After having a drink, the Pardoner begins his prologue. He tells the company about his occupation, a combination of itinerant preaching and selling promises of salvation. His sermon topic always remains the same: Radix malorum est Cupiditas, or "greed is the root of all evil." He gives a similar sermon to each congregation and then takes out his bag of "relics" he readily admits to listening pilgrims, they are fake. He will take a sheep bone and claim that it has miraculous healing powers for all kinds of ailments. The parishioners always believe him and make their offerings to the relics, which the Pardoner quickly pockets. The Forgiver admits that he preaches solely to obtain money, not to correct sin. He argues that many sermons are the product of evil intentions. By preaching, the Forgiver can take revenge on anyone who has offended him or his brothers. In his sermon he always preaches greed, the same vice that he himself is gripped by. His only interest is in filling his ever-deepening pockets. He would rather take the last penny from a widow and her starving family than give up his money and the good cheeses, breads and wines that such income brings him. Speaking of alcohol, he notes, he's now finished his glass of "corny ale" and is ready to begin his story. Summary: The Pardoner's Tale The Pardoner describes a group of young Flemish men who spend their time drinking and having fun, indulging in every form of excess. After commenting on their dissolute lifestyle, the Pardoner begins a tirade against the vices they practice. First there is gluttony, which he identifies as the sin that first caused humanity's fall in Eden. Next, he attacks drunkenness, which makes a man seem crazy and stupid. Then there is gambling, the temptation that ruins men of power and wealth. Finally, he denounces swear words. He argues that this offends God enough to prohibit swearing by the Second Commandment, placing it higher on the list than murder. After nearly two hundred lines of sermonizing, the Pardoner finally returns to his story of the lascivious young Flemish men. As three of these rioters sit down to drink, they hear a funeral bell. One of the partygoers' servants tells the group that an old friend of theirs was killed that same night by a mysterious figure called Death. The rioters are outraged and, in their drunkenness, decide to find and kill Death to avenge their friend..