Our review of the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales came to a close on Tuesday 11 February 2025 for our English Literature Group with the last pilgrims and the introduction of the game.

The last two pilgrims in the group had occupations which do not exist in today’s world. They were the Summoner and the Pardonner – both with strong connections to the Ecclesiastical Courts operated by the Church to administer Canonical Law in the late 1300s.

The Summoner’s job is to make sure that offenders of ecclesiastical law appear before the court when summonsed. Chaucer does not hold a high opinion of the individual, citing his excessive thirst for strong wine, and his regularly resorting to the one Latin legal phrase he has learned, “Questo quid juris”, essentially asking what legal principle applies to what was said.

The Pardonner likewise comes in for criticism. Although he rides (rather than walks) to Canterbury, his wealth comes from selling pardons or indulgences for sins previously committed or possibly about to be committed. He claims that his pardons are as good as any that come from Rome, and he knows what to charge for them just by looking at an individual.

Lastly, the host – Harry Bailey – explains the pilgrimage will pass more quickly if each member of the party tells two stories going to Canterbury, and two stories on the return journey to Southwark. (With 29 pilgrims that would be 116 tales – a challenge that Chaucer never completed in his lifetime!) As an incentive, the teller of the best story – in the host’s judgement – will have a free dinner at his inn with the cost being shared by the other pilgrims. They agree to the challenge and draw lots for who will go first. The next morning set off for Canterbury.

On 25 February 2025, we will look at the resources available to students today compared to the resources available when we studied the Canterbury Tales at school. And we will pick up our first tale after the Easter Break.