The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 147r
3 of 16 folios
Lo how I vanysshe / flessħ blood and skyn
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Allas whan shuln myne bones / ben at reste
Moder witħ ȝow / wolde I chaunge my cheste
That in my chaumbre / longe tyme hatħ be
Ȝa for an heire clout / to wrappe Inne me
But ȝet to me / she wol nat do that grace
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For whicħ ful pale / and welked is my face
But sires to ȝow / it is no curteisie
To speken to an olde man / veleynye
But he trespace in word / or elles in dede
In holy wryt / ȝe moun ȝoure self wel rede
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A geyns an olde man / hoor vp on his hed
Ȝe shulde a ryse / wherfore I ȝeue ȝow red
Ne dotħ vn to an old man / noon harm now
Nomore than that ȝe wolde / a man dide ȝow
In age / if that ȝe so longe a byde
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And god be witħ ȝow / where ȝe go or ryde
I mot go thider / as I haue to goo
Nay olde cherl by god / thow shalt nat so
Seide this other hasardour / a noon
Thow partest nat so ligħtly / by Seynt Ioħn
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Thow spake rigħt now / of thilke traytour detħ
That in this contre / alle oure frendes sletħ
Haue heere my trouthe / as thow art his espie
Telle where he is / or thow shalt it a bye
By god / and by the holy sacrement
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For sotħly thow art / on of his assent
To slen vs ȝonge folk / thow false thef
Now sires qd he / if that ȝow be so lef
To fynde detħ / turne vp / this croked wey
For in that Groue / I lefte hī be my fey
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Vnder a tree / and there he wol a byde
Nat for ȝoure bost / he wol hi no thyng hyde
Se ȝe that Oke / rigħt there ȝe shuln hī fynde
God saue ȝow / that bougħt a geyn man kynde
And ȝow amende / thus seide this olde man
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And euericħ of theise riotours / ran
Til he come to that tree / and there fey found
Of floreyns fyn / of gold I koyned round
Wel ny an eigħte Busshels / as hem thougħt
No lengere thāne / after detħ they sougħt
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But ecħ of hem / so glad was of the sigħt
For that the floreyns / ben so faire and brigħt