The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 307r
5 of 16 folios
In erthe in Ayr / in watyr men to swynke
To gete a glotoun / deinte mete & drynke
Of this matire / o paul weel canst thow trete
Mete on to wombe / & wōbe weel vn to mete
195
Schal god distroyen / bothe as paul seyth
Allas a foul thyng is it / be myn feith
To seye this word / & foulere is the dede
Whan man so drynkyth / of the white & reede
That of his throte / he makyth his piue
200
Thurgħ thilke cursede / superfluite
The apostele wepȳge / seyth ful pytously
Ter walkȳ manye / of whiche ȝou told haue I
I seye it now / wepȳge with pitous woys
There been enemyis / of crystis croys
205
Of whiche the ende is deth / wōbe is here god
O wōbe / o bely / o stynkȳge Cod
Fulfyld of dunge & of cor\r/upcioū
At eythyr ende of the foul is the soun
How greet labor & cost is the to fynde
210
These cookis how they stāpe & streyne & grȳde
And turnȳ substaūs in to accident
To fulfille al the lykerous talent
Out of the harde bonys knokke they
The mary for thei caste nat a wey
215
That may goon thurgħ the golet softe & soote
Of spicerye / of lef / of bark / of roote
Schal been his saus / makyd bi delyt
To make hym ȝit / a newere apetit
But certis he that / haūtyth swyche delicis
220
Is ded whil that he / lyuyth in swiche vicis
A lecherous thyng / is wyn \and/ dronkenesse
Is ful of stryuyng & of wrechedenesse
O dronke man / disfigured is thyn face
Sour is thyn breth / foul art þu to enbrace
225
And thor thȳ dronke nose / semyth the soun
As thow þu seydyst euere / sampsoun Sampsoun
And ȝit god wot / Sampsoun drank neuere no wȳ
Thow fallist / as it weere a stekyd swyn