If any here should wish, out of devotion, To make an offering, and have absolution, Let them come forward now, and kneeling down
Humbly receive my blessing and pardon. Or take my pardon as we go along, Take it at every milestone, fresh and new, Only renew, and yet again renew, Your offerings in sound gold and silver coin. –The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer What is satirical about this passage from the end of The Pardoner’s Tale? The Pardoner shows that, despite what he said earlier, he is genuinely concerned with helping people. The Pardoner is so greedy that he tries to extract money even from people who know his tricks. The Pardoner offers pardons, but he is not authorized to do so. The Pardoner is so religious that he offers to give absolution and blessings again and again.
