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

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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 16, 2025.

Pages

CCCXIX.
Fames multa mala cogit facere.

We rede in þe 'Cronicles' þat when̛ Titus had vmsegid̛ Jerusalem ij yere, þer was sucℏ a honger in þe cetie þat þe fathir fro þe son̛, & þe son̛ fro þe fadir, and þe husband̛ fro hys wife, and þe wife fro hur husband̛, not alonelie tuke meate oute of þer handis, bod also þai wold̛ refe it furtℏ of þer mowthis. And when̛ þer meate faylid̛ þaim, þai dyed̛ so thik for hungre þat þai mot not suffre þer caryons lygg with-in þe cetie for stynke, bod þai keste þaim ouer þe wallis. And þan̛ Titus saw how þe dykis was fyllid̛ with carion̛, & at þe contre began̛ to be corrupte with savur of þaim, þan̛ he made his prayers & said̛; "Lord̛! þou seis I do nott þis, þai do itt þer selfe." & þai had so mekuƚƚ honger emang þaim att þai eete þer shone & aƚƚ þing þat was made of leddur. So þer was emang þaim a riche huswiffe, and a wurthie, and aƚƚ hur gudis was taken̛ fro hur, & no thyng lefte hur þat sho might eate. And sho had no child̛ bod one; & þat sho slew, & sethid̛ þe tone halfe þerof. And onone as þe lurdans in þe cetie felid̛ savur of sodyn̛ flessℏ, þai ran̛ in-to þe howse & askid̛ hur parte; & sho tuke þe toder parte & shewid̛ þaim & told̛ þaim how sho had done with hur awn̛ barn̛. And þai vggid̛ þer-with, & went þer ways. And so in þe secund̛ yere Ierusalem was yolden̛ vpp̛, and xxx Iewis war sold̛ for one penye becauce þai solde Criste for xxx. And, as Iosephus tellis, lxxxxvij thowsand̛ war solde, and̛ xi C. Mƚ. was slayn̛ & perisshid̛ for hungre.

  • ...Fames terrenorum est insaciabilis. Infra de sacietate.
  • ...Fame temptantur ieiunantes. Supra de abstinencia.

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