The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 191r
12 of 18 folios
Answerd aȝein . what carle wiþ meschaunce /
390
Why artow al forwrapped saue þi face
Whi lyuest þou in so gret an age
This olde man gan loke on his visage
And saide þus for þat I can not fynde /
A man þougħ þat I walke in to Inde
395
Neiþer in Cite noon ne in village
That wol chaunge his ȝouþe for myn age
And þerfore moot I haue myn age stille /
As longe tyme as it is goddes wille
And deth allas ne wil not haue my lif
400
Thus walk I lik a resteles caytif /
And on þe ground which is my modres gate
I knokke with my staf erly and late
And saye leeue / mooder let me In
Lo how I wane fleisch and blood and skyn
405
Allas whan schuln my boones ben at rest
Moder with ȝow wil I chaunge my chest
That in my chamber . longe tyme haþ be
Ȝe for an haire clout to wrap in me
But ȝet to me sche wil not do þat grace
410
For which ful pale and welkid is my face
But sires to ȝow . it is no curtesye /
To speke vnto an old man vilonye
But he trespas in word or elles dede
In holy writ ȝe may ȝour self wel rede
415
Aȝens an old man hoor vpon his hede
Ȝe schold arise wherfor I ȝow rede /
Ne doth vnto an old man more harm now /
Na more þan ȝe wolde men dede to ȝow ;
In age . if þat ȝe may so long abyde /
420
And god be with ȝou / wher so ȝe go or ryde
I moot go þider as I haue to goo
Nay olde cherl by god þou schalt not so
Sayde þat oþer hasardour anoon
Thou partist nouȝt so lightly by seint Ioħn