And thanne my bulles shewe I, alle and some.
Oure lige lordes seel on my patente,
That shewe I first, my body to warente,
That no man be so boold, ne preest ne clerk,
Me to destourbe of Cristes hooly werk.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Prologue. Before he launches into a sermon the Pardoner goes through a showy flourish of his papal bulls and seals to prove his right to sell pardons. All part of Christ’s holy work, he hypocritically explains. But the greedy Pardoner’s real goal is to collect as much money as possible to line his own pockets.