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

CCCCXXXII.
Laurencij Martiris.

We rede in 'Legenda Lombardica,' of Eusodia þat was doghter vnto Theodose þe Emperour, how sho was vexid̛ with a fend̛, and was had vnto Constantynople to þe body of Saynt Stephan to be curid̛. And þis fend̛ spak within hur & said̛; "I will not pas oute on̛ hur bod if Stephan com̛ to Rome, for so it is þe apostels wiƚƚ." And so, be þe consent of þe pope & þe Emperour̛, þe bodie of Saynt Stephan was sent vnto Rome be þe Grekis, with counand at þai suld̛ bryng vnto Constantynople þe bonys of Saynt Laurens. And when̛ þai come at Rome with hym̛ & sett down̛ his bodie in ecclesia Sancti Petri ad Uincula, þase at sulde bere hym̛ myght gett hym̛ no ferrer. And þan̛ þis fend̛ cryed agayn̛ in þe maydyn̛ & sayd̛; "Ye labur in vayn̛, for he hase not chosyn̛ his seate here, bod att his bruther Laurens." And þai bare þe bodye thedur, & onone þe maydyn̛ was hale. And Saynt Laurens, as he had bene ioyfuƚƚ of his bruther commyng, remowid̛ hym̛ vnto þe ta side of þe sepulcr̛, & left þe toder syde voyde vnto his bruther. And̛ þan̛ þe Grekis putt þer handis to take Saynt Laurence away, & þai feƚƚ down̛ vnto þe erth as þai had bene fonde. And with-in x dayes after þai war aƚƚ dead̛. And þan̛ a voyce was harde in Rome þat sayde; " O, felix Roma! et c̛. O! þou happy Rome, þat sparris bothe in a grafe þe bodie of Saynt Laurens þe Hyspany, & þe bodie of Saynt Stephan of Ierusalem."

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