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 14, 2025.

Pages

CCI.
Contemptus mundi. Contempni debent omnia exemplo philosophorum.

Saynt Jerom̛ tellis of a man̛ þat hight Socraticus, and on̛ a tyme his gudis wer aƚƚ tane fro hym̛ safeyng a mantiƚƚ. And he had a disciple þat hight Diogenes, & he had no gude lefte bod̛ a skrip̛ and̛ taberd̛ & his vvermest clothe to hyƚƚ hym̛ witℏ; & in his scrip̛ he bare his meatt. And he had no howse bod a tome ton̛, & hym̛ þoght þatt was a noble howse; & in wynter when̛ it was cald̛, he wald̛ evur turn̛ þis ton̛ mouthe vnto þe sowthe, & in sommer he wald̛ turn̛ it into þe northe, & evur as þe son̛ turnyd̛ wold̛ he turn̛ his ton̛. And he had kepid̛ hym̛ no gude bod alonelie a copp of tre to drynk opon̛. So on̛ a tyme he saw a childe take vpp̛ watir in þe luff of his hand̛ & drynk þerof; and when̛ he saw þat he caste away his copp̛ & sayd̛ þat he wiste neuer þat natur had giffen̛ a man̛ a vesseƚƚ to drynk̘ off. et c̛.

  • ... Contempni[et] elongari debet turba hominum. Infra de solitudine MS. solicitudine. . i. ij. et iij.

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