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

CCXXVIII.
Crucis signum magnam habet virtutem, eciam infidelibus.

Saynt Gregor̛ tellis how þat a bisshopp̛ of þe cetie of Fundan̛ [Latin MSS. Andreas, Fundare civitatis episcopus.] had som tyme in his howse soiornand̛ a non̛; & be fals temptacion̛ of þe devuƚƚ, on̛ a tyme he was so tempid̛ at he thoght he wold̛ hafe at do with hur. So it happend̛ a Iew to go wiƚƚ on̛ a nyght, & cuthe fynd̛ no place to reste hym̛ in. And he went into a temple of Appollo, & þer he layd̛ hym̛ down̛ & slepid̛. And abowte mydnyght, þer come a company of fendis, & þer chiftan̛ was sett in a chayr emangis þaim, & garte þaim com̛ befor̛ hym̛, & examynd̛ þaim of þer craftis. And when̛ ilk one of þaim had tald̛ hym̛ aƚƚ, ane of þaim steppyd̛ befor̛ hym̛ at satt, & said̛ how he had tempyd̛ þis bisshopp̛ with þis womman̛, & in a burte to giff hur a knokk̘ on þe bakk̘. And þan̛ þer chiftan̛ commendid̛ hym̛, & chargid̛ hym̛ to perform̛ at he had begon̛. And he commandid̛ þaim to seke aboute in þe temple, & luke who was þerin mo þan̛ þai. And þis Iew hard̛ þat & made a cros on̛ hym̛; and þai soght aboute & fand̛ hym̛. And onone as þai saw hym̛, one of þaim saw, & said̛; " ve! ve! vas vacuum sed bene signatum; wo! wo! here is a voyde vessaƚƚ, bod it is wele merkid̛." And with þis voyce, aƚƚ þe fendis vanysshid̛ away; and þe Iew rase vpp & went vnto þe bisshop of þe cetie & told̛ hym̛. And he made mekuƚƚ sorow for his syn̛, & put away þis womman̛ & cristend̛ þis Iew. et c̛.

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