The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 142v
2 of 14 folios
Hadde filled with wyn / hise grete botels thre
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To hise felawes / agayn repaireth he
¶ What nedeth it to sermone of it moore
For rigħt so / as they hadde cast his deeth bifoore
Rigħt so they han hym slayn / and that anon
And whan þt this was doon / thus spak that oon
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Now lat vs sitte and drynke / and make vs merie
And afterward / we wol his body berie
And with that word / it happed hym par cas
To take the botel / ther the poysou was
And drank and yaf his felawe drynke also
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For which anon / they storuen bothe two
¶ But certes I suppose / that Auycen
Wroot neuere in no Canou / ne in no fen
Mo wonder signes / of empoisonyng
Than hadde thise wrecches two / er hir endyng
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Thus ended been / thise homycides two
And eek the false empoysoner also
¶ O cursed synne / of alle cursednesse
O traytours homycide .o. wikkednesse
O glotonye / luxurie / and hasardrye
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Thou blasphemor of Crist with vileynye
And othes grete / of vsage / and of pride
Allas mankynde / how may it bitide
That to thy creatour / which þt the wrogħte
And with his percious herte blood thee bogħte
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Thou art so fals / and so vnkynde allas
¶ Now goode men / god foryeue yow your trespas
And ware yow / fro the synne of Auarice
Myn hooly pardoū / may yow alle warice
So þt ye offre / nobles / or sterlynges
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Or elles siluer broches / spoones / rynges
Boweth your heed / vnder this hooly bulle
Com vp ye wyues / offreth of youre wolle
Youre names / I entre heer in my rolle anon
In to the blisse of heuene / shul ye gon
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I yow assoille / by myn heigħ power
Yow þt wol offre / as clene and eek as cleer
As ye were born / and lo sires thus I perche
And Iħu crist that is oure soules leche
So graunte yow / his pardoū to receyue
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For that is best I wol yow nat deceyue
But sires / o. word / forgat I in my tale
I haue Relikes / and pardoū in my male
As fair / as any man in Engelond
Whiche were me yeuen / by the popes hond
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If any of yow / wole of deuocioū
Offren / and han myn Absolucioū