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 4, 2025.

Pages

CCCCLVI.
Luxuriosam mulierem diabolus ad infernum portauit.

We rede of a prestis concubyne, þat when̛ sho was bown̛ to dye sho cried̛ opon̛ þaim at was aboute hur with grete instans, & bad þaim gar make hur a payr of hy bottois & putt þaim on̛ hur leggis for þai war passand̛ necessarie vnto [After vnto, h, erased.] hur, and so þai did̛. And opon̛ þe night after þe mone shane bryght, and a knyght & his servand̛ was rydand̛ in þe feldis to-gedur, and þer come a womman̛ rynand̛ fast vnto þaim, cryand̛ & prayed̛ þaim helpe hur. & onone þis knyght light & betaght his man̛ his hors, & he kennyd̛ þe womman̛ wele enogℏ, & he made a cerkle abowte hym̛ with his swerd̛, & tuke hur in vnto hym̛; & sho had nothyng on̛ bod hur sarke & þies buttois. And belife he harde a blaste of ane vgsom̛ horn̛ at a hunter blew horrible, & huge barkyng of hundis, and als sone as þai hard̛, þis womman̛ was passand ferde. And þis knyght spirrid̛ hur whi sho was so ferd̛, & scho tellid̛ hym̛ aƚƚ; and he light & tuke þe tressis of hur hare & wappid it strayte abowte his arm̛, & in his right arm̛ he helde his swerd̛ drawen̛. And belife þis hunter of heƚƚ come at hand̛, & þan̛ þis womman̛ said̛; "Lat me go, ffor he commys." And þis knyght held̛ hur stiƚƚ, & þis womman̛ pullid̛ faste & wolde hafe bene away. So at þe laste sho pullid̛ so faste at aƚƚ hur hare braste of hur heade, & sho ran̛ away & þis fend̛ folowd̛ after & tuke hur, & keste hur ouerthwarte behynd̛ hym̛ on̛ his hors at hur hede & hur armys hang down̛ on̛ þe ta syde, & hur legis on̛ þe toder syde. & þus, when̛ he had his pray, he rade his ways, and be þan̛ it was nere day. & þis knyg[ht] went in þe mornyng vnto þe town̛, & he fand̛ þis womman̛ new dead̛, & he teld̛ aƚƚ as he had sene, & shewid̛ þe hare at was wappid̛ abowte his arm̛. And þai lukyd̛ hur head̛ þer sho lay, and þai fande how aƚƚ þe hare was plukkid̛ of be þe rutis. And þis happend̛ in þe bisshopprik of Magentyne.

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