No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Miller's Tale Prologue to the Miller’s Tale Page 1

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Original Text	Modern Text
HERE FOLWEN THE WORDES BITWENE THE HOST AND THE MILLERE.	HERE FOLWEN THE WORDES BITWENE THE HOST AND THE MILLERE.
Whan that the Knight had thus his tale y-told, In al the route nas ther yong ne old That he ne seyde it was a noble storie, And worthy for to drawen to memorie; And namely the gentils everichoon. Our Hoste lough and swoor, ‘so moot I goon, This gooth aright; unbokeled is the male; Lat see now who shal telle another tale: For trewely, the game is wel bigonne. Now telleth ye, sir Monk, if that ye conne, Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes tale.’ The Miller, that for-dronken was al pale, So that unnethe upon his hors he sat, He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat, Ne abyde no man for his curteisye, But in Pilates vois he gan to crye, And swoor by armes and by blood and bones, ‘I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quyte the Knightes tale.’	Whan that the Knight had thus his tale y-told, In al the route nas ther yong ne old That he ne seyde it was a noble storie, And worthy for to drawen to memorie; And namely the gentils everichoon. Our Hoste lough and swoor, ‘so moot I goon, This gooth aright; unbokeled is the male; Lat see now who shal telle another tale: For trewely, the game is wel bigonne. Now telleth ye, sir Monk, if that ye conne, Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes tale.’ The Miller, that for-dronken was al pale, So that unnethe upon his hors he sat, He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat, Ne abyde no man for his curteisye, But in Pilates vois he gan to crye, And swoor by armes and by blood and bones, ‘I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quyte the Knightes tale.’
Our Hoste saugh that he was dronke of ale, And seyde: ‘abyd, Robin, my leve brother, Som bettre man shal telle us first another: Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily.’	Our Hoste saugh that he was dronke of ale, And seyde: ‘abyd, Robin, my leve brother, Som bettre man shal telle us first another: Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily.’

Original Text	Modern Text
HERE FOLWEN THE WORDES BITWENE THE HOST AND THE MILLERE.	HERE FOLWEN THE WORDES BITWENE THE HOST AND THE MILLERE.
Whan that the Knight had thus his tale y-told, In al the route nas ther yong ne old That he ne seyde it was a noble storie, And worthy for to drawen to memorie; And namely the gentils everichoon. Our Hoste lough and swoor, ‘so moot I goon, This gooth aright; unbokeled is the male; Lat see now who shal telle another tale: For trewely, the game is wel bigonne. Now telleth ye, sir Monk, if that ye conne, Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes tale.’ The Miller, that for-dronken was al pale, So that unnethe upon his hors he sat, He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat, Ne abyde no man for his curteisye, But in Pilates vois he gan to crye, And swoor by armes and by blood and bones, ‘I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quyte the Knightes tale.’	Whan that the Knight had thus his tale y-told, In al the route nas ther yong ne old That he ne seyde it was a noble storie, And worthy for to drawen to memorie; And namely the gentils everichoon. Our Hoste lough and swoor, ‘so moot I goon, This gooth aright; unbokeled is the male; Lat see now who shal telle another tale: For trewely, the game is wel bigonne. Now telleth ye, sir Monk, if that ye conne, Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes tale.’ The Miller, that for-dronken was al pale, So that unnethe upon his hors he sat, He nolde avalen neither hood ne hat, Ne abyde no man for his curteisye, But in Pilates vois he gan to crye, And swoor by armes and by blood and bones, ‘I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quyte the Knightes tale.’
Our Hoste saugh that he was dronke of ale, And seyde: ‘abyd, Robin, my leve brother, Som bettre man shal telle us first another: Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily.’	Our Hoste saugh that he was dronke of ale, And seyde: ‘abyd, Robin, my leve brother, Som bettre man shal telle us first another: Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily.’