The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
• Errata.
• Additions to ‘the Minor Poems’ In Vol. I.
• XXIV.: Womanly Noblesse.
• XXV.: Complaint to My Mortal Foe.
• XXVI.: Complaint to My Lode-sterre.
• Notes to the Preceding Poems.
• The Canterbury Tales. Group A.
• The Prologue.
• The Knightes Tale.
• The Miller’s Prologue.
• The Milleres Tale.
• The Reeve’s Prologue.
• The Reves Tale.
• The Cook’s Prologue.
• The Cokes Tale.
• Group B.
• Introduction to the Man of Law’s Prologue. (t. 4421-4446.)
• The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
• The Shipman’s Prologue.
• The Shipmannes Tale.
• The Prioress’s Prologue. (t. 13365-13382.)
• The Prioresses Tale.
• Prologue to Sir Thopas. (t. 13621-13641.)
• Sir Thopas.
• Prologue to Melibeus. (t. 13847-13875.)
• The Tale of Melibeus.
• The Monk’s Prologue. (t. 13895-13924.)
• The Monkes Tale.
• The Prologue of the Nonne Prestes Tale. (t. 14773-14798).
• The Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
• Group C.
• The Phisiciens Tale. (t. 11935-11957.)
• Words of the Host. (t. 12221-12239.)
• The Prologue of the Pardoners Tale. (t. 12263-12288).
• The Pardoners Tale. ( Numbered In Continuation of the Preceding. )
• Group D.
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue. (t. 5583-5602; For T. 5582, See P. 164.)
• The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
• The Friar’s Prologue. (t. 6847-6868).
• The Freres Tale.
• The Somnour’s Prologue. (t. 7247-7270.)
• The Somnours Tale.
• Group E.
• The Clerk’s Prologue. (t. 7877-7898.)
• The Clerkes Tale.
• The Merchant’s Prologue. (t. 9089-9120).
• The Marchantes Tale.
• Epilogue to the Marchantes Tale.
• Group F.
• The Squieres Tale. (t. 10315-10334).
• The Franklin’s Prologue. (t. 11021-11040).
• The Frankeleyns Tale.
• Group G.
• The Seconde Nonnes Tale.
• The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue. (t. 16022-16043.)
• The Chanouns Yemannes Tale.
• Group H.
• The Manciple’s Prologue. (t. 16950-16968).
• The Maunciples Tale.
• Group I.
• The Parson’s Prologue. (t. 17312-17330).
• The Persones Tale.
• Appendix to Group A.
• The Tale of Gamelyn.

THE PROLOGUE OF THE PARDONERS TALE.
(T. 12263-12288).

Here folweth the Prologe of the Pardoners Tale.

Radix malorum est Cupiditas: Ad Thimotheum, sexto.

• LORDINGS,’ quod he, ‘in chirches whan I preche,
• I peyne me to han an hauteyn speche,330
• And ringe it out as round as gooth a belle,
• For I can al by rote that I telle.
• My theme is alwey oon, and ever was—
• “Radix malorum est Cupiditas.”
• First I pronounce whennes that I come,335
• And than my bulles shewe I, alle and somme.
• Our lige lordes seel on my patente,
• That shewe I first, my body to warente,(10)
• That no man be so bold, ne preest ne clerk,
• Me to destourbe of Cristes holy werk;340
• And after that than telle I forth my tales,
• Bulles of popes and of cardinales,
• Of patriarkes, and bishoppes I shewe;
• And in Latyn I speke a wordes fewe,
• To saffron with my predicacioun,345
• And for to stire men to devocioun.
• Than shewe I forth my longe cristal stones,
• Y-crammed ful of cloutes and of bones;(20)
• Reliks been they, as wenen they echoon
• Than have I in latoun a sholder-boon350
• Which that was of an holy Iewes shepe.
• “Good men,” seye I, “tak of my wordes kepe;
• If that this boon be wasshe in any welle,
• If cow, or calf, or sheep, or oxe swelle
• That any worm hath ete, or worm y-stonge,355
• Tak water of that welle, and wash his tonge,
• And it is hool anon; and forthermore,
• Of pokkes and of scabbe, and every sore(30)
• Shal every sheep be hool, that of this welle
• Drinketh a draughte; tak kepe eek what I telle.360
• If that the good-man, that the bestes oweth,
• Wol every wike, er that the cok him croweth,
• Fastinge, drinken of this welle a draughte,
• As thilke holy Iewe our eldres taughte,
• His bestes and his stoor shal multiplye.365
• And, sirs, also it heleth Ialousye;
• For, though a man be falle in Ialous rage,
• Let maken with this water his potage,(40)
• And never shal he more his wyf mistriste,
• Though he the sooth of hir defaute wiste;370
• Al had she taken preestes two or three.
• Heer is a miteyn eek, that ye may see.
• He that his hond wol putte in this miteyn,
• He shal have multiplying of his greyn,
• Whan he hath sowen, be it whete or otes,375
• So that he offre pens, or elles grotes.
• Good men and wommen, o thing warne I yow,
• If any wight be in this chirche now,(50)
• That hath doon sinne horrible, that he
• Dar nat, for shame, of it y-shriven be,380
• Or any womman, be she yong or old,
• That hath y-maad hir housbond cokewold,
• Swich folk shul have no power ne no grace
• To offren to my reliks in this place.
• And who-so findeth him out of swich blame,385
• He wol com up and offre in goddes name,
• And I assoille him by the auctoritee
• Which that by bulle y-graunted was to me.”(60)
• By this gaude have I wonne, yeer by yeer,
• An hundred mark sith I was Pardoner.390
• I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet,
• And whan the lewed peple is doun y-set,
• I preche, so as ye han herd bifore,
• And telle an hundred false Iapes more.
• Than peyne I me to strecche forth the nekke,395
• And est and west upon the peple I bekke,
• As doth a dowve sitting on a berne.
• Myn hondes and my tonge goon so yerne,(70)
• That it is Ioye to see my bisinesse.
• Of avaryce and of swich cursednesse400
• Is al my preching, for to make hem free
• To yeve her pens, and namely un-to me.
• For my entente is nat but for to winne,
• And no-thing for correccioun of sinne.
• I rekke never, whan that they ben beried,405
• Though that her soules goon a-blakeberied!
• For certes, many a predicacioun
• Comth ofte tyme of yvel entencioun;(80)
• Som for plesaunce of folk and flaterye,
• To been avaunced by ipocrisye,410
• And som for veyne glorie, and som for hate.
• For, whan I dar non other weyes debate,
• Than wol I stinge him with my tonge smerte
• In preching, so that he shal nat asterte
• To been defamed falsly, if that he415
• Hath trespased to my brethren or to me.
• For, though I telle noght his propre name,
• Men shal wel knowe that it is the same(90)
• By signes and by othere circumstances.
• Thus quyte I folk that doon us displesances;420
• Thus spitte I out my venim under hewe
• Of holynesse, to seme holy and trewe.
• But shortly myn entente I wol devyse;
• I preche of no-thing but for coveityse.
• Therfor my theme is yet, and ever was—425
• “Radix malorum est cupiditas.”
• Thus can I preche agayn that same vyce
• Which that I use, and that is avaryce.(100)
• But, though my-self be gilty in that sinne,
• Yet can I maken other folk to twinne430
• From avaryce, and sore to repente.
• But that is nat my principal entente.
• I preche no-thing but for coveityse;
• Of this matere it oughte y-nogh suffyse.
• Than telle I hem ensamples many oon435
• Of olde stories, longe tyme agoon:
• For lewed peple loven tales olde;
• Swich thinges can they wel reporte and holde.(110)
• What? trowe ye, the whyles I may preche,
• And winne gold and silver for I teche,440
• That I wol live in povert wilfully?
• Nay, nay, I thoghte it never trewely!
• For I wol preche and begge in sondry londes;
• I wol not do no labour with myn hondes,
• Ne make baskettes, and live therby,445
• Because I wol nat beggen ydelly.
• I wol non of the apostles counterfete;
• I wol have money, wolle, chese, and whete,(120)
• Al were it yeven of the povrest page,
• Or of the povrest widwe in a village,450
• Al sholde hir children sterve for famyne.
• Nay! I wol drinke licour of the vyne,
• And have a Ioly wenche in every toun.
• But herkneth, lordings, in conclusioun;
• Your lyking is that I shal telle a tale.455
• Now, have I dronke a draughte of corny ale,
• By god, I hope I shal yow telle a thing
• That shal, by resoun, been at your lyking.(130)
• For, though myself be a ful vicious man,
• A moral tale yet I yow telle can,460
• Which I am wont to preche, for to winne.
• Now holde your pees, my tale I wol beginne.

[346. ]E. Hn. Hl. hem; rest men.

[350. ]E. omits I by accident.

[352. ]E. Hl. Pt. Ln. Good; E. Hn. Cp. Goode. Hn. I seye; rest say I, saie I.

[366. ]E. Hn. sire; rest sires, sirs.

[377. ]E. Hn. Goode; rest And.

[382. ]Cp. Ln. Hl. ymaad; Pt. made; E. Hn. ymaked.

[385. ]E. fame; rest blame.

[386. ]Hn. He; rest They. E. on; Hn. a; rest in.

[387. ]E. Hl. hem; rest him or hym.

[395. ]the] Cm. myn; Cp. Ln. Hl. my.

[405. ]E. Hl. omit that.

[425. ]E. Hn. theme; rest teme (teem).

[439. ]E. Pt. the whiles; Cm. that whilis that; Cp. Ln. whiles that; Hl. whiles; Hn. that whiles.

[449. ]Hl. prestes (for povrest).