That hadde a fyr-reedfire-red cherubynnescherub's face,
For saucefleempimpled he was, with eyen narwe.
As hoot he was and lecherous as a sparwe,
With scalledscaly browes blake and piledpatchy berd.
Of his visageface children were aferdafraid.
Ther nas quyk-silver, lytargelead oxide, ne brymstoon,
Boras, ceruce, ne oille of tartre
Ne oynement that wolde clense and byte,
That hym myghte helpen of his whelkespustules white,
Nor of the knobbesboils sittynge on his chekes.
Wel loved he garleek, oynons, and eek lekes,
And for to drynken strong wyn, reed as blood;
Thanne wolde he speke and crie asas if he were woodcrazy.
And whan that he wel dronken hadde the wyn,
Thanne wolde he speke no word but Latyn.
A fewe termeslegal terms hadde he, two or thre,
That he had lerned out of som decree --
No wonder isit is, he herde it al the day;
And eek ye knowen wel how that a jayjaybird
Kan clepencall out "WatteWatt (Walter)" as wel as kan the pope.
But whoso koude in oother thyng hym gropeexamine,
Thanne hadde he spentexhausted al his philosophie;
Ay "Questio quid iurisI ask which law (applies)," wolde he crie.
He was a gentil harlotrogue and a kynde;
A bettre felawe sholde men noght fynde.
He wolde suffreallow for a quart of wyn
A good felawe to have his concubyn
A twelf month, and excuse hym atte fullecompletely;
Ful privelysecretly a finchgirl eek koude he pulleseduce.
And if he foond owheranywhere a good felawe,
He wolde techen him to have noon aweno fear
In swich caas of the ErcedekenesArchdeacon's cursexcommunication,
But ifUnless a mannes soule were in his purs;
For in his purs he sholde ypunysshed be.
"Purs is the ercedekenes helle," seyde he.
But wel I wootknow he lyed right in dede;
Of cursyngexcommunication oghte ech gilty man him drede,
For curs wol slee right as assoilyngabsolving savith,
And also war hymlet him beware of a significavit.
In daungerIn his control hadde he at his owene gisedisposal
The yonge girleswenches of the diocise,
And knew hir conseilsecrets, and was al hir reedadvisor.
A gerland hadde he set upon his heed
As greet as it were for an ale-stake.
A bokeleershield hadde he maad hym of a cake.
With hym ther rood a gentil pardoner
Of Rouncivalean area in London, his freend and his compeercompanion,
That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.
Ful loude he soongsang, "Com hider, love, to me!"
This somonour barprovided to hym a stif burdoun;
Was nevere trompetrumpet of half so greet a soun.
This pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heenghung as dooth a strike of flex;
By ouncesthin strands henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And therwith he his shuldres overspradde;
But thynne it lay, by colponsstrands oon and oonone by one.
But hood, for joliteejauntiness, wered he noon,
For it was trussedpacked up in his walet.
Hym thoughte he rood al of the newe jet;
DischeveleeWith hair unbound, save his cappe, he rood al barebareheaded.
Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare.
A vernycle hadde he sowed upon his cappe.
His walet lay biforn hym in his lappe,
BretfulBrimful of pardounpapal indulgences, comen from Rome al hoot.
A voys he hadde as smal as hath a gootgoat.
No berd hadde he, ne nevere sholde have;
As smothe it was as it were late shave.
I trowebelieve he were a geldyng or a mare.
But of his craft, fro Berwyk into Ware,
Ne was ther swich another pardoner
For in his malebag he hadde a pilwe-beerpillowcase,
Which that he seyde was Oure Lady veylOur Lady's veil:
He seyde he hadde a gobetpiece of the seyl
That Seint Peter hadde, whan that he wentewalked
Upon the seesea, til Jhesu Crist hym hente.
He hadde a croyscross of latounbrass alloy ful of stones,
And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre personpoor parson dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye;
And thus, with feyned flaterye and japestricks,
He made the person and the peple his apesdupes.
But trewely to tellen atte lasteafter all,
He was in chirche a noble ecclesiaste.
Wel koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,
But alderbestbest of all he song an offertorie;
For wel he wisteknew, whan that song was songe,
He moste preche and wel affilesharpen his tonge
To wynne silver, as he ful wel koude;
Therefore he song the murierlymore merrily and loude.
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