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!