The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 311r
13 of 16 folios
And two of vs schal strengere been than oon
Loke whan he is set that ryȝt a noon
Arys as thow woldys with hȳ pleye
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And I schal ryue hym thor the sydys tweye
Whil that thow strogelyst with hym as in game
And with thyn daggere loke thow do the same
And thanne schal al this gold departid be
Myn deere frend be twixe me & the
505
Thāne may we bothe oure lustis al fulfylle
And pleye at the deis ryȝt at oure owene wille
And thus acordede been these schrewys tweye
To sleen the thredde as ȝe han herd me seye
¶ This ȝongeste wyght that wente to the toun
510
Ful ofte in hese herte he rollede vp & doun
The beute of the floreynys newe & brighte
O lord quod he If so were that I myȝte
Haue al thes tresor to myn self a lone
There is no man that lyuyth vndyr the trone
515
Of good that schulde liue so merye as I
And at the laste the fend oure enemy
Put in his herte / that he schulde poysoūne beye
With whiche he myghte sleen hise felawis tweye
For why the fend fond hȳ in swich lyuynge
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That he hadde leue hem to sorwe brynge
This was vttyrly his entente
To slen hē bothe & neuere to repente
And forth he goth no lengere wolde he tarye
In to the toun vn to a potecarye
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And preyede hȳ that he hȳ wolde selle
Sū poysoū that he myȝte hise rattis quelle
And eek there was a polkat in his hawe
That as he seyde hise capoūnys hadde he slawe
And fayn he wolde wreke hȳ ȝif he myȝte
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On vermyn that destroyede hȳ be nyghte
¶ The potecarye answerde & thow schalt haue
A thyng that also god myn soule saue
In al this world there is no creature
That etyn or drynk of this confyture