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. Him serve himself behoves that has no swain, Or else he is a fool, as clerkës sayn. Our manciple I hope he will be dead, So workës aye the wangës 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: 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, And thought, “All this is done but for a wile. They weenen that no man may them beguile, But by my thrift yet shall I blear their eye, For all the sleight in their philosophy. The more quaintë knackës that they make, The morë will I steal when that I take. Instead of flour yet will I give them bren. The greatest clerks are not the wisest men, As whilom to the wolf thus spake the mare: 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: 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, and with these clerkës play’d, 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.” This Alein all