Introduction to the Pardoner's Tale
Folio 136v
2 of 2 folios
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That I almoost haue caught a Cardynacle
By corpus bones / but I haue triacle
Or elles a draughte / of moyste and corny Ale
Or but I heere anon / a myrie tale
Myn herte is lost for pitee of this mayde
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Thou beelamy / thou Pardoner he sayde
Telle vs som myrthe / or Iapes rigħt anon
¶ It shal be doon quod he / by Seint Ronyon
But first quod he / heere at this Ale stake
I wol bothe drynke / and eten of a Cake
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¶ And rigħt anon / the gentils gonne to crye
Nay / lat hym telle vs of no ribaudye
Telle vs som moral thyng þt we may leere
Som wit and thanne wol we gladly heere
¶ I graunte ywis quod he / but I moot thynke
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Vp on som honeste thyng whil þt I drynke
¶ Heere folweth the Prologe / of the Pardoners tale
¶ Radix malorum est Cupiditas Ad Thimotheum .6o.
LOrdynges quod He / in chirches / whan I perche
I peyne me / to han an hauteyn speche
And rynge it out as round as gooth a belle
For I kan / al by rote that I telle
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My theme is alwey oon / and euere was
Radix malorum est Cupiditas ~
First I pronounce // whennes þt I come
And thanne my bulles / shewe I alle & some
Oure lige lordes seel / on my patente
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That shewe I first my body to warente
That no man be so boold / ne preest ne clerk
Me to destourbe / of Cristes hooly werk
And after that thanne telle I forth my tales
Bulles of popes and of Cardynales
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Of Patriarkes / and bisshopes I shewe
And in latyn / I speke a wordes fewe
To saffron with my perdicacioū
And for to stire hem / to deuocioū
Thanne shewe I forth / my longe cistal stones
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Ycrammed ful of cloutes and of bones
Relikes been they / as wenen they echoon
Thanne haue in latoū a sholder boon
Which that was / of an hooly Iewes sheepe
Goode men I seye / taak of my wordes keepe