A Pardoner enters and flouts the Palmer for not coming to him. For a few pence the Pardoner could have opened Heaven's gates to the Palmer. The two fall into an argument when the Palmer doubts the Pardoner's efficacy.

A Pothecary enters, claiming himself to be the best friend to the spirit, beyond both Palmer and Pardoner, because through his art he can send souls from bodies. That is, he is an impoisoner.

A Peddler enters and speaks of his trade to the others. He is told of their argument and asked to be judge over which of them is the true leader of their group.

The Peddler decides that the one who can tell the greatest lie will be the leader of their group. The others agree to be bound by the Peddler's judgment.

There is byplay wherein the Pardoner displays his various relics, which are dispraised by the Pothecary as stinking old bones. The Pothecary then discusses his medicines and their various effects in order to prove his curatives are more effective than are the Pardoner's.

The Peddler, seeing they are getting nowhere, suggests that each man tells his tale, the biggest yarn will determine leadership.

The Pothecary begins by telling a tale of a woman with the falling sickness. He gave her a "tampion" full of gunpowder and ignited it. The "tampion" flew several miles and destroyed a castle, the fallen stonework of which filled the trench of a deep river.

The Pardoner tells a tale of seeking a friend of his, a woman who had died without benefit of clergy. He went to purgatory, then to Hell in search of her. He made a deal with Lucifer for the woman, who Lucifer was ready to give up for the trouble women cause devils in Hell. He found her turning a spit in Hell's kitchen and removed her thence.

The Palmer says in all his travels that he has never seen a woman out of patience.

Without hesitation the Peddler gives the title to the Palmer. The Palmer's is the only empirically demonstrable lie whereas the other two lies are incapable of being proved falsehoods. The Pardoner and Pothecary object.

The Palmer frees the Pardoner and Pothecary of their bond to follow him since he has no interest in leading such froward men.

The Peddler observes that in the end all must follow God's way. His speech moves tge Pardoner, Palmer, and Pothecary and the three determine to follow the Peddler.

The Palmer is a zealot, full of his faith and certain that his pilgrimages have saved his soul.

The Pardoner is a hypocrite, certain that his relics are worthless and just as certain to sell their powers of reclamation and spiritual fulfillment to the unwary. He is a disguised merchant only.

The Pothecary is an outright merchant. He believes in his remedies as the Pardoner only pretends to believe. He is also just a little Machiavellian and mercenary in his prescriptions.

The Peddler is a common man, obviously signifying the spiritual wholesomeness of the simple man. He likes his drink. He likes to sleep. He sells his wares wherever feasible, but he knows the pathway to Heaven.