And hardily they dorste leye hir nekke
The millere sholde not stele hem half a pekke
Of corn by sleighte, ne by force hem reve.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. Alan and John believe that the miller won’t succeed in stealing half a peck of grain from them by trickery or by force. So confident are the young university students in their superior intelligence that they pledge their necks on it! This is desite the fact that Symkyn has already stolen from many older and and possibly wiser people than them.