The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 201v
11 of 17 folios
455
To day / that we sholde han / so fair a gace
But myghte this gold / be caried fro this place
Hoom to myn hous / or ellis vn to youres
For wel ye woot that al this gold is oures
Thanne were we / in heigh felicitee
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But trewely / by daye it may nat be
Men wolde seyn / þt we were theues stronge
And for oure owene tresor / doon vs honge
This tresor / moste ycaried be by nyghte
As wisly / and as sleyly / as it myghte
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Ther fore I rede / that cut amonges vs alle
Be drawe / and lat se / wher the cut wol falle
And he þt hath the cut with herte blithe
Shal renne to towne / and that ful swithe
And brynge vs / breed / and wyn / ful piuely
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And two of vs / shal kepen subtilly
This tresor wel / and if he wol nat tarye
Whan it is nyght we wol this tresor carye
By oon assent wher as vs thynketh best
That oon of hem / the cut broghte in his fest
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And bad hem drawe / and looke wher it wol falle
And it fel / on the yongeste of hem alle
And forth toward the town / he wente anon
And also soone / as þt he was agon
That oon of hem / spak thus vn to that oother
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Thow knowest wel / thow art my sworn brother
Thy profit wol I telle thee anon
Thow woost wel / þt oure felawe is agon
And heere is gold / and that ful greet plentee
That shal departed been / among vs thre
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But nathelees / if I kan shape it so
That it departed were / among vs two
Hadde I nat doon / a freendes torn to thee
¶ That oother answerde / I noot how that may be
He woot þt the gold / is with vs tweye
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What shal we doon / what shal we to hym seye
¶ Shal it be conseil / seyde the firste shrewe
And I shal telle / in a wordes fewe
What we shul doon / and brynge it wel aboute
¶ I graunte quod that oother / out of doute