The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 199v
5 of 17 folios
295
Sente hym a paire of dees / of gold in scorn
For he hadde vsed / hasard ther biforn
For which / he heeld his glorie / or his renoun
At no value / or reputacioun
Lordes may fynden / oother manere pley
300
Honeste ynow / to dryue the day awey
¶ Now wol I speke / of oothes false and grete
A word or two / as olde bokes trete
¶ Greet sweryng is a thyng abhomynable
And fals sweryng is yet moore repreuable
305
The heighe god / forbad sweryng at al
Witnesse on Mathew / but in special
Of sweryng seith the holy Ieremye
Thow shalt swere sooth thyne othes / & nat lye
And swere in doom / and eek in rightwisnesse
310
But ydel sweryng is a cursednesse
¶ Bihoold and se / þt in the firste table
Of heighe goddes hestes honurable
How þt the seconde heste of hym / is this
Take nat my name / in ydel or amys
315
Lo rather he forbedeth / swich sweryng
Than homycide / or many a cursed thyng
I seye / þt as by ordre / thus it standeth
This knoweth / that hise hestes vnderstandeth
How that the seconde heste of god / is that
320
And forther ouer I wol thee telle al plat
That vengeance / shal nat parten from his hous
That of hise othes / is to outrageous
By goddes percious herte / and by his nayles
And by the blood of Crist that is in hayles
325
Seuene is my chance / and thyn is cynk & treye
By goddes armes / if thow falsly pleye
This dagger / shal thurgh out thyn herte go
This frut cometh / of the bicche bones two
Forsweryng / Ire / falsnesse / homycide
330
Now for the loue of Crist that for vs dyde
Lete youre othes / bothe grete and smale
But sires / now wol I / telle forth my tale
¶ Thise Riotours thre / of whiche I telle
Longe erst er Pryme ronge of any belle