The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 202r
10 of 17 folios
495
That by my trouthe / I wol thee nat biwreye
¶ Now quod the firste / thow woost wel we be tweye
And two of vs / shul strenger be than oon
Looke whan þt he is set that right anon
Arys / as though thow woldest with hym pleye
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And I shal ryue hym / thurgh the sydes tweye
Whil that thow strogelest with hym / as in game
And with thy daggere / looke thow do the same
And thanne shal / al this gold departed be
My deere freend / bitwixe thee and me
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Thanne may we bothe / oure lustes al fulfille
And pleye at dees / right at oure owene wille
And thus acorded been / thise sherewes tweye
To sleen the thridde / as ye han herd me seye
¶ This yongeste / which that wente to the toun
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Ful ofte in herte / he rolleth vp and doun
The beautee of thise floryns / newe & brighte
O lord quod he / if so were þt I myghte
Haue al this tresor / to my self allone
Ther is no man / þt lyueth vnder the trone
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Of god / that sholde lyue / so myrie as I
And at the laste / the feend oure enemy
Putte in his thoght þt he sholde poyson beye
With which he myghte sleen / his felawes tweye
For why / the feend foond hym / in swich lyuynge
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That he hadde leue / hym to sorwe brynge
For this was outrely / his ful entente
To sleen hem bothe / and neuere to repente
¶ And forth he goth / no lenger wolde he tarye
In to the toun / vn to Apothecarye
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And preyed hym / þt he hym wolde selle
Som poysouö / that he myghte his rattes quelle
And eek ther was / a polcat in his hawe
That as he seyde / his capons hadde yslawe
And fayn he wolde / wreke hym if he myghte
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On vermyn / that destroyed hym by nyghte
¶ The Pothecarie answerde / and thow shalt haue
A thyng that also god / my soule saue
In al this world / ther is no creature
That ete / or dronke / hath of this confiture