No Fear Literature: The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale Page 7

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Original Text	Modern Text
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.	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.
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.	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.

Original Text	Modern Text
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.	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.
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.	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.