The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 143v
11 of 16 folios
For thougħ I telle nougħt / his propre name
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Men shuln wel knowe / that it is the same
By signes / and by othere circumstaunces
Thus quyte I folk / that doon vs displesaunces
Thus spitte I out my venym / vnder hewe
Of holynesse / to semen holy and trewe
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But shortly / myn entente I wol deuyse
I preche of no thyng / but for coueytise
Therfore my teme is ȝet / and euere was
Radix malorum / est cupiditas
¶ Thus can I perche / a geyn that same vice
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Whicħ that I vse / and that is Auarice
But thougħ my self / begilty in that synne
Ȝet kan I maken / othere folk to wynneto twynnetotwynne
From Auarice / and sore to repente
But that is nat / my pincipal entente
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I preche no thyng / but for coueitise
Of this matere / it ougħte I now suffise
¶ Thanne telle I hē / ensaumples many oon
Of olde stories / longe tyme a goon
For lewede peeple / louen tales olde
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Swicħ thynges konne they / wel reporte & holde
What trowe ȝe / that whiles I may preche
And wynne gold and siluer / for I teche
That I wol lyue / in pouertee wilfully
Nay nay / I thougħt it neuere trewely
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For I wol perche / and begge in sondry londes
I wol nougħt do no labour / witħ myne hondes
Ne make baskettes / and lyue ther by
By cause / I wol nat beggen Ydelly
I wol noone of the Apostles / countrefete
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I wol haue moneye / wolle / Chese and whete
Al wererwerewerer it ȝeuen / of the poorest page
Or of the poorest wydewe / in a village
Al shulde hire children sterue / for famyne
Nay I wol drynke licour / of the vyne
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And haue a ioly wenche / in euery toun
But herkenetħ lordynges / in conclusioun
Ȝoure likyng is / that I shal telle a tale
Now haue I dronke / a draugħte of corny Ale
By god I hope / I shal ȝow telle a thyng
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That shal by resoū / ben at ȝoure likyng
For thougħ my self / be a ful vicious man
A moral tale / ȝet I ȝow telle can
Whicħ I am wont to perche / for to wynne
Now holde ȝoure pees / my tale I wol bigynne