The Copy Book

The Man Who Couldn’t Abide Greed

On a money-spinning pilgrimage to Canterbury, a Pardoner says the quiet part out loud.

Abridged, original Middle English.

Part 1 of 2

1387-1400

King Richard II 1377-1399 to King Henry IV 1399-1413

The fifteenth-century pulpit in the Church of St Edmund, Southwold.

© Michael Garlick, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Enlarge Photo

Back to text

The Man Who Couldn’t Abide Greed

© Michael Garlick, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0. Source

The fifteenth-century pulpit in the Church of St Edmund, Southwold.

X

No further information.

Back to text

Episode 2 of 3 in the Series Stories from the Canterbury Tales

Introduction

Pardoners, in pre-Reformation England, raised funds for the Pope by selling Indulgences, blessings that relieved sinners of some of the punishment they could expect to undergo in Purgatory after death. Naturally a Pardoner attached himself to the pilgrims walking to Canterbury, and he was refreshingly open about his profitable game.

This passage is in Middle English, and apart from some abridgement has been left unchanged.

Lordings, quod he, in chirches whan I preche,*
I peyne me to han an hauteyn speche,
And ringe it out as round as gooth a belle,
For I can al by rote that I telle.
My theme is alwey oon, and ever was —
“Radix malorum est Cupiditas.”*
First I pronounce whennes that I come,
And than my bulles shewe I, alle and somme.
Our lige lordes seel on my patente,
That shewe I first, my body to warente,
That no man be so bold, ne preest ne clerk,
Me to destourbe of Cristes holy werk;
And after that than telle I forth my tales,
Bulles of popes and of cardinales,
Of patriarkes, and bishoppes I shewe;
And in Latyn I speke a wordes fewe,
To saffron with my predicacioun,
And for to stire men to devocioun.
Than shewe I forth my longe cristal stones,
Y-crammed ful of cloutes and of bones;
Reliks been they, as wenen they echoon.

[...]

Continue to Part 2

* The lines below render Chaucer’s verse into more modern English while keeping as close to the original as I can manage:

My Lords, said [cf. quoth, quote] he, in churches where I preach
I take pains to use a grand [high-toned, cf. haughty] speaking voice,
And ring it out as round as a bell goes,
For I can tell it all out by rote.
My theme is always one, and ever was —
‘The root of evils is greed’.
First I pronounce whence I come,
And then show my Bulls [Papal documents], one and all.
Our liege-lord’s seal on my Patent,
That I show first, my person to warrant,
That no man be so bold, neither priest nor clerk,
As to disturb me in Christ’s holy work;
And after that, then I tell forth my tales,
Bulls of Popes and of cardinals,
Of patriarchs, and bishops I show;
And in Latin I speak a few words,
To saffron [colour] my preaching with,
And to stir men to devotion.
Then I show forth my long crystal stones [reliquaries],
Crammed full of rags and bones;
Relics they are, and they [the congregation] believe it, each one!

* ‘The root of evils is greed.’ It is a quotation from 1 Timothy 6:10 in the Latin Vulgate: radix enim omnium malorum est cupiditas. The Authorized Version runs ‘the love of money is the root of all evil’, which is closer to the Greek original: ῥίζα γὰρ πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐστιν ἡ φιλαργυρία, ‘the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’. See 1 Timothy 6:10 in the AV.

* Evidently, tiny bits of bone or thread had been encased in glass. On the potency of genuine relics of the saints, see Acts 19:11-12, and Felgeld’s Face.

Précis

In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s pardoner treats his fellow pilgrims to an account of his preaching style. His invariable text, he said, was Greed is the root of evils. Speaking in a resonant tone, presented his credentials, cited impressive official documents, scattered Latin about to create atmosphere, and laid out relics like a salesman’s samples. (55 / 60 words)

In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s pardoner treats his fellow pilgrims to an account of his preaching style. His invariable text, he said, was Greed is the root of evils. Speaking in a resonant tone, presented his credentials, cited impressive official documents, scattered Latin about to create atmosphere, and laid out relics like a salesman’s samples.

Edit | Reset

Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: may, not, or, ought, since, unless, whereas, who.

Word Games

Sevens Based on this passage

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why did the Pardoner scatter Latin words into his preaching?

Suggestion

Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.

Jigsaws Based on this passage

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

I preach in English. Sometimes I use Latin words. Congregations like it.

Variation: Try rewriting your sentence so that it uses one or more of these words: 1. Although 2. Litter 3. Sermon

If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.

Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.