The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 147v
4 of 16 folios
That doun they sette hem / by this percious hord
The werste of hē / he spak the first word
Bretheren qd he / take kepe what that I seye
450
My wyt is gret thougħt / that I bourde and pleye
This tresour hatħ fortune / vn to vs ȝeuen
In mirthe and Ioliste / oure lif to lyuen
And ligħtly as it cometħ / so wol we spende
Ey goddes percious dignite / who wende
455
To day / that we shuld han / so fair a grace
But mygħt this gold / be caried fro this place
Hoom to myn hous / or ellis vn to ȝoures
For wel ȝe wot / that al this gold is oures
Thanne were we / in heigħ felicite
460
But trewely by day / it may nat be
Men wolde seyn / that we were theues stronge
And for oure owen tresour / don vs honge
This tresor / must I karied be / by nygħte
As wysly and as sleigħly / as it mygħte
465
Wherfore I rede / that kut a mong vs alle
We drawe / and lat se / where the kut wol falle
And he that hatħ the kut / witħ herte blithe
Shal renne to Tovne / and that ful swithe
And brynge vs bred and wyn / ful preuyly
470
And twoo of h h vs / shal kepe ful subtily
This tresor wel / and if he wol nat tarie
Whan it is nygħt / we wol this tresor karie
By oon assent / where as vs thynketħ best
That oon of hem / the kut brougħt in his fist
475
And bad hem drawe / and loke where it wold falle
And it fel on the ȝongest / of hem alle
And fortħ toward the toun / he went a noon
And also sone / as that he was a goon
That oon foon ofonnofhē spak thus / vn to the other
480
Thow knowest wel / thow art my sworñ brother
Thy profyt / wol I telle the a noon
Thow wost wel / that oure felawe is a goon
And heere is gold / and that ful gret plentee
That shal departed ben / a mong vs three
485
But nathelees / if I can shape it so
That it departed were / a mong vs two
Had I nat doon / a frendes turn to the
That other answered / I not how that may be
He woot that the gold / is witħ vs tweye