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 hope 1265 he will be dead, So workës aye the wangës 1266 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.”