Alphabet of tales : an English 15th century translation of the Alphabetum narrationum of Etienne de Besançon, from Additional MS. 25,719 of the British Museum / by Etienne de Besançon
About this Item
Title
Alphabet of tales : an English 15th century translation of the Alphabetum narrationum of Etienne de Besançon, from Additional MS. 25,719 of the British Museum / by Etienne de Besançon
Author
Etienne de, Besançon, d. 1294
Editor
Banks, Mary Macleod
Publication
London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, & Co., Ltd.
1904, 1905
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"Alphabet of tales : an English 15th century translation of the Alphabetum narrationum of Etienne de Besançon, from Additional MS. 25,719 of the British Museum / by Etienne de Besançon." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/AlphTales. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2025.
Pages
CCCCXX. Iusticia eciam exerceri debet in propriis parentibus.
Herkenwaldus [MS. Harl. Herkyndaldus de Bornayre, vir nobilis, etc.] tellis of ane þat hight
Bormar, þat was a noble man̛ and a myghti, & in dome he
sett by no man̛. So on̛ a tyme
descriptionPage 288
he feƚƚ seke & lay in his bed in his chambre, and as he lay
he hard̛ in þe nexte chambr̛ by hym̛ grete
cryingis as it had bene of wommen̛. And he spurrid̛ what it
was & þai wold̛ not teƚƚ hym̛. And
þan̛ he sent one of his childer þedur and
warnyd̛ hym̛, a payn̛ of puttyng oute of bothe his
een̛, to teƚƚ hym̛ þe treutℏ. And
þan̛ he went & saw it & com̛ agayn̛,
& with grete drede tellid̛ hym̛ what it was &
said̛; "Sur! my felow, your sister son̛, wold̛
þer hafe oppresid̛ a womman̛ & defowlid̛ hur,
and þis was þe cauce of þe cry." And at þis
wurd̛ he was gretely grevid̛, and bad ij of his knyghtis go
& hang hym̛. And þai said̛ þai sulde, and
went furtℏ & tolde þe yong man̛ what his eam̛
had bydden̛ þaim doo. And þai bad hym̛ withdraw
hym̛ oute of his eam̛ sight at he saw hym̛ not, &
þai sulde teƚƚ hym̛ at þai had done as he bad
þaim do; for þai durst not sla þis yong man̛.
And with-in a few howris þai come agayn̛ vnto þer
maister, & tolde hym̛ þai had done as he
commanddid̛ þaim. And vppon̛ þe fifte day after
þis yong man̛, trowyng þat his eam̛ had
forgetten̛ þis trispas, putt oppyn̛ þe
chambr̛-dure & lukid̛ in. And onone as þis seke
man̛ saw hym̛, he callid̛ hym̛ vnto hym̛
& gaff hym̛ fayr language, & made hym̛ to sitt
down̛ by hym̛. And sodanlie with his one arm̛ he gatt
hym̛ aboute þe nekk̘, & held̛ hym̛;
& with þe toder arm̛ he drew his knyfe &
shewid̛ it in his throte & kyllid̛ hym̛. And
aƚƚ þat was aboute wondred̛ þerof & vgged
þerwith. So his sekenes swagid̛ a littyƚƚ, &
þan̛ he sent for þe bisshop̛ Herkenwaldus [Harl. MS. Episcopus uocatus cum sacris aduenit. Herbinbaldus, cum multis lacrimis et cordis contricione, omnia peccata sua confessus est, tacita iuuenis interfectione.] , and he come with þe sacrament & shrafe
hym̛, & howseld̛ hym̛ not [MS. not added above the line.] .
& he made grete sorow & had grete contricion̛ in his
harte for his syn̛. And in his confession̛ he spak no
wurd̛ of þe slayng of his cussyn̛. And þe
bisshop̛ had grete mervaƚƚ þerof, & said̛;
"Whi layn̛ ye þe mansslaghter of your cussyn̛ at ye
slew?" And he ansswerd̛ agayn̛ & said̛; "Sur, was
þat a syn̛?" & þe bisshop said̛, ya, it was a
crueƚƚ syn̛. And þe seke man̛ ansswerd̛
agayn̛ & said̛; "I am̛ a Iustis & hafe þe
law in gouernans, & nowder I deme it a syn̛, nor I wiƚƚ
neuer aske God forgifnes þerof." Þan̛
descriptionPage 289
þe bisshopp̛ ansswerd̛ & said̛; "I wiƚƚ
neuer gyff you þe sacrament or ye shryfe you þeroff."
þan̛ þis Iustis ansswerd̛ hym̛ agayn̛
& said̛; " Non ex rancore, sed ex zelo
iusticie et Dei timore illum interfeci; I slew hym̛ not
of rankor nor of il wiƚƚ, bod for luff of rightwusnes & drede
of God; ffor þer was neuer man̛ luffid̛ his sister
son̛ bettyr þan̛ I did̛ hym̛. And
þer-for & ye deny me þe holi sacrament þat is
Goddis bodie, I betake bothe my body & my saule vnto þat
holie sacrament, þat is God Hym̛ selfe." And þus
þe bisshop̛ went away & wulde not howsyƚƚ
hym̛. And onone after, þis seke man̛ sent for
hym̛ agayn̛. And when̛ he come att hym̛,
þis seke man̛ bad hym̛ luke in his box if þe
sacrament war þer. And so he did & fande riȝt not
þerin. Þan̛ þis seke man̛ said vnto
hym̛; "Lo! þat at ye denyed me, Almiȝtti God Hym̛
selfe hase giffen̛ me & not denyed me." And with þat
he oppynd̛ his mouthe, & þai mot se þe sacrament
þerin; and þan̛ he dyed̛. And þan̛
þe bisshopp̛ was ferd̛ & had grete sorow
herefor̛, & prechid̛ þis in euer-ilk place for a
grete meracle.
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