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The Canterbury Tales: The Reeve's Tale Sex Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line). We used the line numbering found on Librarius's online edition.

Quote #10

They walwe as doon two pigges in a poke;
And up they goon, and doun agayn anon,
Til that the millere sporned at a stoon.
(425 – 427)

Symkyn and Aleyn's wallowing, "as doon two pigges in a poke," as well as the up and down motion of their fighting, produce another sexual double entendre here. As sex was linked to violence in John and Aleyn's sexual assault on Symkyn's wife and daughter, here violence becomes sex.