The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 154r
12 of 19 folios
¶ To gidris han thise three hir trouthes plight
375
To lyue and dyen eche of hem for othir
As though he were his owne born brothir
And vp thei sterte al dronken in this rage
And forth thei gon toward that vilage
Of which the tauerner had spoke biforn
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And many a grisly oth thei han y sworn
And cristes blessed body thei to rente
Deth shal be deed if that thei may him hente
¶ Whan thei han gon nat fully half a myle
Ryght as thei wold han troden ouer a stile
385
And olde man and a pore with hem mette
This olde man ful mekely hem grette
And seyde thus now lordes god yow se
¶ The pruddest of thise riatours thre
Answerd ageyn what cherl with sory gace
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Whi artow al forwrapped sauf thi face
Whi lyuest thow so longe in so gret age
¶ This olde man gan loke in his visage
And seide thus for y ne can nat fynde
A man thogh that I. walked in to ynde
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Nouther in Citee ne in no vilage
That wolde chaunge his youth for myn age
And therfore mote I han my age stille
As longe tyme as it is goddes wille
¶ Ne deth allas ne wol nat han my lif
400
Thus walke I like a restlees caityf
And on the ground which is my modyres gate
I knok with my staf erly and late
And sey leue modre let me ynne
Lo how I wanze flessh and blood and skynne
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Allas whan shulne my bones be at rest
Moder with yow wold I chaunge my chest
That in my chambre longe tyme hath be
Ye for an heire cloute to wrappe me
But yit to me she wol nat do that gace
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For which ful pale and welkid is my face
¶ But sires to yow it is no curtesie