No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale Page 3

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Now sire, and eft sire, so bifel the cas, That on a day this hende Nicholas Fil with this yonge wyf to rage and pleye, Whyl that hir housbond was at Oseneye, As clerkes ben ful subtile and ful queynte; And prively he caughte hir by the queynte, And seyde, ‘y-wis, but if ich have my wille, For derne love of thee, lemman, I spille.’ And heeld hir harde by the haunche-bones, And seyde, ‘lemman, love me al at-ones, Or I wol dyen, also God me save!’ And she sprong as a colt doth in the trave, And with hir heed she wryed faste awey, And seyde, ‘I wol nat kisse thee, by my fey, Why, lat be,’ quod she, ‘lat be, Nicholas, Or I wol crye out “harrow” and “allas.” Do wey your handes for your curteisye!’	lWle nwo, it jtsu so deanepph one ayd atht Tkrcyi Nckyi aws yglipna dna sneiagt hiwt Aoinsl hiewl eht ernrtapce saw yawa in eht yitc of nyOse on esssbiun. soeTh goleecl ybos anc be typrte fwrdrao, yuo konw, dna in no meit at lla he ahd shi hdna on ehr crctho. He dasi, “I’m nigog to eid if I nca’t evah my ywa hiwt ouy, my vloe.” Tneh he aberdgb her ttbu dna iads, “kaMe vole to me ihrgt onw, or, by Gdo, I’m niggo to ied!” eSh pldleu awya ormf hmi adn dtwstie tuo of shi srpag as esh dunert to mih and aisd, “Sotp it! I lodnuw’t even siks uoy, let aoeln do ninghayt seel! tuQi it, hclaosNi, or I’ll ycr ‘rape!’ wNo get ruoy hsdna fof me, uoy ercpe!”
This Nicholas gan mercy for to crye, And spak so faire, and profred hir so faste, That she hir love him graunted atte laste, And swoor hir ooth, by seint Thomas of Kent, That she wol been at his comandement, Whan that she may hir leyser wel espye. ‘Myn housbond is so ful of Ialousye, That but ye wayte wel and been privee, I woot right wel I nam but deed,’ quod she. ‘Ye moste been ful derne, as in this cas.’	ilNcoash gbgede reh rfo soievrsefng dna ladcme her arsef wthi esetw dowrs, tub he tnuiocend tinhitg on her all eth easm so thta in no miet at lla, ehs’d alflne orf imh oot. eSh swore on St. Tmsaho of tckeBe fmslhei ttah hes’d lte hmi hvae his ayw ihwt her as oosn as etyh lodcu eysfla teg aawy wthi it. “My dsnbuah is so oasjeul tath he’ll likl me if he sdnfi out,” she exlnadpie to imh. “Tsih sha to tyas eewetnb uyo dan me, and we avhe to be cruaelf.”