How we cite our quotes: (Line number)
Quote #4
For certes, many a predicacioun
Comth oft tyme of yvel entencioun.
Som for pleasance of folk, and flaterye,
To been avaunced by ypocrisye. (121 – 124)
The Pardoner insists that he's not the only one preaching a sermon for the wrong reasons: some preach sermons in order to please or flatter another, and use "ypocrisye" to get ahead. This is a pretty dim view of humanity; the Pardoner seems to think that everyone's as morally bankrupt as he is.
Quote #5
Thus quyte I folk that doon us displesances,
Thus spite I out my venym, under hewe
Of hoolynesse, to semen hooly and trewe. (134 – 136)
Here's another of his evil intentions for a sermon: to take revenge on someone who's wronged him or his family. The Pardoner makes sure to do this "under hewe of hoolynesse." Being able to get back at someone by religious shaming is really taking advantage of your position as a church officer. Not that "sermons of rebuke" weren't acceptable, but in this case the Pardoner wasn't doing it to call the listeners to task. He was doing it as a personal vendetta.
Quote #6
Therfore my theme is yet, and evere was,
'Radix malorum est Cupiditas.'
Thus kan I preche agayn that same vice
What that I use, and that is avarice. (139 – 142)
The Pardoner is the first person to admit that he's a hypocrite: rarely do we get such a clear definition of what it means to be one than the Pardoner's characterization of himself as "preaching against the same vice I practice." Is it easier to condemn a vice that you're personally familiar with in your own life? Not that it's the Pardoner's intent, but can you help people more effectively with a problem if you've experienced it yourself? Like having people in recovery counsel others with substance abuse problems? Side note: isn't "cupidity" a great word?