NovelGuide: The Canterbury Tales: Novel Summary: The Friar's Tale

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The Friar's Tale

There once was an evil summoner...the Friar is interrupted by the summoner, but is allowed to continue his story.  The summoner cared only about greed and money, and he was easily bribed.  The summoner is riding one day, and he meets a bailiff.  The summoner lies to the bailiff and tells him that he is also a bailiff, since summoners are not respected much at all.  The bailiff tells the summoner that he is poor, and the summoner says that he too is poor.  The summoner asks for the bailiff's name, and the bailiff tells him that he is a demon from hell, and that he collects souls.  The summoner is more amazed than frightened, and he asks the demon questions about how he assumes human form, and what purposes he carries out when he is on Earth.  The summoner is too dense to realize that he is in danger, and he pledges to ride with the bailiff/demon as a friend. 
The summoner tries to help the demon acquire some souls.  The summoner goes to a woman's house and makes a false charge that she has broken the law.  She curses him to hell if he will not show mercy, and since he does not show mercy, the demon bailiff takes him to hell that very minute.