The Reeve's Tale

Symkyn was a proud and dishonest miller in Trumpington who lived by stealing grain from his customers. When two students from Cambridge, Aleyn and John, arrived to watch their grain being ground to prevent theft, Symkyn took it as a challenge. He untied their horse, forcing the students to spend hours chasing it through the fens while he stole half a bushel of their flour. With no choice but to stay the night in the miller's cramped house, the students plotted their revenge. In the pitch-black room, Aleyn seduced the miller's daughter, Malyne. Meanwhile, John moved the baby's cradle to the foot of his own bed, tricking the miller's wife into climbing into his bed by mistake. When dawn broke, the miller discovered the deceptions, leading to a frantic physical brawl. In the chaos, the miller's wife accidentally struck her husband with a staff, thinking he was one of the clerks. The students escaped with their stolen flour and a cake made from it, leaving the thieving miller beaten, humiliated, and cheated of his own prize.