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 May 28, 2025.

Pages

CLXXV.
Confessio eciam a morte corporali liberat.

We rede how som tyme in þe cetie of Arthebatencis [MS. Harl. In ciuitate Attrabanense. MS. Arund. In civitate Atrabacesi.] , a yong pure clerk sayd̛ vnto a goldsmytℏ þat þer sulde com̛ vnto his howse a merchand̛, þat wald̛ by of hym̛ syluer vesseƚƚ of dyvers form̛. And when̛ he had told̛ hym̛ þis, þis goldsmytℏ wold̛ fayn̛ hafe solde his chaffer, & commawndid̛ one of his men̛ to go home & feche suche vesseƚƚ & bryng þaim vnto suche a clerke howse. And a sister of þis goldsmytℏ broght þaim þedur þis clerk lay in wayte of hym̛ & his suster as þai come in at þe dure, & slew þaim bothe, & cut þaim in pecis & keste þaim in a sege. And when̛ þis goldsmytℏ meneya saw he tarid long & come not home, þai went vnto þis clerkis howse & spirrid̛ after þer maister & his suster. And þis clerk̘ denyed̛ hym̛ & sayd̛ he come nott þer; & þai areste hym̛ & a bruder & a sister þat he had, & broght þaim befor̛ þe [MS. repeats, þe.] iustice of þer law, & þer þai cuthe not agaynsay þer gilde, for þe man̛ was fon̛ with þaim, & þe syluer vesseƚƚ bothe; and þai war demyd̛ aƚƚ to be brent. þan̛ þis suster said̛ vnto hur [After, hur, h, erased.] brother þe clerke;

Page 123

"Bruther, I suffer þis fo[r] þe. And sen̛ we may nott esshew þe payn̛ of dead̛ at we er demyd̛ vnto, lat vs shryfe vs of owr̛ syn̛, at we may so esshew þe euerlastand̛ payn̛ of heƚƚ." And bothe þe brethir wuld̛ nott. Noght-with-stondyng sho sh afe hur of hur syn̛ vnto a preste with grete wepyng & hertlie contricion̛; and þan̛ þai wer aƚƚ takyn̛ & boun vnto a stokk, and a grete fyre made abowte þaim. And þe clerk & his bruther feƚƚ in a dispayr & war burnyd vp̛; & þis damyseƚƚ þurgℏ hur trew confession̛ was kepyd̛ harmeles. & yit þe bandis at sho was boun with wer burnyd̛, & sho felid̛ no more of þe hete of þe fyre, þan̛ it hadd̛ bene þe blaste of a dew wynd̛.

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