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 June 6, 2025.

Pages

CCCLXX.
Hospitalitas regnum temporale confert.

We rede in þe 'Legend̛ of Saynt German̛ of Antissiodorens,' how on̛ a tyme when̛ Saynt German̛ prechid̛ in Britannye, and þe kyng denyed̛ hym̛ a benyfice, þat was to say, meat & drynk̘ & herber̛. So þe kyngis nowte-hard̛ come home with his cateƚƚ fro þer pastur, & tuke provand̛ in þe kyngis pales to his cateƚƚ, & had it home vnto his tofaƚƚ at he dwelte in. And he was war of Saynt German̛ & his felos sare laburyng, & war passand̛ calde & hongrie; and he reseyvid̛ þaim buxsomly into his place. And he had no calfe bod one, & þat he slew vnto þer supper. And when̛ þai had suppid̛, þis holie man̛ gadderd̛ samen þe bonys of þis calfe in þe skyn̛ þer-of, and̛ onone, at his commandment, þis calfe rase agayn̛ whik̘. And on̛ þe day next after, he went vnto þe kyng, and askid̛ hym̛ whi he denyed̛ meat & hospitalitie vnto Saynt German̛ & his felows, and þis kyng was so astonyd̛ þat he cuthe not ansswer hym̛. And with þat he bad hym̛ go furthe, & lefe his kyngdom̛ vnto a better man̛ þan̛ he was. And þan̛ Saynt German̛, be þe commandment of almyghti God̛, made þis nowterd̛ & his wife to com̛ aforn̛ hym̛; and, at aƚƚ men̛ had wonder of, he made hym̛ kyng. And evur sethen̛, þe kynges þat come of þe nowtherd̛ kynred̛ hase reingned̛ vppon̛ þe pepuƚƚ & þe land̛ of Brytany. et c̛.

  • ...Hospitalitas non propter Deum facta parum valet. Infra de intencione.

Page 255

  • ...
  • ...Hospitis curialitate et libertate multi abutuntur. Supra de detraccione.
  • ...Hospes male receptus aliquando vindicat se de recipiente. Supra de histrionibus.
  • ...Hospicio receptus debet circa se et sua esse cautus. Infra Iacobi. ij.
  • ...Hospicio recipitur Deus sub specie leprosi. Supra de compassione.
  • ...Humilitas est semper in omnibus obseruanda. Supra de fatuitate.

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