The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 156r
16 of 19 folios
Som poison that he myght his rattes quelle
And ek ther was a pollecat in his hawe
That as he seide his capones had he slaw
And fayn he wolde wreke him yif he myght
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On vermyn that destroyed him bi nyght
Thapotecarye answerd and thow shalt haue
A thing that also god my soule saue
In al this world ther nys no creature
That ete or drunke hath of this confiture
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Nat but the Mountaunce of a corn of whete
That he ne shal anon his lif forlete
Ye sterue he shal and that in lasse while
Thanne thow wolt gon apaas nat but a myle
The poison is so stronge and violent
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This cursid man hath in his handes hent
This poisoun in a box and sithen he ran
In to the next strete vnto a man
And borowed him large botelles thre
And in the two his poysoun poured he
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The thrid he kepte clene for his drynke
For al the nyght he shoop him for to swynke
And whan this Riatour with sory grace
Had filde with wyn his gret boteilles thre
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To his felawes ageyn repeyred he
¶ What nedith it to sermone of it more
For right as thei had cast his deth bifore
Right so thei han him slayn and that anon
And whan that this was don thus spak that on
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Now lat vs sitte and drynke and make vs mery
And aftyr that we wol this body biry
And with that word it happed him percas
To take the boteille there the poysoun was
And dranke and yaf his felaw drynke also
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For which anon thei storuen bothe two
¶ But certes I suppose that auycen
Wrot neuer in no canon ne in no fen
Mo wonder signes of empoisenyng