The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 157r
18 of 19 folios
Nobles and pans which that ben gode and trewe
Hit is an honour to euery that is here
That ye may haue a sufficient pardonere
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To yow assoile in contre as ye ride
For auentures which that may bityde
For parauenture ther may falle on or two
Doun fro his hors and breke his nekke atwo
Loke swich a surete is in yow alle
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That I am in your feleshep y falle
That may assoyle yow bothe more and lasse
Whan that the soule shal fro the body passe
I rede that our hoost shal bigynne
For he is most envoluped in synne
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Comth forth host and offreth first anon
And ye shall kysse the relekis euerychon
Ye for a grote vnbokel your purs
¶ Nay nay quod he thanne haue I cristes curs
Let be quod he it shal not be so theche
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Thow woldest make me kisse thyn olde breche
And swere it were a relik of a seint
Thogh it were with thi fundament depeynt
But bi the crois which that seint Elyn fond
I wold I had thi coloyns in myn hond
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In stede of relikes or of seint warie
Let kit hem of I wol the helpe hem to carye
Thei sholde be shryned in an hogges toorde
¶ This pardoner answerd noght a word
So wroth he was he nold no word seye
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¶ Now quod our I nyl no lenger pleye
With the ne with non other angry man
But right anon the worthi knyght bigan
Whan that he saugh that al the peple logh
No more of this for it is ryght ynogh
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Sir pardoner be glad and mery of chere
And ye syr host that ben to me so dere
I pay yow that ye kisse the pardoner
And pardoner I prey the draw the ner
And as we did lat vs laugh and pleye