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=The wordes of the Host to the Phisicien and the Pardoner.=
Our Hoste gan to swere as he were wood,
‘Harrow!’ quod he, ‘by nayles and by blood!.
This was a fals cherl and a fals Iustyse!
As shamful deeth as herte may devyse 290
Come to thise Iuges and hir advocats!
Algate this sely mayde is slayn, allas!
Allas! to dere boghte she beautee!
Wherfore I seye al day, as men may see,
That yiftes of fortune or of nature 295
Ben cause of deeth to many a creature. (10)
Hir beautee was hir deeth, I dar wel sayn;
Allas! so pitously as she was slayn!
Of bothe yiftes that I speke of now
Men han ful ofte more harm than prow. 300
But trewely, myn owene mayster dere,
This is a pitous tale for to here.
But natheles, passe over, is no fors;
I prey to god, so save thy gentil cors,
And eek thyne urinals and thy Iordanes, 305
[300: T. 12240-12262.]
Thyn Ypocras, and eek thy Galianes, (20)
And every boist ful of thy letuarie;
God blesse hem, and our lady seinte Marie!
So mot I theen, thou art a propre man,
And lyk a prelat, by seint Ronyan! 310
Seyde I nat wel? I can nat speke in terme;
But wel I woot, thou doost my herte to erme,
That I almost have caught a cardiacle.
By corpus bones! but I have triacle,
Or elles a draught of moyste and corny ale, 315
Or but I here anon a mery tale, (30)
Myn herte is lost for pitee of this mayde.
Thou bel amy, thou Pardoner,’ he seyde,
‘Tel us som mirthe or Iapes right anon.’
‘It shall be doon,’ quod he, ‘by seint Ronyon! 320
But first,’ quod he, ‘heer at this ale-stake
I wol both drinke, and eten of a cake.’
HEADING. _So_ E. E. Hoost. 287. Ln. oste; _rest_ hoost, ost. 290.
E. shameful. 291, 292. _So_ E. Hn. Pt.; _but_ Cp. _has_—So falle
vpon his body and his bones The deuyl I bekenne him al at ones; _so
also_ Ln. Hl. 291. E. (_alone_) _ins._ false _before_ Iuges. E. Hn.
Aduocatz; Pt. aduocas. 295. E. Hn. and; _rest_ or. 296. E. Hn. to;
_rest_ of. 297, 298. _So_ Cp. Ln. Hl.; _rest omit these lines._
300. E. Hn. for harm; _rest om._ for. 303. Hl. this is; _the rest
omit_ this. 305. Ln. Iordanes; Cp. Iurdanes; E. Hn. Iurdones. 306.
Cp. Galianes; E. Hn. Galiones. 307. Hl. boist; E. Hn. boyste; Cp. Pt.
Ln. box. 313. E. Hn. cardynacle(!). 322. eten of] Hl. byt on.
But right anon thise gentils gonne to crye,
‘Nay! lat him telle us of no ribaudye;
Tel us som moral thing, that we may lere 325
Som wit, and thanne wol we gladly here.’ (40)
‘I graunte, y-wis,’ quod he, ‘but I mot thinke
Up-on som honest thing, whyl that I drinke.
323. E. Hn. And; _the rest_ But. 324. E. Hn. Cp. Hl. ribaudye; Ln.
rebaudie; Pt. rybaudrye. 327. _For ll._ 326, 327, Hl. _has_—Gladly,
quod he, and sayde as ye schal heere: But in the cuppe wil I me
bethinke.
[301: T. 12263-12288.]
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