The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 142r
1 of 16 folios
Oure hoost bygan to swere / as he were wood
Harrowe qd he / by nayles and by blood
This was a fals cherl / a fals Iustise
As shameful deetħ / as herte kan deuyse
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Come to theise Iuges / and here Aduocates
Algate this sely mayde / is slayn / allas
Allas / to dedrederededre a bougħt she hire beaute
Wherfore I seye alday / that men moun se
That ȝiftes of fortune / and of nature
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Ben cause of deetħ / to many a creature
Of bothe ȝiftes / that I speke of now
Men han ful ofte / more for harm than prow
¶ But trewely / myn owyn Maister deere
This is a pitous tale / for to heere
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But nathelees / passe ouer / is no fors
I preye to god / so saue thy gentil cors
And eke thyne vrynals / and thyne Iurdones
Thyn Ypocras / and eke thy Galiones
And euery boiste / ful of thy letuarie
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God blisse hē / and oure lady Seynt Marie
So mote I then / thow art a propre man
And lyke a prelat / by Seynt Ronyan
Seyde I nat wel / I kan nat speke in terme
But wel I woot / thow doost myn herte to erme
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That I almost haue caugħt / a Cardynacle
By Corpus bones / but I haue tryacle
Or elles a draugħt of moiste / and corny ale
Or but I heere a noon / a murie tale
Myn herte is loste / for pitee of this mayde
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Thow beal amy / thow Pardoner he sayde
Telle vs sum myrthe / of Iapes rigħt a noon
¶ It shal be don qd he / by Seynt Ronyon
But first qd he / heere at this Ale stake
I wol bothe drynke and eten / of a Cake
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But rigħt a noon / theise gentils gonne to crie
Nay lat hī nat tl tl telle vs / of no ribaudie
Telle vs som moral thyng / that we may lere
Som wyt / and thanne wol we gladly heere
I graunte I wys qd he / but I must thynke
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Vp on som honest thyng / whil that I drynke
¶ Radix omnium malorum est Cupiditas ; Ad Thymotheum .so.