ther was a greet collegge, 3989 Men clepen the Soler Halle at Cantebregge; Ther was hir whete and eek hir malt ygrounde ; And on a day it happed in a stounde,* Sik lay the maunciple on a maladye. Men wenden wisly that he sholde dye,

For which this millere stal bothe mele and corn

An hundred tyme moore than biforn :
For ther biforn he stal but curteisly,
But now he was a theef outrageously;

For which the wardeyn chidde and made fare,5
But ther of sette the millere nat a tare; 4000
He craketh boost, and swoor it was nat so.
Thanne were ther yonge, povre clerkes two,
That dwelten in this halle of which I seye ;
Testif they were, and lusty for to pleye;
And, oonly for hire myrthe and revelrye,
Up-on the wardeyn bisily they crye, (4004 T.)

1 Messuage. 2 Difficult. 3 Soc, toll. 4 Moment. 5 Proceedings. Loudly boasted. 7 Heady.