He would grant penance easily to any man as long as they gave him something of worth in return. Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce Sownynge in moral vertu was his speeche,/ And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche. The Clerk also was willing to teach others, and was not ashamed to be taught by others. He always sounded lively and his thoughts were well planned out. He never spoke more then what he needed to say to get his point across. And over al ther profit sholde arise,/ Curteis he was, and lowely of servyse (Prologue, Lines 249-250) He was curteis and willing to help people as long as he earned a profit.Īnd that was seyd in forme and reverence,Īnd short and quyk, and ful of hy sentence. The Friar had job experience, which the Clerk lacked, yet preferred to have an abundance of money. (Lines 297-298) The Clerk wished to fill his mind with knowledge rather than overflow his cofre, a moneybox. But al be that he was a philosophre,/ Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre. He chose to work for a long time to build up a strong backbone rather than to dive into the working world just to earn money and never rise to the top. The Clerk was at a point in his life where he wanted to learn, learn, and learn. Both the Friar and Clerk had patterns that their everyday lives fell into.Įducation is the base that helps people lead successful lives. The Friar repeated this pattern over and over again. The Friar knew just where he would find a new woman to fit his needs, at a Franklins house. He then quickly got bored with them and went out in pursuit of someone new. He would use flattery and his position in the church to attract women to him.

The Friar centered his life around his desire for money and his lust for women. He had to work hard to convince his friends to lend him money but then only spent the money on more books and educational materials. He spent all of his time educating himself. The Clerk centered his life on one thing, education. Both had imperfections that affected their lives in the same manner. The Clerk and Friar seem such opposites at first glance however, they have similar traits that fall in the middle of the spectrum of human nature. That was alright with him because he got what he wanted out of begging, that is money. He showed no moral rectitude and being considered the best beggar around didnt help him look like a better person. The Friar knew the men and women who were the innkeepers, barmaids, and customers in the taverns. They ought to bribe the Friars with silver in order to have penance granted.

He thought that even if a man was hurting inside from doing wrong, prayers and crying wouldnt be enough to grant them forgiveness. Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres. Therfore, instede of wepynge and prayeres, He may nat wepe although hym soore smerte. He would grant people penance if they were willing to donate money and luxuries to him, even though it was illegal to do so within the church. This gave him immense power over other people lives. He was also licensed to hear confessions and give absolution in cases beyond the jurisdiction of the parish priest. The Friar would find husbands for his ex-mistress at his owene cost (Prologue, line 213) and would find himself new women to entertain. He knew all the gossip about what was going on in the four orders of Friars. The Friar was a happy and lustful man, who having taken a vow to poverty and preaching, added as part of his job begging people for money. This showed his modesty and willingness to learn new viewpoints and not just teach everyone his views. He listened carefully to what everyone had to say and never said anything more than what was appropriate for the specific time. Not to anyones surprise, he spent the money on books and education. Having no job left the Clerk broke his only source of income was his friends loaning him money. The Clerk preferred to have twenty books at the head of his bed rather than own expensive clothing, a fiddle, or a beautiful sounding harp. Than robes riche, or fithele, or gay sautrie.

Story of the pilgrims