The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 202v
9 of 17 folios
535
Nat but the montaūce / of a corn of whete
That he ne shal his lyf / anoon for lete
Ye sterue he shal / and that in lasse while
Than thow wolt goon a paas / nat but a myle
The poyson / is so strong / and violent
540
This cursed man / hath in his hand yhent
This poyson in a box / and sith he ran
In to the nexte Strete / vn to a man
And borwed hym / large Botels thre
And in the two / his poison poured he
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The thridde / he kepte clene for his drynke
For al the nyght he shoope hym for to swynke
And whan this Riotour / with sory gace
Hadde filled with wyn / hise grete Botels thre
550
To hise felawes / agayn repaireth he
¶ What nedeth it to sarmone of it moore
For right as they / hadde cast his deeth bifore
Right so / they han hym slayn / and that anon
And whan this was doon / thus spak that oon
555
Now lat vs sitte and drynke / and make vs merye
And afterward / we wol his body berye
And with that word / it happed hym par cas
To take the Botel / ther the poyson was
And drank / and yaf his felawe drynke also
560
For which anon / they storuen bothe two
¶ But certes I suppose / that Auycen
Wroot neuere in no Canon / ne in no fen
Mo wonder signes / of empoysonyng
Than hadde thise wrecches two / er hir endyng
565
Thus ended been / thise homicides two
And eek / the false empoysoner also
¶ O. cursed synne / of alle cursednesse
O. traytours homicide / o wikkednesse
O. glotonye / luxure / and hasardrye
570
Thou blasphemour of Crist with vileynye
And othes grete / of vsage / and of pryde
Allas mankynde / how may it bityde
That to thy Creatour / which þt thee wroghte
And with his percious herte blood / the boghte