The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales
“The Pardoner's Tale”
There were once three wicked young men who spent their time sitting in
taverns, drinking and quarreling. Once when they were so occupied, they heard
the clinking of a bell preceding a corpse about to be buried. One of the young
men, very drunk, called to the servant of the tavern and said, “Go quickly and
find out who the dead person is and be sure to report his name correctly.
“Sir,” the boy said, “I need not to go out to find out. I was told who he is two
hours ago. He is an old friend and companion of yours. He was slain suddenly last
night, for he sat drunk on a bench, there came a private thief who men call Death
and whom I this country all men fear. With his spear he smote your friend’s heart
in two. He has slain a thousand in this pestilence. And, Master, if you ever come in
his presence, you must grid yourself well with such an enemy, for he is very
powerful.”
The boy speaks true,” the tavern keeper added. “This year he seems to
have placed his habitation in a village a mile from here where he has slain men,
women, and children.”
“Ye God’s arms,” cried this wicked young man. “Is this Death so terrible to
meet? I shall seek him in town and field, I swear by God, that we three friends,
acting as one, shall not rest until we have slain this Death. Listen to me, fellows; let
us join hands and vow to kill this traitor Death.
So these three roisterers joined hands to live and die in this adventure and
so to be true to each other as if they were brothers. Then up they left, still very
drunk and forth they went toward the village of which the tavern keeper had
spoken, vowing that they would not rest until they had slain Death.They have
barely gone half a mile when they met an old man who greeted the three very
meekly, saying, “My Lords, God protect you.”
The proudest of the roisterers answered the old man rudely, “Slave, why are
you so wrapped up except for your face? And, being so old, why are you still
alive?”
The old man answered sadly, “I’m still alive because I can find no man who
will exchange places with me. And therefore am I alive still as long as it is God’s
will. And death, alas, will not take my life; and so with my staff I knock upon the
ground for Mother Earth to open and let me in. And so God be with you. I’ll go
my way.”
“No, old slave, you don’t go away so fast,” the young man said rudely, “You
are a spy of this traitor, Death, so tell us where he lives, this slayer of youth.”
“Now, sirs, said the old man, “if you really want to find Death, turn up this
narrow path, for in that grove I left him under a tree. For your entire boast, he will
not avoid you. See that oak tree? You should find him there unless you mend your
ways.
The three wicked young men ran to the tree and there they found a
treasure of gold coins. They promptly forgot about death, whom they were
seeking, when they saw the gleaming coins piled around the trunk of tree. They
sat down staring greedily at the money.
The worst of the three was the

first to speak. “Brothers, listen to me.
Fortune has given us this treasure so
that we can live the rest of our lives
in eating and drinking. Who would
have thought that today we would
have such good fortune? But we
must hide this gold in my house or in
yours. But we cannot do so by day;
men would see us and say that we
had stolen it and get us hanged.
Therefore let us carry away this
treasure secretly by night. Now, I
suggest that we draw lots and he
who gets the shortest lot should go
to town and bring us bread and
wine while the two of us will stand
by and watch this gold, and tonight
we shall take this fortune where we
think best.”Then they drew lots and
the shortest lot was drawn by the
youngest, who immediately went
to town to buy bread and wine.
As soon as he had left, one said to the other, “You know that you are my
brother. I have a plan which will bring much profit to us both. Our companion is
gone and here is much gold that should be divided among us three. Now, if we
can bring it to pass that it shall be divided only between us two, would it not be
better for us?”
“Yes, it would,” said the other. “But how can we do that when he knows
that the money is with us?”
“I will tell you,” answered the other. “When he returns with the bread and
wine, we shall kill him and, my dear friend, we shall divide this gold between us.”
On the other hand, the one who had gone to town also began to think how
he could get the gold for himself alone. “O Lord,”he thought, “if I could get all the
treasure for myself, how happy I would be!” And he planned to poison his friends
so that he could have all the gold.
He went to an apothecary and bought some poison, telling that his house
was full of rats and he wanted to get rid of them. He got two bottles in which he
poured the poison. He then filled the bottles wine and returned to his friends,
thinking how rich he was going to be.
As he drew near, his friends killed him. Then they sat down to drink the wine.
Thus ended the story of three wicked young men.
- Retold from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

The Pardoner's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Canterbury Tales

“The Pardoner's Tale”

The worst of the three was the

- Retold from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

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