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

CCCXI.
Eustacij Placidi.

We rede in þe Legend̛ of Saynt Eustace þat befor̛ was callid̛ Placidus, how on̛ a tyme as he went on̛ huntyng att þe harte, emang aƚƚ oþer he fand̛ a fayre harte, and hym̛ he pursewid̛ & folowd̛. So at þe laste þis harte turnyd̛ agayn̛ & lukid̛ on̛ hym̛, and he beheld̛ þis harte, and he saw betwix his hornys a cros and þe ymage of our Lord̛ Iesu, þat spakk vnto hym̛ be þe mouthe of þis harte, & tolde hym̛ & taght hym̛ þe faythe of þe kurk̘, & bad hym̛ teche þe same vnto his wyfe & his childer; and so he did, & þai trowid̛ þer-in. And þai war cristend̛ at Rome; and Placidus was callid̛ Eustachius, and his wife was callid̛ Theospita, and his sons Agapitus and Theospitus. And opon̛ þe morn̛ our Lord̛ aperid̛ vnto hym̛ in þe same place & in þe same figur, and tolde hym̛ þat he sulde suffer mekuƚƚ þing bod he sulde giff hym̛ þe vertue of paciens. So with-in a little while after, dead̛ come and tuke aƚƚ his hows-meneya, and thevis come and robbid̛ hym̛ of aƚƚ his gudis, so þat hym̛ was lefte right noght, bod was almoste nakid̛. So on̛ a nyght he fled̛ away with his wife & his childer, and went our att a ferie, and had nothyng to pay for his ferilay,

[&] þe maister of þe shipp̛ tuke his wyfe from̛ hym̛ for his ferilay, mawgre his tethe, becauce sho was a fayr womman̛. And he made grete sorow & went on̛ his wayis with his childer. So hym̛ happend̛ to com̛ vnto a watur, and itt was so grete he myght nott bere þaim ouer bothe att onys. So he tuke þat one on̛ hys bak & bare it our, & lefte þat other behynd̛; and when̛ he come agayn̛ for þe toder, & was in þe myddeste of þe watir, þer com̛e a lyon̛ on̛ þe tone syde & tuke þat one of his barnys, and a wulfe on̛ þe toder syde & tuke þat oþer. And he, when̛ he was in þe myddeste of þe watir, saw þis, and mornyd̛ & made mykiƚƚ sorow, & luhid̛ þe hare of his head̛, and turnyd̛ agayn̛ & went on̛ his wayis mornand̛. Not-with-stondyng, at he wyste not, hurde-men̛ & plew-men̛ rescowid̛ his childer fro þis lyon̛ & þis wulfe, & þai war bothe nurisschid̛ & broght vp in þe next town̛. So Eustace wiste nevur what he moght do, & he become a mans hird-man̛, & kepid̛ his cateƚƚ xv yere; and almighti God kepid̛ his wyfe. Than̛ þe Emperour of Rome happend to be oppressid̛ with enmys, and he vmthoght hym̛ of þe nobylnes of þis Eustas, and he sent ij knyghtis to seke hym̛ in euere place; so þai happend to com̛ by hym̛ þurgℏ þe feld̛ þer he walkid̛, and þai askid̛ hym̛ if he war oght wer of a pylgram̛ at hight Placidus, & his ij sonys & his wife: and he said̛ he saw þaim noght. Neuer-þe-les he knew þaim, and he had þaim home vnto his maister howse; and as he servid̛ þaim, be dyvers tokens þai kend̛ hym̛ wele, & þai tuke knowlege vnto hym̛ and kissid̛ hym̛, & spirrid̛ hym̛ of his wyfe & his childer; and he told̛ þaim at his wife was taken̛ from̛ hym̛, & how his childer war dead̛. So þai broght hym̛ vnto þe Emperour, and he resayvid̛ hym̛ with mekuƚƚ ioy and wurshup̛, made hym̛ maister of þe knyghtis as he was befor. And he fand̛ few knyghtis þat war able vnto þe were, and he garte gadur to-gedur yong men̛ þat wer able vnto chyvalrie, emang þe whilk was his ij sons broght; and þai plesid̛ hym̛ gretelie. So þurgℏ þe grace of God þaim happend̛ to hafe þe victorie of þer enmys. And as God wold̛, þis ij yong men̛ war att hoste in þer moder howse, and be knowlege þat ather of þaim told̛ other, how þai war takyn̛ fro wylde bestis, athir of þaim knew other weƚƚ enogh; and þer moder þoght of þis in hur harte, bott

sho knew nothyng þeroff. So with-in a little while, when̛ sho saw þis maister of þe knyghtis, sho knew hym̛ weƚƚ enogℏ & he hur; and sho askid̛ hym̛ of þer childer, & he told̛ hur how þai war devowrid̛ with wylde bestis. And þan̛ sho told̛ hym̛ how þies ij yong men̛ had told̛ hur, and he was passand̛ fayn̛ & sent for þaim & knew þaim wele enogℏ. And þai wer aƚƚ passand̛ fayn̛ to-gedur, and̛ thankid̛ God̛. And afterward̛ þai wer aƚƚ martyrd̛ samen for Goddis sake.

• ...Exactor talliarum grauiter punitur. Infra de gula.