The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 314]

¶ Heere folweth the Prologe of the Pardoners tale [on leaf 140, back]

¶ Radix malorum est Cupiditas Ad Thimotheum .6^o.

LOrdynges quod he / in chirches / whan I preche I peyne me / to han an hauteyn speche And rynge it out as round as gooth a belle ffor I kan / al by rote that I telle Line 332 My theme is alwey oon / and euere was Radix malorum est Cupiditas

First I pronounce / whennes þat I come And thanne my bulles / shewe I alle and some Line 336 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 Me to destourbe / of Cristes hooly werk Line 340 And after that thanne telle I forth my tales ¹Bulles of popes¹ [[^1_1 nearly scratcht out of the MS]] and of Cardynales Of Patriarkes / and bishoppes I shewe And in latyn / I speke a wordes fewe Line 344 To saffron with my predicacion And for to stire hem / to deuocion Thanne shewe I forth / my longe cristal stones Ycrammed ful of cloutes and of bones Line 348 Relikes been they / as wenen they echoon Thanne haue [I] in laton a sholder boon Which that was / of an hooly Iewes sheepe Goode men I seye / taak of my wordes keepe Line 352 If that this boon / be wasshe in any welle [folio 141a] If Cow / or Calf or Sheepe / or Oxe swelle That any worm hath ete / or worm ystonge Taak water of that welle / and wassh his tonge Line 356

[6-text p 315] Line 356 And it is hool anon / and forthermoor Of pokkes / and of scabbe / and euery soor Shal euery sheepe be hool / þat of this welle Drynketh a draughte / taak kepe eek what I telle Line 360 ¶ If that the goode man / that the beestes oweth Wol euery wyke / er that the Cok hym croweth ffastynge drinke / of this welle a draughte As thilke hooly Iew / oure eldres taughte Line 364 Hise beestes and his stoor shal multiplie ¶ And sire / also / it heeleth Ialousie ffor though a man / be falle in Ialous rage Lat maken / with this water his potage Line 368 And neuere shal he moore / his wyf mystriste Though he the soothe / of hir defaute wiste Al had she / taken preestes / two or thre ¶ Heere is a Miteyn eek/ that ye may se Line 372 He þat his hand wol putte in this Mitayn He shal haue / multipliyng of his grayn Whan he hath sowen / be it whete or Otes So þat he offre / pens / or elles grotes Line 376 ¶ Goode men and wommen / o thyng warne I yow If any wight / be in this chirche now That hath doon synne horrible þat he? Dar nat for shame / of it yshryuen be Line 380 Or any womman / be she yong or old That hath ymaked / hir housbonde Cokewold Swich folk shal haue no power ne no grace To offren / to my relikes in this place Line 384 And who so fyndeth hym / out of swich fame They wol come vp / and offre on goddes name And I assoille hem / by the Auctoritee Which that by bulle / ygraunted was to me Line 388 ¶ By this gaude / haue I wonne / yeer by yeer An hundred mark sith I was Pardoner I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet And whan the lewed peple / is doun yset Line 392

[6-text p 316] Line 392 I preche so / as ye han herd bifoore And telle / an hundred false Iapes moore Thanne peyne I me / to strecche forth the nekke And Est and West vp-on the peple I bekke Line 396 As dooth a dowue / sittynge / on a berne Myne handes and my tonge goon so yerne That it is ioye / to se my bisynesse Of Auarice / and of swich cursednesse Line 400 Is al my prechyng for to make hem free [folio 141b] To yeuen hir pens / and namely vn-to me ffor myn entente / is nat but for to wynne And no thyng for correccion of synne Line 404 I rekke neuere / whan they been beryed Though þat hir soules / goon a blakeberyed ffor certes / many a predicacion Comth ofte tyme / of yuel entencion Line 408 Som for plesance of folk/ and flaterye To been auaunced / by ypocrisye And som for veyne glorie / and som for hate ffor whan / I dar noon oother weyes debate Line 412 Thanne wol I stynge hym / with my tonge smerte In prechyng / so that he shal nat asterte To been defamed falsly / if that he? Hath trespased / to my bretheren / or to me Line 416 ffor though I telle noght / his propre name Men shal wel knowe / that it is the same By signes / and by othere circumstances Thus quyte I folk that doon vs displesances Line 420 Thus spitte I out my venym / vnder hewe Of hoolynesse / to semen hooly and trewe ¶ But shortly myn entente I wol deuyse I preche of no thyng but for coueityse Line 424 Therfore / my theme is yet and euere was Radix malorum est Cupiditas Thus kan I preche / agayn that same vice Which þat I vse / and that is Auarice Line 428

[6-text p 317] Line 428 But though my self/ be gilty in that synne Yet kan I maken / oother folk to twynne ffrom Auarice / and soore to repente But that is nat/ my principal entente Line 432 I preche no thyng but for coueitise Of this mateere / it oghte ynogh suffise ¶ Thanne telle I hem / ensamples many oon Of olde stories / longe tyme agoon Line 436 ffor lewed peple / louen tales olde Swiche thynges / kan they wel reporte and holde What trowe ye / the whiles I may preche And wynne / gold and siluer / for I teche Line 440 That I wol lyue in pouerte wilfully Nay nay / I thoghte it neuere trewely ffor I wol preche / and begge in sondry landes I wol nat do no labour/ with myne handes Line 444 Ne make baskettes / and lyue therby By cause / I wol nat beggen ydelly I wol noon / of the Apostles countrefete I wol haue moneie / wolle chese and whete Line 448 Al were it yeuen / of the pouereste page [folio 142a] Or of the pouereste wydwe / in a village Al sholde hir children sterue / for famyne Nay / I wol drynke / licour of the vyne Line 452 And haue a ioly wenche / in euery toun But herkneth lordynges in conclusioun ¶ Youre likyng is / that I shal telle a tale Now / haue I dronke a draughte of corny ale Line 456 By god / I hope / I shal yow telle a thyng That shal by reson / been at youre likyng ffor though my self be a ful vicious man A moral tale / yet I yow telle kan Line 460 Which I am wont to preche / for to wynne Now hoold youre pees / my tale I wol bigynne