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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Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/AlphTales
Cite this Item
"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 June 22, 2025.

Pages

CXX.
Cantus proprius multos decipit qui credunt bene cantare et pessime ac vilissime cantant.

Jacobus de Vetriaco tellis how þat þer was a preste þat trowid̛ he was a passand̛ gude synger, not-with-stondyng he was not so. So on̛ a day þer was a gentyl-womman̛ þat satt behynd̛ hym̛ & hard̛ hym̛ syng, & sho began̛ to wepe; and he, trowyng þat sho wepid̛ for swettnes of his voyse, began̛ to syng lowder þan̛ he did̛ tofor̛; & ay þe hyer sho hard hym̛ syng, þe faster wepud sho. Than̛ þis preste askid̛ hur whi sho wepud̛ so as sho did̛, and sho ansswerd̛ hym̛ agayn̛ & sayd̛; "Sur, I am̛ a pure gentiƚƚwomman̛, & þe laste day I had no calfe bod one; & þe wulfe come & had it away fro me; and evur when̛ þat I here you syng, onone I remembre me how þat my calfe & ye cried like." And when̛ þe preste hard̛ þis, onone he thoght shame, & remembred hym̛ þat þat þing at he thoght was grete lovyng vnto God̛, was vnto Hym̛ grete shame and velany; & fro thens furtℏ he sang nevur so lowde. et c̛

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