The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 203r
3 of 19 folios
And whan þis ryetour wiþ sory grace
Had felled wiþ him his grete botelles þre
550
To his felawes aȝayn repayreþ he
What nedeþ it to sermone þer of more
For rigħt as þay hadde cast his deþ afore
Right so þey haue him slayn and þat anon
And whenne þat þis was don þen spak þat oon
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Now let vs drynke and sytte and make vs mery
And afterward we wolen his body bery
And aftirward it happed hem par cas
To take þe botel þer in þe poysoū was
And drank and ȝaf his felawe drynke also
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For which anon þey storuen boþe tuo
But certes I suppose þat Auycenne
Wrot neuer in no Canoun ne in no fenne
Mo wonder sorwes of enpoysonyng
Thus hadde þise wrecches tuo here endynge
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Thus ended ben þis Omycides tuo
And eek þe false enpoysonere also
O cursed synne ful of cursednes
O traytours Omycyderes o wikkednes
O glotenye o luxurie O hasardye
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Þou blasphemer of crist wiþ vilenye
And oþes grete of vsage and of pryde
Allas mankynde how may it betyde
Þerto þin creatour which þat þe wrougħt
And wiþ his precious blood þe bougħt
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Þou art so fals and so vnkynde allas
Now goode men god forȝiue ȝoure trespas
And ware ȝou fro þe synne of auarice /
Myn holy pardoun may ȝou aƚƚ warische
So þat ȝe offre nobles or sterlinges
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Oþer elles seluer spones broches and rynges
Boweþ ȝoure hed vnder þis holy bulles
Comeþ vp ȝe wyues offreþ ȝoure wulles
Ȝoure name I entre here in my rolle anon