The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 144r
12 of 16 folios
135
IN Flaundres whilom / was a compaignye
Of ȝonge folk / that haunteden folye
As ryot hasard / Stewes and Tauernes
Where as witħ harpes / lutes and Gyternes
They daunce / and pleyen atte dees / bothe day & nygħt
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And ete also / and drynken ouer herher mygħt
Thurgħ whicħ they doon / the deuele sacrifice
Witħ Inne that deueles temple / in cursid wyse
By superfluitee / abhominable
Here othes ben so grete / and so dampnable
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That it is grisly / for to here hem swere
Oure blissed lordes body / they to teere
Hem thougħte / that Iewes rent hī nougħt I now
And ecħ of hem / at otheres synne low
And rigħt a noon / than comen Tombesterys
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Fetise and smale / and ȝonge Frutesterys
Syngeris witħ harpes / Baudes / wafererys
Whicħ ben / the verray deueles officeris
To kyndele and blowe / the fir of lecherie
That is annexed / vn to Glotonye
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The holy wryt take I / to my wytnesse
That luxurye / is in wyn / and dronkenesse
¶ Lo how that dronken / Lotħ / vnkendely
Lay by hise dougħtres two / vn wetyngly
So dronke he was / he nyste what he wrougħte
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Herodes / who so wel / the stories sougħte
Whan he of wyn / was replet at his feste
Rigħt at his owne table / he ȝaf his heste
To slen the Baptist Ioħn / ful giltelees
Senek seitħ a good word / doutelees
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He seitħ / he can no difference fynde
Bitwix a man / that is out of his mynde
And a man / whicħ that is dronkelewe
But that woodnesse / I fallen in a shrewe
Perseueretħ lengere / than dotħ dronkenesse
170
O Glotonye / ful of cursednesse
O cause first / of oure confusioū
O original / of oure dampnacioū
Til Crist had bougħt vs / witħ his blod a geyn
Lo how deere / shortly for to seyn
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A bougħt was / thilke cursed vilenye
Corrupt was al this world / for glotonye
Adam oure fader / and his wyf also
Fro Paradys / to labour and to woo
Were dryuen / for that xice / it is no drede