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

[6-text p 314]

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

¶ Here bigynneth the Prologe of the Pardoners tale.

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 ¶ ffirst I pronounce / whennes þat I come And thanne my bulles / shewe I alle & 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 holy werk Line 340 And after that thanne telle I forth my tales Bulles of Popes / and of Cardynales Of Patriarkes / and Bisshopes I shewe [folio 196a] 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 Yerammed ful / of cloutes and of bones Line 348 Relikes been they / as wenen they echon Thanne haue I in a laton / a shulder bon Which þat was / of an holy Iewes sheepe Goode men I seye / tak of my wordes keepe Line 352 If þat this boon be wasshe / in any welle If cow / or calf or sheepe / or Oxe swelle That any worm hath ete / or worm ystonge Taak water of that welle / and wasshe his tonge Line 356

[6-text p 315] Line 356 And it is hool anoon / and forther moor 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 þat the goode man / þat the bestes oweth Wol euery wike / er þat the cok hym croweth ffastynge / drynken of this welle a draghte As thilke holy Iew / oure eldres taghte Line 364 Hise bestes and his stoor / shal multiplie And sire also / it heeleth Ialousie ffor thogh a man / be falle in Ialous rage Lat maken with this water / his potage Line 368 And neuere shal he moore / his wyf mystriste Thogh he the soothe / of hir defaute wiste Al hadde she / taken preestes / two or thre ¶ Heere is a Miteyn eek / þat ye may se Line 372 He þat his hand / wol putte / in this Mitayn He shal haue / multiplyyng of his grayn Whan he hath sowen / be it whete or Otes So þat / he / offre pens / or ellis 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 / that he Dar nat for shame / of it yshryuen be Line 380 Or any womman / be she yong or old That hath ymaked / hir housbond Cokewold Swich folk/ shal haue no power / ne no grace [folio 196b] To offren to my Relikes / in this place Line 384 And who so fyndeth hym / out of swich blame He wol come vp / and offre a goddes name And I assoille hym / by the auctoritee Which þat by bulle / ygraunted was to me Line 388 ¶ By this gaude / have I wonne / yeer by yeer An hundred mark sith I was Pardoner I stonde lyk a Clerk/ in my pulpet And whan that lewed peple / is doun yset Line 392

[6-text p 316] Line 392 I preche so / as ye han herd bifore And telle / an hundred false Iapes more 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 / sittyng 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 To yeuen hir pens / and namely vn-to me ffor myn entente is nat but for to wynne And no thyng for correccioun of synne Line 404 I rekke neuere / whan þat they been beryed Thogh 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 auanced / by ypocrisie 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 þat he shal nat asterte To been diffamed falsly / if þat 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 spete I out my venym vnder hewe Of holynesse / to seme holy and trewe But shortly / myn entente I wol deuyse [folio 197a] I preche of no thyng but for coueitise Line 424 Ther-fore 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 make / 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 matere / it oghte ynow 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 & holde What trowe ye / þat 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 ther by By cause / I wol nat beggen ydelly I wol / none of the Apostles countrefete I wol haue moneye / wolle / chese / and whete Line 448 Al were it yeuen / of the pouerest page Or of the pouereste widwe / 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 / þat I shal telle a tale Now haue I dronke / a draghte of corny Ale Line 456 By god I hope / I shal yow telle a thyng That shal by reson / been at youre likyng ffor thogh 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 holde youre pees / my tale I wol bigynne