Mine holy pardon may you all waríce,3663
So that ye offer nobles or sterlings,3664
Or ellës silver brooches, spoons, or rings.
Bowë your head under this holy bull.
Come up, ye wives, and offer of your will;
Your names I enter in my roll anon;
Into the bliss of heaven shall ye gon;
I you assoil3665 by minë high powére,
You that will offer, as clean and eke as clear
As ye were born. Lo, Sirës, thus I preach;
And Jesus Christ, that is our soulës’ leech,3666
So grantë you his pardon to receive;
For that is best, I will not deceive.
But, Sirs, one word forgot I in my tale;
I have relícs and pardon in my mail,
As fair as any man in Engleland,
Which were me given by the Popë’s hand.
If any of you will of devotión
Offer, and have mine absolutión,
Come forth anon, and kneelë here adown,
And meekëly receivë my pardoún.
Or ellës takë pardon, as ye wend,3667
All new and fresh at every townë’s end,
So that ye offer, always new and new,
Nobles or pence which that be good and true.
’Tis an honoúr to evereach that is here,
That ye have a suffisant pardonére
T’ assoilë3668 you in country as ye ride,
For áventúrës which that may betide.
Paráventure there may fall one or two
Down of his horse, and break his neck in two.
Look, what a surety is it to you all,
That I am in your fellowship y-fall,
That may assoil you bothë more and lass,3669
When that the soul shall from the body pass.
I redë3670 that our Hostë shall begin,
For he is most enveloped in sin.
Come forth, Sir Host, and offer first anon,
And thou shalt kiss; the relics every one,
Yea, for a groat; unbuckle anon thy purse.
“Nay, nay,” quoth he, “then have I Christë’s curse!
Let be,” quoth he, “it shall not be, so thé ’ch.3671
Thou wouldest make me kiss thine oldë breech,
And swear it were a relic of a saint,
Though it were with thy fundament depaint’.
But, by the cross which that Saint Helen fand,3672
I would I had thy coilons in mine hand,
Instead of relics, or of sanctuary.
Let cut them off, I will thee help them carry;
They shall be shrined in a hoggë’s tord.”
The Pardoner answered not one word;
So wroth he was, no wordë would he say.
“Now,” quoth our Host, “I will no longer play
With thee, nor with none other angry man.”
But right anon the worthy Knight began
(When that he saw that all the people lough3673),
“No more of this, for it is right enough.
Sir Pardoner, be merry and glad of cheer;
And ye, Sir Host, that be to me so dear,
I pray you that ye kiss the Pardoner;
And, Pardoner, I pray thee draw thee ner,3674
And as we diddë, let us laugh and play.”
Anon they kiss’d, and rodë forth their way.
The Shipman’s Tale3675
The Prologue
Our Host upon his stirrups stood anon,
And saidë; “Good men, hearken every one,
This was a thrifty3676 talë for the nones.
Sir Parish Priest,” quoth he, “for Goddë’s bones,
Tell us a tale, as was thy forword yore:3677
I see well that ye learned men in lore
Can3678 muchë good, by Goddë’s dignity.”
The Parson him answér’d, “Ben’dicite!
What ails the man, so sinfully to swear?”
Our Host answér’d, “O Jankin, be ye there?
Now, good men,” quoth our Host, “hearken to me.
I smell a Lollard3679 in the wind,” quoth he.
“Abide, for Goddë’s dignë3680 passión,
For we shall have a predicatión:
This Lollard here will preachen us somewhat.”
“Nay, by my father’s soul, that shall he not,”
Saidë the Shipman; “Here shall he not preach,
He shall no gospel glosë3681 here nor teach.
We all believe in the great God,” quoth he.
“He wouldë sowë some difficultý,
Or springë cockle3682 in our cleanë corn.
And therefore, Host, I warnë thee beforn,
My jolly body shall a talë tell,
And I shall clinkë you so merry a bell,
That I shall waken all this company;
But it shall not be of philosophy,
Nor of physíc, nor termës quaint of law;
There is but little Latin in my maw.”3683
The Tale
A Merchant whilom dwell’d at Saint Deníse,
That richë was, for which men held him wise.
A wife he had of excellent beautý,
And companiable and revellous3684 was she,
Which is a thing that causeth more dispence
Than worth is all the cheer and reverence
That men them do at feastës and at dances.
Such salutatións and countenánces
Passen, as doth the shadow on the wall;
Put woe is him that payë must for all.
The sely3685 husband algate3686 he must pay,
He must us3687 clothe and he must us array
All for his owen worship richëly:
In which array we dancë jollily.
And if that he may not, paráventure,
Or ellës list not such dispence endure,
But thinketh it is wasted and y-lost,
Then must another payë for our cost,
Or lend us gold, and that is perilous.
This noble merchant held a noble house;
For which he had all day so great repair,3688
For his largesse, and for his wife was fair,
That wonder is; but hearken to my tale.
Amongës all these guestës great and smale,
There was a monk, a fair man and a bold,
I trow a thirty winter he was old,
That ever-in-one3689 was drawing to that place.
This youngë monk, that was so fair of face,
Acquainted was so with this goodë man,
Since that their firstë knowledgë began,
That in his house as familiár was he
As it is possible any friend to be.
And, for as muchel as this goodë man,
And eke this monk of which that I began,
Were both the two y-born in one villáge,
The monk him claimed, as for cousinage,3690
And he again him said not oncë nay,
But was as glad thereof as fowl of day;
For to his heart it was a great pleasánce.
Thus be they knit with etern’ alliánce,
And each of them gan other to
