The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 139v
8 of 14 folios
ANd now I haue spoken of Glotonye
Now wol I yow / deffenden hasardrye
Hasard / is verray mooder of lesynges
And of deceite / and cursed forswerynges
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Blasphemyng of cist manslaughtre & wast also
Of catel and of tyme / and forthermo
It is repreeue / and contrarie of honor
For to ben holde / a cōmune hasardour
And euer the hyer / he is of estaat
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The moore / is he holden desolaat
If that a Prynce / vseth hasardrye
In alle gouernaūce and policye
He is / as by cōmune opinioū
Yholde the lasse / in reputacioū
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¶ Stilboū / that was a wys embassadour
Was sent to Corynthe / in ful greet honor
Fro Lacidomye / to maken hir alliaūce
And whan he cam / hym happed par chaunce
That alle the gretteste / that were of that lond
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Pleyynge atte hasard / he hem fond
For which / as soone / as it myghte be
He stal hym hoom agayn / to his contree
And seyde / ther wol I nat lese my name
Ne I wol nat take on me so greet defame
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Yow for to allie / vn to none hasardours
Sendeth / othere wise Embassadours
For by my trouthe / me were leuere dye
Than I yow sholde / to Hasardours allye
For ye that been / so glorious in honours
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Shul nat allyen yow / with hasardours
As by my wyl / ne as by my tretee
This wise Philosophre / thus seyde hee
¶ Looke eek that the kyng Demetrius
The kyng of Parthes / as the book seith vs
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Sente him / a paire of dees of gold in scorn
For he hadde vsed / hasard ther biforn
For which / he heeld his glorie / or his renoun
At no value / or reputacioun
Lordes may fynden / oother maner pley
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Honeste ynougħ / to dryue the day awey
Now wol I speke / of othes false and grete
A word or two / as olde bookes trete
Greet sweryng is a thyng abhominable
And fals sweryng is yet moore repreuable
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The heigħe god / forbad sweryng at al
Witnesse on Mathew / but in special
Of sweryng seith the hooly Ieremye
Thou shalt seye sooth thyne othes and nat lye