The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 145r
14 of 16 folios
225
And thurgħ thy dronke nose / semetħ the soun
As thougħ thow seidest ay / Sampsoū Sampsoū
And ȝet Corrected from: w<nothing> w god woot / Sampsoū drank neuere no wyn
Thow fallest / as it were / a stiked Swyn
Thy tonge is lost / and al thyn honest cure
230
For dronkenesse / is verray sepulture
Of mānys wyt / and his discrecioū
In whom that drynke / hatħ dominacioū
He kan no counseil kepe / it is no drede
Now kepe ȝow fro the white / and fro the rede
235
And namely / fro the white wyn of lepe
That is to selle / in Fyssħstrete or in Chepe
This wyn of Spaigne / crepetħ subtelly
In othere wynes / growyng faste by
Of whicħ there risetħ / swicħ fumositee
240
That whan a man / hatħ dronken draugħtes three
And wenetħ that he be / at hom in Chepe
He is in spaigne / rigħt at the Toun of lepe
Nat at the Rochel / ne at Burdeux Toun
And thāne wol he seye / Sampsoū Sampsoū
245
¶ But herknetħ lordynges / o word I ȝow preye
That alle the souereyne actes / dar I seye
Of victories / in the olde testament
Thurgħ verray god / that is omnipotent
Were don in abstinence / and in preyere
250
Loketħ the Bible / and there ȝe moun it lere
Loke Attilla / the grete conquerour
Deyede in his slepe / witħ shame & dishonour
Bledyng ay at his nose / in dronkenesse
A Capitayn shulde lyue / in sobrenesse
255
And ouer al this / a vysetħ ȝow rigħt wel
What was comaunded / vn to lamwel
Nat Samuel / but lamwel sey I
Redetħ the Bible / and fynde it expresly
Of wyn
ȝeuyng
/ to hem that han Iustise
¶ Noli vinum dare & cetera
260
Namore of this / for it may wel suffise
¶ And now that I haue spoken / of Glotonye
Now wol I ȝow defenden / hasardrye
Hasard / is verray moder of lesynges
And of deceyte / and cursed forswerynges
265
Blasphemynge of Crist / manslaugħtre and wast also
Of catel and of tyme / and forther moo
It is repreue
/ and contrarie of honour
¶ Policratici libro .1o. Mendaciorum & periuriarum
mater est alea
For to ben holde / a comune hasardour
And euere the heyer / he is of estat