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 May 3, 2025.

Pages

CCCXXXVIII.
Gaudium quandoque nocet corpori.

We rede in þe 'Storie of Aprocryfattis [Lat. MSS. Historia Apocriphi.] ' of Titus and Vespacyan̛, how þat when Titus hard̛ teƚƚ þat his fadur Vespacian̛ was made Emperour, he was strykyn̛ with such a ioy and a comfurtℏ, þat he was shronken̛ aƚƚ his synowes to-gedur in a lumpe, as it had bene with a crampe. And Iosephus hard̛ teƚƚ how he was þus fallen̛ seke, & serchid̛ þe cauce of his sekenes, & þe tyme at it tuke hym̛ in. And he conseyvid̛ at he tuke it with a hertelie ioy and a comfurtℏ þat he tuke when̛ he hard̛ teƚƚ of þe sublimacion̛ of his fadur. And þan̛ he vmthoght how þat a sekenes may be curid̛ with þe contrarie, & he garte spur if þer war̛ any man̛ þat Titus was wrothe with, or grevid̛ agayn̛, or þat he wold̛ not suffer com̛ in his sight. And belyfe þai told̛ hym̛ of one [Lat. MSS. et erat ibi seruus adeo Tito molestus, ut sine uehementi turbacione nulla tenus in ipsum respicere posset.] . And þan̛ he come to Titus & sayd̛; "And þou desyre to be hale, þou bus pardon̛ & suffer aƚƚ þaim þat commys in-to þi presens with me." And Titus grawntid̛ at he suld̛ so do. And Iosephus garte sett a burd̛ in þe chawmer anence his bed̛, and he garte Titus be sett att meatt at þe burd̛-end, in a chayr, & he sett þis servand̛, at he was so wrothe with, on̛ his right hand̛, & himselfe on̛ his lefte hand̛. And Titus saw at it was þis man̛ at he was wrothe with, & remembred̛ hym̛ how þat he mott say nothyng

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vnto hym̛; & he was so angred̛ & so trubbed̛ in his mynde, vnto so mekuƚƚ, þat he þat with a cald̛ for ioy was shronken̛ to-gedur, þan̛ with a hete of angrynes hys synos rached̛ & lowsid̛. & þus he gatt vp on̛ his fete, and was curid̛, & tuke hys [MS. hym̛.] servand̛ vnto grace, & forgaff hym̛ his truspas; & evur after, fro thens furtℏ, he luffid̛ þis Iosephus specialli befor̛ aƚƚ oþer.

  • ...Gaudium est aliquando causa mortis corporalis. Infra de morte et gueracione.
  • ...Gaudia celi superant omnem melodiam. Infra de nouicio.
  • ...Gaudent mali de malis. Infra de predicacione.

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