Page 137 - DENG405_BRITISH_POETRY

British Poetry

Notes 15.1.3 The Pardoner’s Tale Text

There once lived in Flanders a company of three rioters who did nothing but engage in irresponsible
and sinful behavior. At this point, the narrator interrupts the tale itself to launch a lengthy diatribe
against drunkenness-mentioning Herod, Seneca, Adam, Sampson, Attila the Hun and St. Paul as
either sources or famed drunkards. This in turn oddly becomes a diatribe against people whose
stomachs are their gods (their end, we are told, is death), and then a diatribe against the stomach,
called, at one point a “stynkyng cod, fulfilled of dong and of corrupcioun” (a stinking bag, full of
dung and decayed matter). This distraction from the story itself ends with an attack on dice-playing
(dice here called “bicched bones”, or cursed dice).
The three drunkards were in a tavern one night, and, hearing a bell ring, looked outside to see men
carrying a corpse to its grave. One of them called to his slave to go and ask who the corpse was: he
was told by a boy that the corpse was an old fellow whose heart was smashed in two by a secret
thief called Death. This drunkard agreed, and discussed with his companions how this “Death”
had indeed slain many people, of all ranks, of both sexes, that very year. The three then made a vow
(by “Goddes digne bones”) to find Death and slay him.
When they had gone not even half a mile, they met an old, poor man at a style, who greeted them
courteously. The proudest of the drunkards responded rudely, asking the man why he was still
alive at such a ripe age. The old man answered that he was alive, because he could not find anyone
who would exchange their youth for his age-and, although he knocked on the ground, begging it to
let him in, he still did not die. Moreover, the old man added, it was not courteous of the drunkards
to speak so rudely to an old man.
One of the other drunkards responded still more rudely that the old man was to tell them where
Death was, or regret not telling them dearly. The old man, still polite, told the drunkards they could
find Death up the crooked way and underneath an oak tree.
The drunkards ran until they came to the tree, and, underneath it, they found eight bushels of gold
coins. The worst one of them spoke first, arguing that Fortune had given them the treasure to live
their life in happiness-but realizing that they could not carry the gold home without people seeing
them and thinking them thieves. Therefore, he suggested, they should draw lots, and one of them
should run back to the town to fetch bread and wine, while the other two protected the treasure.
Then, at night, they could agree where to take the treasure and carry it safety. This was agreed, and
lots were drawn: the youngest of them was picked to go to the town.
However, as soon as he had gone to the town, the two remaining drunkards plotted amongst
themselves to stab him upon his return, and then split the gold between them. While he was in the
town, the youngest thought of the beauty of the gold coins, and decided to buy some poison in
order to kill the other two, keeping the gold for himself. Thus, he went to an apothecary, bought
some “strong and violent” poison, poured it into two of three wine bottles (the third was for him to
drink from), topped them up with wine, and returned to his fellows.

How does the youngest die?

Exactly as the other two had planned it, it befell. They killed him on his return, and sat down to
enjoy the wine before burying his body–and, as it happened, drank the poison and died. The tale
ends with a short sermon against sin, asking God to forgive the trespass of good men, and warning
them against the sin of avarice, before (this, we can presume narrated in the Pardoner’s voice)
inviting the congregation to “come up” and offer their wool in return for pardons.
The tale finished, the Pardoner suddenly remembers that he has forgotten one thing - that he is
carrying relics and pardons in his “male” (pouch, bag) and begins to invite the pilgrims forward to

130 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY