Canterbury Tales Three Rioters Quotes

Ther cam a privee theef men clepeth Deeth,
That in this contree al the peple sleeth,
And with his spere he smoot his herte atwo,
And wente his wey withouten wordes mo.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The servant boy metaphorically describes Death as an unseen thief who is slaying all the people of the country – the tale is set in the time of the Black Death. The boy speaks of how Death used his spear to strike the heart of the three revelers’ friend in two, and went his way without more words.

He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence.
And, maister, er ye come in his presence,
Me thynketh that it were necessarie
For to be war of swich an adversarie.
Beth redy for to meete hym everemoore;
Thus taughte me my dame; I sey namoore.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The servent boy tells the three rioters in the tavern how Death has slain a thousand during during the Plague. He suggests that before they come into his presence, they should be aware of such an adversary and be ready to meet him.

Herkneth, felawes, we thre been al ones;
Lat ech of us holde up his hand til oother,
And ech of us bicomen otheres brother,
And we wol sleen this false traytour Deeth.
He shal be slayn, he that so manye sleeth,
By Goddes dignitee, er it be nyght!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The three young drunkards swear an oath – "by God’s dignity" – to become the others’ brother and to slay this false traitor Death. They are so out of the minds with alcohol that they think Death is a real person, their servant boy having spoken metaphorically about him slaying so many during the Plague, including their friend. Their oath turns out to be a false one, a grave sin condemned by the Pardoner in his sermon.

Thus walke I, lyk a restelees kaityf,
And on the ground, which is my moodres gate,
I knokke with my staf, bothe erly and late,
And seye "Leeve mooder, leet me in!
Lo, how I vanysshe, flessh and blood and skyn!
Allas, whan shul my bones been at reste?
Mooder, with yow wolde I chaunge my cheste
That in my chambre longe tyme hath be,
Ye, for an heyre clowt to wrappe me!"
But yet to me she wol nat do that grace,
For which ful pale and welked is my face.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The mysterious Old Man in the tale is often interpreted as being Death himself or his representative. Speaking to the three rioters, he describes himself as withered and wasting away in flash, bone and skin. He wanders the earth like a restless wretch, knocking on the door of Death so he can rest his bones. But Death won’t let him in, he tells the young revelers.

But, sires, to yow it is no curteisye
To speken to an old man vileynye,
But he trespasse in word or elles in dede.
In Hooly Writ ye may yourself wel rede:
"Agayns an oold man, hoor upon his heed,
Ye sholde arise;" wherfore I yeve yow reed,
Ne dooth unto an oold man noon harm now,
Namoore than that ye wolde men did to yow
In age, if that ye so longe abyde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The Old Man chides the three rioters for speaking rudely to him. It is written in the Bible, he reminds them, that in the presence of a gray-headed, old man, they should rise. So he advises them to do no harm now to an old man, no more than they would want people to do to them in old age, if they live so long. This is foreshadowing that the three young scoundrels, who continue to disrespect the Old Man, are not destined to live very long.

Thou spak right now of thilke traytour Deeth.
That in this contree alle oure freendes sleeth.
Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his espye,
Telle where he is or thou shalt it abye,
By God and by the hooly sacrement!
For soothly thou art oon of his assent
To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. One of the drunken rioters accuses the Old Man of being Death’s spy and being in league with him. Taking God’s name in vain, he warns the Old Man to reveal the whereabouts of the traitor Death who has been killing all their friends or the Old Man will pay for it.

"Now, sires," quod he, "if that yow be so leef
To fynde Deeth, turne up this croked wey,
For in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey,
Under a tree, and there he wole abyde;
Noght for youre boost he wole him no thyng hyde.
Se ye that ook? Right there ye shal hym fynde."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The Old Man tells the three rioters that if they want to find Death, they should turn up this crooked way, and in a grove they will find him under an oak tree. He says that Death will be waiting there and will not hide from them because of their boast.

And everich of thise riotoures ran
Til he cam to that tree, and ther they founde
Of floryns fyne of gold ycoyned rounde
Wel ny an eighte busshels, as hem thoughte.
No lenger thanne after Deeth they soughte,
But ech of hem so glad was of that sighte,
For that the floryns been so faire and brighte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. As soon as they find bags of gold by the tree, the three drunken revelers forget about the oath they swore to find Death and to slay him. Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, has taken them over. This is an example of dramatic irony because the reader knows that the tale is about the wickedness of greed.

This tresor hath Fortune unto us yiven
In myrthe and joliftee oure lyf to lyven,
And lightly as it comth, so wol we spende.
Ey, Goddes precious dignitee! Who wende
To-day that we sholde han so fair a grace?
But myghte this gold be caried fro this place
Hoom to myn hous, or elles unto youres –
For wel ye woot that al this gold is oures –
Thanne were we in heigh felicitee.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The three young revelers are beside themselves with joy after discovering the bags of gold, it is as if they have won the lottery. They have no intention of turning it over to the rightful owner but intend to keep it for themselves. Fortune has given this treasure to them to live in mirth and jollity and spend on themselves, the leader of the scoundrels explains. So he suggests that they carry it home to one of their houses. And he takes the name of God in vain for good measure – "God’s precious dignity!" – a sin of blasphemy against the Second Commandment.

But trewely, by daye it may nat bee.
Men wolde seyn that we were theves stronge,
And for oure owene tresor doon us honge.
This tresor moste ycaried be by nyghte
As wisely and as slyly as it myghte.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The three young scoundrels may be stupidly drunk much of the time, but they are not stupid – even in the midst of their greed. The most vocal cautions against carrying off the gold they have found by day, otherwise they could be caught as thieves and hanged. So the treasure must be moved by night, as wisely and slyly as they can.

Wherfore I rede that cut among us alle
Be drawe, and lat se wher the cut wol falle;
And he that hath the cut with herte blithe
Shal renne to the town, and that ful swithe,
And brynge us breed and wyn ful prively.
And two of us shul kepen subtilly
This tresor wel; and if he wol nat tarie,
Whan it is nyght, we wol this tresor carie,
By oon assent, where as us thynketh best.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The leader of the three roisterers draws up a plan for the moving of the gold treasure they have found. They will draw straws, and the one with the shortest will run to the town for bread and wine while the others guard the treasure. Then at night they will they carry the gold to an agreed location to enable them fund their lifestyle of sin and excess.

Looke whan that he is set, that right anoon
Arys as though thou woldest with hym pleye,
And I shal ryve hym thurgh the sydes tweye
Whil that thou strogelest with hym as in game,
And with thy daggere looke thou do the same;
And thanne shal al this gold departed be,
My deere freend, bitwixen me and thee.
Thanne may we bothe oure lustes all fulfille,
And pleye at dees right at oure owene wille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. Greed is the dominant theme in the Pardoner’s Tale. After the youngest rioter has left to fetch bread and wine, one of the two remaining persuades his companion and "dear friend" that they should stab to death the youngest on his return. Then they would only have to share the gold they found two ways, and not three. So they can fulfil all their bodily desires and gamble away to their heart’s content. Ironically the two rioters are unaware that the youngest is also planning to kill them with poison and keep the gold for himself.

And atte laste the feend, oure enemy,
Putte in his thought that he sholde poyson beye,
With which he myghte sleen his felawes tweye;
For-why the feend foond hym in swich lyvynge
That he hadde leve him to sorwe brynge.
For this was outrely his fulle entente,
To sleen hem bothe and nevere to repente.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The youngest rioter is told by the Devil to buy poison with which to kill his two fellow rioters – he doesn’t want to share the gold find with them. The Devil is able to get into his thoughts because he already leads a sinful life and he has no intention of ever repenting, thus ensuring his damnation to hell.

In al this world ther is no creature
That eten or dronken hath of this confiture
Noght but the montance of a corn of whete,
That he ne shal his lif anon forlete;
Ye, sterve he shal, and that in lasse while
Than thou wolt goon a paas nat but a mile,
This poysoun is so strong and violent.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The seller of the poison tells the youngest rioter it is so strong and violent that an amount the size of a grain of wheat will kill you in less time than it takes to walk a mile. Overcome by the sin of greed, the rioter wants to eliminate the other rogues because he doesn’t want to share the gold with them. So he fills two out of three bottles with the poison and wine, and the third with just wine for himself.

What nedeth it to sermone of it moore?
For right as they hadde cast his deeth bifoore,
Right so they han hym slayn, and that anon.
And whan that this was doon, thus spak that oon:
"Now lat us sitte and drynke, and make us merie,
And afterward we wol his body berie."
And with that word it happed hym, par cas,
To take the botel ther the poyson was,
And drank, and yaf his felawe drynke also,
For which anon they storven bothe two.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The Pardoner poses the rhetorial question as to whether he needs to expound more on the tale of the rioters, then tells of the tragic consequences to their greed. The youngest on his return with the wine and food is slain by the other two. Before they bury his body they decide to make merry with the wine. But as it is laced with poison, they too die. And so the Old Man turned out to be right, the three rioters found Death under the tree. And so the moral of the tale: greed is the root of all evil, and the wages of sin is death. Chaucer also adds his own moral to it: beware of hypocrites, like the greedy Pardoner.
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