The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 138v
10 of 14 folios
165
He seitħ / he kan no difference fynde
Bitwix a man / that is out of his mynde
And a man / whicħ that is dronkelewe
But that woodnesse / fallen in a shrewe
Perseuereth lenger / than dooth dronkenesse
170
O glotonye / ful of cursednesse
O cause first of oure confusioū
O original / of oure dampnacioū
Til Crist hadde bogħt vs / w his blood agayn
Lo / how deere / shortly for to sayn
175
Abogħt was / thilke cursed vileynye
Corrupt was al this world for glotonye
¶ Adam oure fader and his wyf also
Fro Paradys / to labour and to wo
Were dryuen for that vice / it is no drede
180
For whil þt Adam fasted / as I rede
He was in Paradys / and whan þt he ;
Eet of the fruyt deffended on the tree
Anon he was out cast to wo and peyne
O glotonye / on thee wel ogħte vs pleyne
185
O wiste a man / how manye maladyes
Folwen of excesse / and of glotonyes
He wolde been / the moore mesurable
Of his diete / sittynge at his table
Allas / the shorte throte / the tend\r/e moutħ
190
Maketh þt Est & West and Nortħ & Soutħ
In Erthe / in Eir / in Water / man to swynke
To gete a glotoū / deyntee mete and drynke
Of this matiere / o Paul wel kanstow trete
Mete vn to wombe / and wombe eek vn to mete
195
Shal god destroyen bothe / as Paulus seitħ
Allas / a foul thyng is it / by my feitħ
To seye this word / and fouler is the dede
Whan man so drynketh / of the white and rede
That of his throte / he maketh his pryuee
200
Thurgħ thilke cursed superfluitee
¶ The apostel wepyng seith ful pitously
Ther walken manye / of whiche yow toold haue I
I seye it now wepyng with pitous voys
Ther been enemys of Cristes croys
205
Of whiche the ende is deeth / wombe is hir god
O wombe / o . bely / o . stynkyng Cod
Fulfilled of donge / and of corrupcioun
At either ende of thee / foul is the soun
How greet labour / and cost is thee to fynde
210
Thise Cookes / how they stampe / and streyne and grynde
And turnen substaunce in to Accident
To fulfillen / al thy likerous talent