The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Errata.
• Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I.
• XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse.
• XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe.
• XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre.
• Notes to the Preceding Poems.
• The Canterbury Tales. Group A.
• The Prologue.
• The Knightes Tale.
• The Miller’s Prologue.
• The Milleres Tale.
• The Reeve’s Prologue.
• The Reves Tale.
• The Cook’s Prologue.
• The Cokes Tale.
• Group B.
• Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.)
• The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
• The Shipman’s Prologue.
• The Shipmannes Tale.
• The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.)
• The Prioresses Tale.
• Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.)
• Sir Thopas.
• Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.)
• The Tale of Melibeus.
• The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.)
• The Monkes Tale.
• The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798).
• The Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Group C.
• The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.)
• Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.)
• The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288).
• The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. )
• Group D.
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.)
• The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
• The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868).
• The Freres Tale.
• The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.)
• The Somnours Tale.
• Group E.
• The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.)
• The Clerkes Tale.
• The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120).
• The Marchantes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale.
• Group F.
• The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334).
• The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040).
• The Frankeleyns Tale.
• Group G.
• The Seconde Nonnes Tale.
• The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.)
• The Chanouns Yemannes Tale.
• Group H.
• The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968).
• The Maunciples Tale.
• Group I.
• The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330).
• The Persones Tale.
• Appendix to Group A.
• The Tale of Gamelyn.

THE MILLER’S PROLOGUE.

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 old3110
• 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;3115
• Lat see now who shal telle another tale:
• For trewely, the game is wel bigonne.
• Now telleth ye, sir Monk, if that ye conne,(10)
• Sumwhat, to quyte with the Knightes tale.’
• The Miller, that for-dronken was al pale,3120
• So that unnethe up-on 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,3125
• ‘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,(20)
• And seyde: ‘abyd, Robin, my leve brother,
• Som bettre man shal telle us first another:3130
• Abyd, and lat us werken thriftily.’
• ‘By goddes soul,’ quod he, ‘that wol nat I;
• For I wol speke, or elles go my wey.’
• Our Hoste answerde: ‘tel on, a devel wey!
• Thou art a fool, thy wit is overcome.’3135
• ‘Now herkneth,’ quod the Miller, ‘alle and some!
• But first I make a protestacioun
• That I am dronke, I knowe it by my soun;(30)
• And therfore, if that I misspeke or seye,
• Wyte it the ale of Southwerk, I yow preye;3140
• For I wol telle a legende and a lyf
• Bothe of a Carpenter, and of his wyf,
• How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe.’
• The Reve answerde and seyde, ‘stint thy clappe,
• Lat be thy lewed dronken harlotrye.3145
• It is a sinne and eek a greet folye
• To apeiren any man, or him diffame,
• And eek to bringen wyves in swich fame.(40)
• Thou mayst y-nogh of othere thinges seyn.’
• This dronken Miller spak ful sone ageyn,3150
• And seyde, ‘leve brother Osewold,
• Who hath no wyf, he is no cokewold.
• But I sey nat therfore that thou art oon;
• Ther been ful gode wyves many oon,3154
• And ever a thousand gode ayeyns oon badde,

  [T. om.

• That knowestow wel thy-self, but-if thou madde.

  [T. om.

• Why artow angry with my tale now?
• I have a wyf, pardee, as well as thou,(50)
• Yet nolde I, for the oxen in my plogh,
• Taken up-on me more than y-nogh,3160
• As demen of my-self that I were oon;
• I wol beleve wel that I am noon.
• An housbond shal nat been inquisitif
• Of goddes privetee, nor of his wyf.
• So he may finde goddes foyson there,3165
• Of the remenant nedeth nat enquere.’
• What sholde I more seyn, but this Millere
• He nolde his wordes for no man forbere,(60)
• But tolde his cherles tale in his manere;
• Me thinketh that I shal reherce it here.3170
• And ther-fore every gentil wight I preye,
• For goddes love, demeth nat that I seye
• Of evel entente, but that I moot reherce
• Hir tales alle, be they bettre or werse,
• Or elles falsen som of my matere.3175
• And therfore, who-so list it nat y-here,
• Turne over the leef, and chese another tale;
• For he shal finde y-nowe, grete and smale,(70)
• Of storial thing that toucheth gentillesse,
• And eek moralitee and holinesse;3180
• Blameth nat me if that ye chese amis.
• The Miller is a cherl, ye knowe wel this;
• So was the Reve, and othere many mo,
• And harlotrye they tolden bothe two.
• Avyseth yow and putte me out of blame;3185
• And eek men shal nat make ernest of game.

Here endeth the prologe.

[]Heading.From E. E. Heere; hoost.

[3118. ]E. on; rest ye.

[3128. ]Ln. oste; E. hoost; Hl. has—Oure hoost saugh wel how.

[3134. ]Pt. hooste; Ln. oste; E. hoost.

[3140. ]E. Hn. Cm. om. yow.

[3147. ]E. Ln. Hl. defame; rest diffame.

[3150. ]E. dronke; Cm. dronkyn; rest dronken.

[3155. ]These two lines are in E. Cm. Hl. only.

[3156. ]These two lines are in E. Cm. Hl. only.

[3160. ]Cm. Takyn; rest Take, Tak.

[3166. ]enquere] Cp. Pt. Ln. to enquere.

[3170. ]E. Mathynketh; Hn. Cp. Ln. Hl. Me athynketh; Cm. Me thynkyth.

[3172. ]demeth] Hl. as deme.

[3173. ]E. yuel; Cm. euyl.

[3177. ]Cp. chees; Cm. ches; rest chese.

[3185. ]E. Cm. om. and. E. Cp. putteth; rest putte, put.

[3186. ]E. Hn. Cm. maken; rest make.

Colophon.From Cm.; Pt. Thus endeth the prologe; Ln. Explicit prologus; Hl. Here endeth the prologe of the Miller.