The apostel wepyng seith ful pitously, "Ther walken manye of whiche yow toold have I - I seye it now wepyng, with pitous voys - They been enemys of Cristes croys, Of whiche the ende is deeth; wombe is hir god!" O wombe! O bely! O stynkyng cod, Fulfilled of dong and of corrupcioun! At either ende of thee foul is the soun.

The apostel wepyng seith ful pitously,
"Ther walken manye of whiche yow toold have I –
I seye it now wepyng, with pitous voys –
They been enemys of Cristes croys,
Of whiche the ende is deeth; wombe is hir god!"
O wombe! O bely! O stynkyng cod,
Fulfilled of dong and of corrupcioun!
At either ende of thee foul is the soun.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The Pardoner again reaches for Pauline teaching to back up his tirade against the sin of gluttony. He quotes the Apostle Paul saying this in Philippians 3:18-19: "Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach." The Pardoner then refers to the stomach as a stinking bag filled with dung and corruption, which spews out foul sounds at either end – mouth and backside. Wouldn’t you think he would have had the cop-on not to be tanked up on ale while telling his tale – in case people might think he was a hypocrite?

Geoffrey Chaucer Quotes