Pardoner’s Tale Old Man Quotes

An oold man and a povre with hem mette.
This olde man ful mekely hem grette,
And seyde thus, "Now, lordes, God yow see!"
The proudeste of thise riotoures three
Answerde agayn, "What, carl, with sory grace!
Why artow al forwrapped save thy face?
Why lyvestow so longe in so greet age?"

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. The three roisterers meet an Old Man at a stile, who greets them politely. But they are very rude to him and one of them even asks why is he still alive.

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.

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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