Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine — Volume 21 by Jean de La Fontaine
page 7 of 16 (43%)
page 7 of 16 (43%)
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ALAS! replied the other with a sigh,
In vain the nuns my virtue sought to try; 'Twas my misfortune:--patience heav'n bestow; For worlds such wickedness I would not know. THE miller laughed at what the other spoke; Untied his hands, and ev'ry bandage broke. Said he, thou ninny, scruples can'st thou find To counteract, and prove to pleasure blind? The business clearly should to me belong; Our rector ne'er had thought such conduct wrong, And never would have played the fool like this; Fly, haste away, away; I'll thee dismiss, First having nicely set me in thy place; Like me thou wert not formed for soft embrace; I'm stout and able:--quarter ne'er will ask; Come ALL, these nuns, I'll execute the task, And many pranks they'll see, unless a freak Should happen any way the string to break. The other never asked his wishes twice, But tied him well, and left him in a trice. WITH shoulders broad the miller you might see; In Adam's birth-attire against the tree, Await the coming of the aged band, Who soon appeared, with tapers in the hand, In solemn guise, and whips and scourges dire: The virgin troop (as convent laws require) In full procession moved around the Wight; Without allowing time to catch his sight, |
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