I said in churches," said the pardoner. "I always speak about the same thing. I say in Latin, Radix malorum est cupiditas. That means, ‘The love of money in the cause of all evil.’ It is the cause of all wrong-doing and of all the bad things which can happen to a man.
I sell pardons – things which make God forgive man. God will then pardon them for any evil which they have done.
“After I’ve spoken to the people, I bring out my thing. These are bones or bits of cloth or other things. I say that they have belonged to saints, but I don’t really know that. People believe me and so I got money from them. I tell the people that the love of money is the cause of all evil, but I do all this in order to get money. I don’t live like a poor man. Oh no! I must have good clothes and good food. The poor people give me the money to buy these things. I sell them pardons, and so they are happy.”
The pardoner’s story is a very good story. It is surprising for a bad man to tell such a good story.
This was the story.
There were three young men who did very many bad and foolish things. They drank too much, and they did no work. They tried to get money in evil ways.
While they were sitting drinking one morning, they heard a bell. It was ringing in front of the body of a dead man.
A boy had just brought them more to drink. They asked the boy, “Whose body in that?”
“He was a friend of yours,” said the boy. He was killed last night while he was drinking here. He was killed by that quiet thief called Death. Death kills all the people in this country. Death killed your friend and went away. He has killed thousands and thousands of people. You should get ready to meet Death.”
“I am not afraid to meet him!” cried one of the three young men. Then he jumped up. “I’ll find him! I’ll look for him in every field and wood and town. Listen!” he cried to the other two. “Let’s hold up our hands and promise to be brothers, and we’ll find and kill Death because Death has killed so many of our friends.”
“I’ll go with you,” said the second man.
“And so will I,” said the third man. They had both already drunk a great deal.
They said, “We will kill this dangerous person called Death, before night comes.”
So they went off at once to find him.
They walked a little way, and they saw an old man. The old man spoke to them kindly. He said, “God be with you, my young friends.”
But the young men were not at all kind. They said, “Old fool! What is your ugly body covered with all these clothes?”
He said, “I am very old. I feel the cold. I cannot get warm.”
They answered, “Why have you lived so long, you ugly old man? Why don’t you die?”
The old man looked at them angrily. He said, “I live like this because I cannot find any young man who will change with me. Not young man wants to become old. So I must become older and older. Death will not come and take me, so I go up and down the country. I am an unhappy traveller looking for Death. I say to the ground under my feet: ‘Dear Mother Earth, let me come in! Oh, Mother Earth, I want to lay myself down in you and rest for ever!’ But she will not be kind to me. That is why I am old – so very old.”
He had not finished. He drew his old body up and he said quietly to them, “But you speak very unkindly to me, and that is a very bad thing. I have done nothing to hurt you. You should speak more kindly to an old man. I have no more to say. I must go on with my long journey to meet Death.”
One of the young men laughed. “No, you can’t do that!” he shouted. “You have just spoken about Death. He has killed all our friends in this country. Now we are going to kill him. Tell us where he is.”
I said in churches," said the pardoner. "I always speak about the same thing. I say in Latin, Radix malorum est cupiditas. That means, ‘The love of money in the cause of all evil.’ It is the cause of all wrong-doing and of all the bad things which can happen to a man.
I sell pardons – things which make God forgive man. God will then pardon them for any evil which they have done.
“After I’ve spoken to the people, I bring out my thing. These are bones or bits of cloth or other things. I say that they have belonged to saints, but I don’t really know that. People believe me and so I got money from them. I tell the people that the love of money is the cause of all evil, but I do all this in order to get money. I don’t live like a poor man. Oh no! I must have good clothes and good food. The poor people give me the money to buy these things. I sell them pardons, and so they are happy.”
The pardoner’s story is a very good story. It is surprising for a bad man to tell such a good story.
This was the story.
There were three young men who did very many bad and foolish things. They drank too much, and they did no work. They tried to get money in evil ways.
While they were sitting drinking one morning, they heard a bell. It was ringing in front of the body of a dead man.
A boy had just brought them more to drink. They asked the boy, “Whose body in that?”
“He was a friend of yours,” said the boy. He was killed last night while he was drinking here. He was killed by that quiet thief called Death. Death kills all the people in this country. Death killed your friend and went away. He has killed thousands and thousands of people. You should get ready to meet Death.”
“I am not afraid to meet him!” cried one of the three young men. Then he jumped up. “I’ll find him! I’ll look for him in every field and wood and town. Listen!” he cried to the other two. “Let’s hold up our hands and promise to be brothers, and we’ll find and kill Death because Death has killed so many of our friends.”
“I’ll go with you,” said the second man.
“And so will I,” said the third man. They had both already drunk a great deal.
They said, “We will kill this dangerous person called Death, before night comes.”
So they went off at once to find him.
They walked a little way, and they saw an old man. The old man spoke to them kindly. He said, “God be with you, my young friends.”
But the young men were not at all kind. They said, “Old fool! What is your ugly body covered with all these clothes?”
He said, “I am very old. I feel the cold. I cannot get warm.”
They answered, “Why have you lived so long, you ugly old man? Why don’t you die?”
The old man looked at them angrily. He said, “I live like this because I cannot find any young man who will change with me. Not young man wants to become old. So I must become older and older. Death will not come and take me, so I go up and down the country. I am an unhappy traveller looking for Death. I say to the ground under my feet: ‘Dear Mother Earth, let me come in! Oh, Mother Earth, I want to lay myself down in you and rest for ever!’ But she will not be kind to me. That is why I am old – so very old.”
He had not finished. He drew his old body up and he said quietly to them, “But you speak very unkindly to me, and that is a very bad thing. I have done nothing to hurt you. You should speak more kindly to an old man. I have no more to say. I must go on with my long journey to meet Death.”
One of the young men laughed. “No, you can’t do that!” he shouted. “You have just spoken about Death. He has killed all our friends in this country. Now we are going to kill him. Tell us where he is.”
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