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NARRATIVE POEMS

THE PARDONER'S TALE

GEOFFREY CHAUCER

(Modernised by Frank Ernest Hill)

[This is the story told by the Pardoner to his companions of the Canterbury pilgrimage. It was not original with Chaucer, but has been found in various medieval versions. A long sermonic passage on the vices of dissipated men is omitted from the paraphrase.]

In Flanders once there dwelt a company Of youth, that followed foolish revelry,As riotous taverns, and their evil fruits, Wherein with citherns and with harps and lutes

They danced and played at dice both day and night,

And also ate and drank beyond their might,

Whereby, in Satan's temple, did they pay
The devil sacrifice in cursed way
With frightful and most horrible excess.
Their oaths were great and full of wick-
edness,

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That it was hideous to hear them swear. Our Lord's own blessed body would they tear1

(Too little by the Jews they deemed it rent),

And made each other's sins a merriment.

These rioters, of whom I make my rime, Long ere a single bell had rung for prime,2 Had sat them in a tavern for to drink, And as they sat, they heard a hand-bell clink

Before a body, carried to its grave.

Then called the one of them unto his knave3

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"Be off!" he cried, "and truly certify Whose body 'tis without that passes by, And see that you report his name aright!" "Sir," answered him this boy, "'tis needless quite;

For I was told two hours before you came;

He was a fellow of yours, by God's own name!

A reference to a particular type of oath. familiar in the Middle Ages, which is exemplified in lines 46 and 49. Compare also line 63.

2 prime. The first period of the church day, 3 knave. Boy, servant.

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aver,

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Woman, and child, and man, in yonder town,

And page and villain," he hath smitten down,

I trow his habitation must be there. And it were utmost wisdom to beware Lest that a man some injury incur. "Yea, by God's arms," replied this rioter, "Is he so perilous a knave to meet? I swear to seek him out by road and street;

Upon the bones of God I make a vow. Comrades, we three are one,-then hearken now!

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Let each of us hold up his hand to th' other,

And each of us become the other's brother;

And we will slay this false betrayer Death,

He shall be slain, he that so many slay'th, By God's own dignity, ere it be night!" Together then these three their troth did plight,

To live and die each of them for the other, As though each one were born the other's brother.

And in this drunken passion forth they started,

And toward that very village they departed 60

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To greet them: "Sirs, God keep you in
His sight!"

Then of these rascals three the proudest
wight

70

Replied, "Now curse you, churl! Whither apace?

And why all wrapped and hidden save your face?

How dare you live so long in Death's defy?"

This old man sought his face with search-
ing eye,

And answered thus: "Because, e'en though
I went

To Ind, I could not find a man content,
In city or in village, it is truth,

In change for this my age to give his
youth.

So must I have my age in keeping still,
As long a time as it shall be God's will. 80
Nor Death, alas! he will not have my life;
And thus I walk, my restless heart at
strife,

And on the ground, which is my mother's
gate,

I knock with anxious staff, both early and late,

And say, 'Beloved mother, let me in!
How am I wasted, flesh and blood and
skin;

Alas! when shall my bones be laid to
Test?

To be with you I would exchange my
chest

That in my room a weary time hath been, Yea, for a hair-cloth1 I could wrap me in!'

90

And yet she will not do me this poor

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When he hath neither sinned in word nor
deed.

For well in holy writings may ye read,
'Before an aged man, whose hair is_gray,
Ye should arise;' and therefore do I say,
To no old man do ye an injury,

As ye yourselves would look for clem

ency

100

In your old age, if so ye should abide. And God be with you, where ye walk or ride;

I must be off where I have need to go." "Nay now, old churl! By God, you shall not so!"

Answered another rioter anon;

"You shall not part so lightly, by St. John! You spoke just now of that same traitor Death

That in this country all our comrades slay'th.

Have here my word: as you're a spy of his,

Abide the worst, or tell us where he is,

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By God and by the Holy Sacrament!
For truly, you are one of his assent,2
To slay us youthful folk, deceitful thief!"
"Nay, sirs," said he, "if ye can find relief
Only by finding Death, turn down that

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The worst of them essayed the foremost
130
word:
"Brothers," he said, "take heed of what I

say;

My wit is great, although I jest and play! 2 assent. Conspiracy.

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He knows the two of us do guard the gold;

What shall we do? what would you have him told?"

"Shall it be secret?" shrewdly asked the first;

"Then shortly shall the method be rehearsed

Whereby I think to bring it well about." "Agreed," replied the other; "out of doubt I will betray you not, as God is true." "Now," said the first, “you know that we are two,

And two of us are mightier than one. Watch when he sits, then straightway rise

and run

180

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And prayed for poison to exterminate Some rats, and pole-cats that had robbed

of late

His roosts, and he would venge him, if he might,

211

On vermin that devoured him by night.
Then this apothecary, answering:
"God save my soul, but you shall have a
thing

That, let a living creature drink or eat
A part no bigger than a grain of wheat,
And he shall die, and that in shorter
while

Than you would take to pace a single mile;

Such is the force this poison can command."

This cursed man received into his hand
The poison in a box, and then he ran
Into a nearby street, unto a man,
And from him did he borrow bottles
three,

220

And in the two his poison poured he, But left the third unpoisoned, for his drink;

For he must work all night-so did he think

Bearing the treasure off with lusty limb. And when this rioter-bad luck to him!Had filled with liquor all his bottles three, Back to his fellows then resorted he. What need is there to linger on it more? For just as they had planned his death before, 230

So did they slay him now, and that with speed.

Then said the one, when they had done the deed:

"Now let us eat and drink, and make us merry,

And afterwards we will his body bury." And with that word he took, it came to pass,

One of the bottles where the poison was, And drank, and gave his comrade drink beside,

From which they both in little season died.

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SIR PATRICK SPENCE

[This ballad is perhaps connected with the story of the shipwreck of a vessel bearing an embassy between Scotland and Norway in 1290.] The king sits in Dumferling toun,

Drinking the blood-red wine: "O where will I get guid sailor, To sail this ship of mine?"

Up and spake an eldern knight,

Sat at the king's right knee:
"Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor
That sails upon the sea."

The king has written a braid 1 letter,
And signed it wi' his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walking on the sand.

The first line that Sir Patrick read,
A loud laugh laughéd he;

The next line that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his e'e.

"O wha is this has done this deed,
This ill deed done to me,

To send me out this time o' the year, To sail upon the sea!

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20

"Make haste, make haste, my merry men all,

Our guid ship sails the morn:" "O say not so, my master dear, For I fear a deadly storm.

"Late late yestreen I saw the new moon,
Wi' the auld moon in her arm,
And I fear, I fear, my dear master,
That we will come to harm."

O our Scots nobles were richt laith 2
To wet their cork-heel'd shoon;
But lang e'er a' the play were played,
Their hats they swam aboon.3

O lang, lang may their ladies sit,

Wi' their fans into their hand,
Or e'er they see Sir Patrick Spence
Come sailing to the land.

O lang, lang may the ladies stand,
Wi' their gold kems in their hair,
Waiting for their ain dear lords,
For they'll see them na mair.
Half o'er, half o'er to Aberdour,
It's fifty fathom deep,

30

40

And there lies guid Sir Patrick Spence, Wi' the Scots lords at his feet.

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But Johnnie has cast off the black velvet,
And put on the Lincoln twine,5
And he is on to good greenwood
As fast as he could gang.

Johnnie lookit east, and Johnnie lookit west,

And he lookit aneath the sun,
And there he spied the dun deer sleeping
Aneath a buss o' whun.6

Johnnie shot, and the dun deer lap,?
And she lap wondrous wide,
Until they came to the wans water,
And he stemmed her of her pride. 30
He has ta'en out the little pen-knife,
'Twas full three quarters long,
And he has ta'en out of that dun deer
The liver but and the tongue.

They eat of the flesh, and they drank of the blood,

And the blood it was so sweet, Which caused Johnnie and his bloody hounds

To fall in a deep sleep.

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"The wildest wolf in a' this wood
Would not ha' done so by me;
She'd ha' wet her foot in the wan water,
And sprinkled it o'er my brae,14 70
And if that would not ha' wakened me,
She would ha' gone and let me be.

"O bows of yew, if ye be true,

In London, where ye were bought, Fingers five, get up belive,15

Manhood shall fail me nought."

He has killed the Seven Foresters,
He has killed them all but ane,

And that wan16 scarce to Pickeram Side,
To carry the bode-words17 hame.

10 drie. Endure (to go).

II gar. Make (cause).

12 well-wight. Hardy.

13 gin. If.

14 brae. Brow.

15 belive. Quickly.

16 wan. Came.

17 bode-words. Tidings.

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