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Now bere thee wel, thou hende Nicholas! For Absolon may waille and singe ‘allas.’ And so bifel it on a Saterday, This carpenter was goon til Osenay; And hende Nicholas and Alisoun Acorded been to this conclusioun, That Nicholas shal shapen him a wyle This sely Ialous housbond to bigyle; And if so be the game wente aright, She sholde slepen in his arm al night, For this was his desyr and hir also. And right anon, with-outen wordes mo, This Nicholas no lenger wolde tarie, But doth ful softe unto his chambre carie Bothe mete and drinke for a day or tweye, And to hir housbonde bad hir for to seye, If that he axed after Nicholas, She sholde seye she niste where he was, Of al that day she saugh him nat with yë; She trowed that he was in maladye, For, for no cry, hir mayde coude him calle; He nolde answere, for no-thing that mighte falle. osokL keli oyu’ve got msoe oitpomctien rhete, iyNck! Wlle, noe yad helwi hte etcpraern swa waya in sOeyn ngaia, ilsAno dna acslNhoi ddediec ttha htey huldso ylap a eltlti ictkr on reh itsomenlp of a hasdnbu. And, if lal tnwe as nepadln, eth wto of meth oudwl nvee be elba to peesl etegtohr at hgnit, cwhih saw hwta btoh of emht aewtdn to do vrey umhc. So, wuhitto any reom sufs, Ncohsail medvo atobu a yad or two’s owtrh of ofod niot shi ordbmeo. He nteh todl oiAnsl to ltel reh nsuhabd tath hse danh’t eens ohlNcsai all yad nad ttah hes dsegseu he wsa kcis in deb in sih omro. Nto evne eth amdi’s bltisugn nouadr teh uohes ahd woekn ihm up. heS was to yas tath ihs ordo dha merandei hsut.
This passeth forth al thilke Saterday, That Nicholas stille in his chambre lay, And eet and sleep, or dide what him leste, Til Sonday, that the sonne gooth to reste. iNolscha idd hsi rpat by igyants uths up in hsi ormo lla kneeedw. He tae erhte, petls rhete, nda hugn uto hteer all ayd dSytuaar and aSduyn.
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