The Pardoner's Prologue & Tale
Folio 309r
9 of 16 folios
It was me told er ȝe cam here thre ouris
\He was perde an old felawe of ouris/
345
And sodeynly he was I slayn to nyght
For dronke as he sat on his bench vp ryȝt
There cam a piue thef men clepyn deth
That in this cuntre al the peple sleth
And with his spere he smot his herte atwo
350
And wente his weie wt outyn wordis mo
He hath a thousent slayn this pestelence
And maystir er ȝe come in his prsence
Methynkyth that it were necessarye
For to ben war of swich an aduersarye
355
Beth redy for to mete hȳ euere more
Thus thaute me myn dame I seye nomore
Be seynte marie seyde this tauernere
The child seyth soth for he hath slayn this ȝere
Hene ouyr a myle with inne a greet village
360
Bothe man & woman child & hewe & page
I trowe his habitacioū be there
To been a vised greet wisdā it weere
Er that he deyede a man a dishonour
¶ Ye goddis armys quod this riotour
365
Is it swich peril with hym for to mete
I schal hȳ seeke by woye & ek bi streete
I make a wow to goddys digne bonys
Herkenyth felawis we thre been a lonys
Lat yche of vs holdȳ vp his hand to othir
370
And eche of vs bi comyn otherys brothir
And we wele sleen this false traytor deth
He schal been slayn he that so manye sleth
By godis dygnete er it be nygh
To gederys han these thre here treuthes plyght
375
To lyuyn & deyen eche of hē with othyr
As though he were his owe bore brothir
And vp they stertyn & dronkyn in this rage
And forth they gon towardys that village
Of whiche the tauerner hadde spoke by forn
380
And manye a gresely oth thāne han they sworn