The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer Author:Geoffrey Chaucer General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1830 Original Publisher: Pickering Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can selec... more »t from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE CANTERBURY TALES. THE MILLERES PROLOGUE. Whan that the Knight had thus his tale told, :tiu In all the compagnie n'as ther yong ne old, That he ne said it was a noble storie, And worthy to be drawen to memorie; And namely the gentiles everich on. Our Hoste lough and swore, So mote I gon, This goth aright; unbokeled is the male; Let see now who shal tell another tale : For trewely this game is wel begonne. Now telleth ye, sire Monk, if that ye conne, . mo Somwhat, to quiten with the knightes tale. The Miller that for-dronken was all pale, So that unethes upon his hors he sat, He n'old avalen neither hood ne hat, Ne abiden no man for his curtesie, But in Pilates vois he gan to crie, And swore by armes, and by blood, and bones, I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quite the knightes tale, . nco Our Hoste saw that he was dronken of ale, 31s0 And sayd; abide, Robin, my leve brother, Som better man shall tell us first another: Abide, and let us werken thriftily. By Goddes soule (quod he) that wol not I, For I wol speke, or elles go my way. Our Hoste answerd ; Tell on a devil way; Thou art a fool; thy wit is overcome. Now herkeneth, quod the Miller, all and some : But first I make a protestatioun, 3139 That I am dronke, I know it by my soun : And therfore if that I misspeke or say, Wite it the ale of Southwerk, I you pray : For I wol tell a legend and a lif Both of a carpenter and of his wif, How that a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe. The Reve answerd and saide, Stint thy clappc. Let be thy lewed ...« less