The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 201r
12 of 17 folios
415
¶ Agayns an old man / hoor vp on his heed
Ye shal arise / wherfore I yeue yow reed
Ne dooth vn to an old man / noon harm now
Namoore than þt ye wolde / . men dide to yow
In age // if þt ye so longe abyde
420
And god be with yow / wher ye go or ryde
I moot go thider / as I haue to go
¶ Nay olde cherl / by god thow shalt nat so
Seyde / this oother hasardour anon
Thow partest nat so lightly / by Seint Ioħn
425
Thow speeke right now / of thilke traytour deeth
That in this contree / alle oure freendes sleeth
Haue here my trouthe / as thow art his espye
Tel wher he is / or thow shalt it abye
By god / and by the holy sacrament
430
For soothly / thow art oon of his assent
To sleen vs yonge folk thow false theef
¶ Now sires quod he / if þt yow be so leef
To fynde deeth / turn vp this croked wey
For in that groue / I lafte hym by my fey
435
Vnder a tree / and ther he wol abyde
Nat for youre boost he wol hym no thyng hyde
Se ye that ook right ther ye shal hym fynde
God saue yow / that boghte agayn man kynde
And yow amende / thus seyde this olde man
440
¶ And euerich / of thise Riotours ran
Til he cam to that tree / and ther they founde
Of floryns fyne / of gold / ycoyned rounde
Wel ny an .viij. busshels / as hem thoughte
No lenger thanne / after deeth they soughte
445
But ech of hem / so glad was of the sighte
For þt the floryns / been so faire and brighte
That doun they sette hem / by this percious hoord
The worste of hem / he spak the firste word
¶ Bretheren quod he / taak kepe / what þt I seye
450
My wit is greet thogh þt I bourde and pleye
This tresor hath Fortune / vn to vs yeuen
In myrthe and iolitee / oure lyf to lyuen
And lightly as it cometh / so wol we spende
Ey goddes precious dignytee / who wende