His purpose was for to bestow her high
Into some worthy blood of ancestry.
For holy Church’s good may be dispended1248
On holy Church’s blood that is descended.
Therefore he would his holy blood honoúr,
Though that he holy Churchë should devour.
Great soken1249 hath this miller, out of doubt,
With wheat and malt, of all the land about;
And namëly1250 there was a great collége
Men call the Soler Hall at Cantebrege,1251
There was their wheat and eke their malt y-ground.
And on a day it happed in a stound,1252
Sick lay the manciple1253 of a malady,
Men weened wisly1254 that he shouldë die.
For which this miller stole both meal and corn
An hundred timës morë than beforn.
For theretofore he stole but courteously,
But now he was a thief outrageously.
For which the warden chid and madë fare,1255
But thereof set the miller not a tare;1256
He crack’d his boast,1257 and swore it was not so.
Then were there youngë poorë scholars two,
That dwelled in the hall of which I say;
Testif1258 they were, and lusty for to play;
And only for their mirth and revelry
Upon the warden busily they cry,
To give them leave for but a little stound,1259
To go to mill, and see their corn y-ground:
And hardily1260 they durstë lay their neck,
The miller should not steal them half a peck
Of corn by sleight, nor them by force bereave.1261
And at the last the warden give them leave:
John hight the one, and Alein hight the other,
Of one town were they born, that hightë Strother,1262
Far in the North, I cannot tell you where.
This Alein he made ready all his gear,
And on a horse the sack he cast anon:
Forth went Alein the clerk, and also John,
With good sword and with buckler by their side.
John knew the way, him needed not no guide,
And at the mill the sack adown he lay’th.
Alein spake first; “All hail, Simón, in faith,
How fares thy fairë daughter, and thy wife?”
“Alein, welcome,” quoth Simkin, “by my life,
And John also: how now, what do ye here?”
“By God, Simón,” quoth John, “need has no peer.1263
Him serve himself behoves that has no swain,1264
Or else he is a fool, as clerkës sayn.
Our manciple I hope1265 he will be dead,
So workës aye the wangës1266 in his head:
And therefore is I come, and eke Alein,
To grind our corn and carry it home again:
I pray you speed us hence as well ye may.”
“It shall be done,” quoth Simkin, “by my fay.
What will ye do while that it is in hand?”
“By God, right by the hopper will I stand,”
Quoth John, “and see how that the corn goes in.
Yet saw I never, by my father’s kin,
How that the hopper waggës to and fro.”
Alein answered, “John, and wilt thou so?
Then will I be beneathë, by my crown,
And see how that the mealë falls adown
Into the trough, that shall be my disport:1267
For, John, in faith I may be of your sort;
I is as ill a miller as is ye.”
This miller smiled at their nicéty,1268
And thought, “All this is done but for a wile.
They weenen1269 that no man may them beguile,
But by my thrift yet shall I blear their eye,1270
For all the sleight in their philosophy.
The more quaintë knackës1271 that they make,
The morë will I steal when that I take.
Instead of flour yet will I give them bren.1272
The greatest clerks are not the wisest men,
As whilom to the wolf thus spake the mare:1273
Of all their art ne count I not a tare.”
Out at the door he went full privily,
When that he saw his timë, softëly.
He looked up and down, until he found
The clerkës’ horse, there as he stood y-bound
Behind the mill, under a levesell:1274
And to the horse he went him fair and well,
And stripped off the bridle right anon.
And when the horse was loose, he gan to gon
Toward the fen, where wildë marës run,
Forth, with “Wehee!” through thick and eke through thin.
This miller went again, no word he said,
But did his note,1275 and with these clerkës play’d,1276
Till that their corn was fair and well y-ground.
And when the meal was sacked and y-bound,
Then John went out, and found his horse away,
And gan to cry, “Harow, and well-away!
Our horse is lost: Alein, for Goddë’s bones,
Step on thy feet; come off, man, all at once:
Alas! our warden has his palfrey lorn.”1277
This Alein all forgot, both meal and corn;
All was out of his mind his husbandry:1278
“What, which way is he gone?” he gan to cry.
The wife came leaping inward at a renne,1279
She said; “Alas! your horse went to the fen
With wildë mares, as fast as he could go.
Unthank1280 come on his hand that bound him so,
And his that better should have knit the rein.”
“Alas!” quoth John, “Alein, for Christë’s pain
Lay down thy sword, and I shall mine also.
I is full wight,1281 God wate,1282 as is a roe.
By Goddë’s soul he shall not scape us bathe.1283
Why n’ had thou put the capel1284 in the lathe?1285
Ill hail, Alein, by God thou is a fonne.”1286
These silly clerkës have full fast y-run
Toward the fen, both Alein and eke John;
And when the miller saw that they were gone,
He half a bushel of their flour did take,
And bade his wife go knead it in a cake.
He said; “I trow, the clerkës were afeard,
Yet can a miller make a clerkë’s beard,1287
For all his art: yea, let them go their way!
Lo where they go! yea, let the children play:
They get him not so lightly, by my
