The Pardoner and His Tale 
     
     Although pardoner is a religious man, he never follows the Catholic rules and regulations.  He uses all kind of instruments and tricks to cheat people' s money.  He uses official documents to assert his status and power.  He said, " Oure life lordes seel on my patente, that shewe I frist, my body to warente."  He claims that he can speak Latin to show his knowledge as a religious man.  In fact, he can speak only a little Latin.  As being a religious man, his purpose for preaching is to cheat people's money, not to give people salvation.  He tells other pilgrims that to buy his pardoner will not assure people salvation.

     Although he criticizes how sinful it is to be avaricious, he admits that he loves money.
 He admits that being a religious man is the best way to make money and to take revenge on those who troubles him.  Instead of using his hand to make money, he uses his tongue to cheat money on people.  He said, " I wol nat do no labour with mine handes; ne make baskettes and live therby.  He thinks through preaching he can beat those who trouble him.  He can ruin his enemies' reputation by his tongue, not by fists.  He said, " For whan I dar noon otherways debate, thanne wol I stinge him with my tonge smerte in preching, so that he shal nat asterte to been defamed falsly, .."
 
     But the interesting thing is that he never denies that he is cheating people.  It is like mocking the ignorant and illiterate people at that time.  They blindly believe in God's salvation.  They will still buy pardon to get the comfort in their mind even knowing that some religious man are cheating people.
 
     The story that Pardoner tells illustrates his preaching.  The three men drink, fool around all day, curse to God all the time and they are greedy.  The three men are led to death by their avarice.  If they are not that greedy, they will happily share the money.  The story really illustrates what the pardoner preaches: Avarice is the root of evil.  When they first decide to find death , they agree to live and die together.  We can see in the text, " Togidres han thise three hir trouthes plight to live and dien eech of hem with other. "  However, after they find the gold, they forget all about their brotherly love.  All they want is to take the money as their won.  The story really illustrates what the pardoner preaches: Avarice is the root of evil.