The Canterbury Tales

Fragment VI

The Pardoner's Prologue

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Heere folweth the Prologe

of the Pardoners Tale.

Radix malorum est Cupiditas. Ad Thimotheum.

(1 Timothy 6:10)

Lordynges, quod he, in chirches whan I preche,

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I peyne me to han an hauteyn speche,

And rynge it out as round as gooth a belle,

For I kan al by rote that I telle.

My theme is alwey oon, and evere was –

Radix malorum est cupiditas.

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first I pronounce wheenes that I come,

And thanne my bulles shewe I, alle and some.

Oure lige lordes seel on my patente,

That shewe I first, my body to warente,

That no man be so boold, ne preest ne clerk,

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Me to destourbe of cristes hooly werk.

And after that thanne telle I forth my tales;

Bulles of popes and of cardynales,

Of patriarkes and bishopes I shewe

And in latyn I speke a wordes fewe,

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To saffron with my predicacioun,

And for to stire hem to devocioun.

Thanne shewe I forth my longe cristal stones,

Ycrammed ful of cloutes and of bones, –

Relikes been they, as wenen they echoon.

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Thanne have I in latoun a sholder-boon

Which that was of an hooly jewes sheep.

Goode men, I seye, taak of my wordes keep;

If that this boon be wasshe in any welle,

If cow, or calf, or sheep, or oxe swelle

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That any worm hath ete, or worm ystonge,

Taak water of that welle and wassh his tonge,

And it is hool anon; and forthermoore,

Of pokkes and of scabbe, and every soore

Shal every sheep be hool that of this welle

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Drynketh a draughte. Taak kep eek what I telle –

If that the good-man that the beestes oweth

Wol every wyke, er that the cok hym croweth,

Fastynge, drynken of this welle a draughte,

As thilke hooly jew oure eldres taughte,

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His beestes and his stoor shal multiplie.

and, sires, also it heeleth jalousie;

For though a man be falle in jalous rage,

Lat maken with this water his potage,

And nevere shal he moore his wyf mystriste,

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Though he the soothe of hir defaute wiste,

Al had she taken prestes two or thre.

heere is a miteyn eek, that ye may se.

He that his hand wol putte in this mitayn,

He shal have multipliyng of his grayn,

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Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes,

So that he offre pens, or elles grotes.

goode men and wommen, o thyng warne I yow –

If any wight be in this chirche now

That hath doon synne horrible, that he

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Dar nat, for shame, of it yshryven be,

Or any womman, be she yong or old,

That hath ymaad hir housbonde cokewold,

Swich folk shal have no power ne no grace

To offren to my relikes in this place.

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And whoso fyndeth hym out of swich blame,

He wol come up and offre in goddes name,

And I assoille him by the auctoritee

Which that by bulle ygraunted was to me.

by this gaude have I wonne, yeer by yeer,

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An hundred mark sith I was pardoner.

I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet,

And whan the lewed peple is doun yset,

I preche so as ye han herd bifoore,

And telle an hundred false japes moore.

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Thanne peyne I me to strecche forth the nekke,

And est and west upon the peple I bekke,

As dooth a dowve sittynge on a berne.

Myne handes and my tonge goon so yerne

That it is joye to se my bisynesse.

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Of avarice and of swich cursednesse

Is al my prechyng, for to make hem free

To yeven hir pens, and namely unto me.

For myn entente is nat but for to wynne,

And nothyng for correccioun of synne.

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I rekke nevere, whan that they been beryed,

Though that hir soules goon a-blakeberyed!

For certes, many a predicacioun

Comth ofte tyme of yvel entencioun;

Som for plesance of folk and flaterye,

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To been avaunced by ypocrisye,

And som for veyne glorie, and som for hate.

For whan I dar noon oother weyes debate,

Thanne wol I stynge hym with my tonge smerte

In prechyng, so that he shal nat asterte

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To been defamed falsly, if that he

Hath trespased to my bretheren or to me.

For though I telle noght his propre name,

Men shal wel knowe that it is the same,

By signes, and by othere circumstances.

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Thus quyte I folk that doon us displesances;

Thus spitte I out my venym under hewe

Of hoolynesse, to semen hooly and trewe.

but shortly myn entente I wol devyse –

I preche of no thyng but for coveityse.

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Therfore my theme is yet, and evere was,

Radix malorum est cupiditas.

Thus kan I preche agayn that same vice

Which that I use, and that is avarice.

But though myself be gilty in that synne,

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Yet kan I maken oother folk to twynne

From avarice, and soore to repente.

But that is nat my principal entente;

I preche nothyng but for coveitise.

Of this mateere it oghte ynogh suffise.

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thanne telle I hem ensamples many oon

Of olde stories longe tyme agoon.

For lewed peple loven tales olde;

Swiche thynges kan they wel reporte and holde.

What, trowe ye, that whiles I may preche,

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And wynne gold and silver for I teche,

That I wol lyve in poverte wilfully?

Nay, nay, I thoghte it nevere, trewwly!

For I wol preche and begge in sondry landes;

I wol nat do no labour with myne handes,

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Ne make baskettes, and lyve therby,

By cause I wol nat beggen ydelly.

I wol noon of the apostles countrefete;

I wol have moneie, wolle, chese, and whete,

Al were it yeven of the povereste page,

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Or of the povereste wydwe in a village,

Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne.

Nay, I wol drynke licour of the vyne,

And have a joly wenche in every toun.

But herkneth, lordynges, in conclusioun –

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Youre likyng is that I shal telle a tale.

Now have I dronke a draughte of corny ale,

By god, I hope I shal yow telle a thyng

That shal be reson been at youre likyng.

For though myself be a ful vicious man,

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A moral tale yet I yow telle kan,

Which I am wont to preche for to wynne.

Now hoold youre pees! my tale I wol bigynne.