The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 190r
10 of 18 folios
How þat þe secounde heste is this
Tak not in ydel ne his name amys
315
Lo he rather forbedith such sweryng
Than homicide or many a corsed þing
I say as by order þus it stondith
This knoweth he þat þe hestes vnderstondeth
How þat þe second hest of god is that
320
And forþermore I wol þe telle a plat
The vegance schal not parte fro his hous
That of his othes is so outrageous
By goddes precious hert and by his nayles
And by þe blood of crist þat is in hayles
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Seuen is my chaunce and also cink and tray
By goddis armes and þou falsly play
This daggere schal þurgh þin herte goo
This fruyt comeþ of þe bicchid boones tuo
Forswering Ire . falsnes homicide /
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Now for þe loue of crist þat for vs dyde
Leueth ȝoure othis boþe gret and smale
But sires now wol I telle forþ my tale
These riottours þre / of which I ȝou telle
Longe erst þan prime rong eny belle /
335
Were set hem in a tauern for to drynke
And as þay sat þay herd a belle clinke
Biforn a corps was caried to þe graue
That oon of hem gan calle vnto his knaue
Go bet quoþ he and axe redily
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What corps is þat passeth her forþ by
And loke þou report his name wel
Sire quod he but þat nedeþ neuer a del
It was me told er ȝe com heer tuo houres
He was par dy an old felaw of ȝoures
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And sodeinly he was I slayn to nigħt
Fordronk as he sat on his bench vprigħt
Ther com a priue thef men clepen deth
That in þis contre al þe peple sleth
And with his spere he smot his hert a tuo
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And went his way wiþoute wordes mo