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.