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Old 01-18-2007, 02:07 PM   #1
Riddleman
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Canterbury Tales Riddle



Four pilgrims were on the road to Canterbury. Their names, in no particular order, were John, Geoffrey, Martin, and Stephen. This is the conversation they had on the road:

John: “I usually only tithe two pence, but if I beat Stephen to Canterbury, I’ll gladly tithe double!”
Martin: “If I get to Canterbury first, I shall show my gratitude by tithing six pence! If I don’t, I shall tithe 4 pence anyway.”
Stephen: “You wayward fools are tossed by the wind! No matter what happens before here and Canterbury, I shall tithe three pence only. Heaven forgive your false piety!”
Geoffrey: “Shut up, Stephen. I pledge three pence if I beat you to Canterbury, but nothing if I don’t. We’ll see who’s right!”

Everybody was true to his word, and a total of thirteen pence was tithed at Canterbury. In what order did the pilgrims arrive?
Good luck!

FYI: for all of you who think “what the … is a tithe? A tithe (from Old English teogoþa “tenth”) is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a (usually) voluntary contribution or as a tax or levy, usually to support a Jewish or Christian religious organization.
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Old 01-18-2007, 03:13 PM   #2
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1. Martin (six)
2. John (four)
3. Stephen (three)
4. Geoffrey (zero)
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