Miller’s Tale Lies and Deceit Quotes

"Myn housbonde is so ful of jalousie
That but ye wayte wel and been privee,
I woot right wel I nam but deed," quod she.
"Ye moste been ful deerne, as in this cas."
"Nay, therof care thee nought," quod Nicholas.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Alison warns her soon-to-be new lover Nicholas that her husband John is a very jealous man and unless Nicholas is very discreet and careful she is as good as dead. But the ever so confident Nicholas tells her not to worry about that, he will take care of it.

And hende Nicholas and Alisoun
Acorded been to this conclusioun,
That Nicholas shal shapen hym a wyle
This sely jalous housbonde to bigyle;
And if so be the game wente aright,
She sholde slepen in his arm al nyght.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The competition for Alison between clever Nicholas and not-so-clever John heats up. Nicholas cooks up a devious plan to trick Alison’s unsuspecting husband John, and if the "game" goes right she will sleep in Nicholas’s arms all night.

Now a Monday next, at quarter nyght,
Shal falle a reyn, and that so wilde and wood
That half so greet was nevere Noes flood.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. Nicholas tells John that God has revealed to him in a vision that the town is to be hit by a flood even larger than Noah’s flood in the Bible. He instructs John to fasten three boat-like tubs to the rafters and fill them with provisions. The evening before the flood they and Alison are to sleep in the tubs, so when the flood comes they can lower the tubs into the water and float until the waters subside. It is all a big lie by Nicholas to get to spend the night with Alison.

Thy wyf shal I wel saven, out of doute.
Go now thy wey, and speed thee heer-aboute.
But whan thou hast, for hire and thee and me,
Ygeten us thise knedyng tubbes thre,
Thanne shaltow hange hem in the roof ful hye,
That no man of oure purveiaunce espye.
And whan thou thus hast doon as I have seyd,
And hast oure vitaille faire in hem yleyd,
And eek an ax to smyte the corde atwo,
Whan that the water comth, that we may go.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The scheming lovers Nicholas and Alison have an elaborate plan to trick gullible John. It involves hanging three tubs to be used as boats from the roof. When the great flood (a fiction concocted by Nicholas) is about to happen they are to go into the boat-tubs so they will survive the flood waters. What Nicholas won’t do to have a night of sex with Alison!

This sely carpenter bigynneth quake;
Hym thynketh verraily that he may see
Noees flood come walwynge as the see
To drenchen Alisoun, his hony deere.
He wepeth, weyleth, maketh sory cheere.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. The cruelty of Nicholas’s and Alison’s deception is underlined here. As a result of their lies, the hapless John agonizes over the picture in his head of his wife drowning in the threatened flood that Nicholas has invented. He weeps and he wails at the thought of losing his love.

Aboute corfew-tyme, or litel moore;
For travaille of his goost he groneth soore,
And eft he routeth, for his heed myslay.
Doun of the laddre stalketh Nicholay,
And Alisoun ful softe adoun she spedde;
Withouten wordes mo they goon to bedde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Miller’s Tale. With John safely asleep and snoring in a tub in the rafters, Nicholas sneaks down the ladder closely followed by Alison and they head off to bed together without a word. Nicholas’s elaborate ruse involving an invented flood and tubs in the rafters has achieved its goal: a night of hot sex with Alison!
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