The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 197v
14 of 19 folios
Suche ben verray þe deueles officers
To kyndle and blowe þe fyr of leccherie /
That is annexed to glotonye /
155
The holy writ take I to witnesse
That leccherie is in wyn and drunkenesse
Lo how þat drunken loth vnkyndely
Lay by his doughtres tuo vnwetyngly
So drunke he was he nyste what he wrougħt
And þerfore sore repente him ougħte
160
Heroudes who so wole þe stories seche
Þer may ȝe lerne and by ensample teche
Whan he of wyn was replet at his feste
Right at his owen table ȝaf his heste
To slen þe Baptist Iohan ful gulteles
Senek saiþ eek goode wordes douteles
165
He seiþ he can no difference fynde
Bitwix a man þat is out of his mynde
And a man þat is drunkelewe
But þat wodnesse is fallen in a schrewe
Perseuereþ lenger þan doþ drunkenes
170
O glotenye ful of cursednes
O cause ferst of oure confusioū
O original of oure dampnacioū
Til crist hadde brougħt out wiþ his blood agayn
Lo how deere and schortly was to sayn
175
Aboute was þe cursed vilanye /
Corrupte was al þis world þurgħ glotenye
Adam oure fader and his wyf also
Fro paradys to labour and to wo
Were dryuen for þat vice it nys no drede
180
For whiles þat adam fasted as I rede
He was in paradys and whan þat he
Ete of þe fruyte defended on a tre
Anon he was out cast to woo and pleyne
O glotonye on þe wel oughte ous pleigne
185
O wiste a man how many maladyes