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.