The Miller that for-dronken was all pale, 3123 So that unethes upon his hors he sat, He n’old avalen neither hood ne hat, 3125 Ne abiden no man for his curtesie, But in Pilates vois he gan to crie, And swore by armes, and by blood, and bones, I can a noble tale for the nones, With which I wol now quite the knightes tale. 3130 Our Hoste saw that he was dronken of ale, And sayd; abide, Robin, my leve brother, Som better man shall tell us first another: Abide, and let us werken thriftily. By Goddes soule (quod he) that wol not I, 3135 For I wol speke, or elles go my way. Our Hoste answerd; Tell on a devil way; Thou art a fool; thy wit is overcome. Now herkeneth, quod the Miller, all and some: But first I make a protestatioun, 3140 That I am dronke, I know it by my soun; And therefore if that I misspeke or say, Wite it the ale of Southwerk, I you pray. 3143 There is nothing very specially to the point in the Millere’s Tale, but one or two facts show the universal part that drink played in the period. Thus when Absalom, the parish clerk, wishes to ingratiate himself with Alison, the carpenter’s wife, He sent hire pinnes, methe, and spiced ale, And wafres piping hot out of the glede: And for she was of toun, he profered mede. Lines 3378-3380. or can the carpenter and his lodger carry on a conversation without the introduction of ‘a large quart of mighty ale’ (line 3497). The Reve’s Tale, which is probably founded upon a similar story in the _Decameron_ of Boccaccio, largely turns upon drink--_e.g._, two Cantabs are going to sup and sleep at the miller’s:-- The miller the toun his doughter send 4134 For ale and bred, and roasted hem a goos, 4135 * * * * * They soupen, and they speken of solace, 4144 And drinken ever strong ale at the best. 4145 Abouten midnight wente they to rest. But not, as we are told in a later verse, till ‘that dronken was all in the crouke,’ by which time all of the party had had too much. Their condition is described:-- Wel hath this miller vernished his hed, Ful pale he was, for-dronken, and nought red. He yoxeth, and he speketh thurgh the nose, As he were on the quakke, or on the pose. 4150 To bed he goth, and with him goth his wif; As any jay she light was and jolif, So was hire joly whistle wel ywette. 4153 * * * * * This miller hath so wisly bibbed ale, 4160 That as an hors he snorteth in his slepe.