Our English Literature Group met on Tuesday 29 April 2025 to examine the Pardoner’s Tale in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with our Group Leader David reading from the text in both Middle and Modern English.

The sale of pardons was common practice in Chaucer’s time, although later on Pope Pious V outlawed the financial aspect of the practice in 1567. The idea was simple. You purchase a piece of paper from the Pardoner for a transgression or a sin that you have committed (or you have in mind to commit). You keep the piece of paper to prove that all is forgiven.

Chaucer’s Pardoner is venal in nature and makes a lot of money by quoting bits of the Bible and short pieces of Latin to make his Pardons sound genuine. His favourite saying is “Radix malorum est cupiditas” or ‘The root of evil is greed‘. Chaucer’s Pardoner is greedy for money, and points out the greed in others in order to increase his personal wealth. We are not sure if the Pardons he sells are genuine or not, but Chaucer definitely thinks he is up to no good.

The story the Pardoner tells is as old as the hills, and after telling the pilgrims in his party how wonderful he is, the Pardoner launches out on his tale about three avaricious young men who are as greedy as the Pardoner! One of their friends has been killed by ‘Death’ and they vow to take their revenge on ‘Death’ if they can find him.

Spoiler Alert: It all ends badly for the three young men!

We will get more of the tale at our next session on Tuesday 13 May 2025 at 10:00am.