The Parson: What He Said and WhyThe Canterbury Tales offers many characters whose vocations do not correspond to its tale. This often gives humor and provokes a lot of thought. Yet Chaucer makes the pastor fit his story. This provokes more serious thinking. Thus, Chaucer shows his genius in the versatility of his subject. The first thing to notice in the pastor's tale is that the pastor refuses to tell a fable. In lines 30 to 36, the pastor presents his reasoning in simple prose. He will not tell a story mixed with straw and wheat. Instead, he chooses to tell a story in nonfiction prose so that everyone can understand it with clarity. His goal is not so much to tell an impressive story as to show what he considers important. Second, he speaks in a respectable medieval manner when appealing to the authorities. While Bath's wife says she won't refer to the authorities, he does so without shame. It refers to the biblical characters Matthew, Jeremiah, Solomon, David, Jesus, Job, Hezekiah, Ezekiel, Peter, Jeremiah, Moses, Isaiah, Micah, John, Joseph, Paul, Zechariah and Luke. Additionally, he references scholars and saints such as Ambrose, Isidore, Gregory, Augustine, Chrysostom, Bernard, Seneca, Basil, Damasus, and Galen. As Augustine was the most influential person in Church history, Augustine is the most cited authority he uses. Additionally, it includes a lengthy discussion of mortal and venial sins. It illustrates many ways one can fall into one of the seven deadly sins. These offenses include birth control as murder and nocturnal emissions as adultery. He also gives guidelines on how to prevent these sins. He offers hope to penitents by exposing the method of reconciliation prescribed by the Holy Church..