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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"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 19, 2025.
Pages
CCCCLXXXVII. Meretrix. Mulier accusat quos ad peccatum
trahere non potest.
Cesarius tellis how som̛ tyme þer was a common̛
womman̛ þat was fayr, and sho folowid̛ a grete
lord̛ fro town̛ to town̛, for þe lordis men̛
synnyd̛ with hur euer when̛ þaim liste, and þe
lord̛
descriptionPage 331
wiste not. & at þe laste þe lord̛ preste
accusid̛ hur vnto þe lord̛, & þe lord̛
garte caƚƚ hur befor̛ hym̛, & sho denyed itt and
accusid̛ þis preste, & said̛ he complenyd̛
on̛ hur becauce sho wold̛ not consent vnto hym̛, and
þis sho oblisshid̛ hur to prufe. So at þe laste sho
fenyd̛ hur contrite, & come vnto þis same preste &
shrafe hur. And in þe end̛ of hur confession̛ sho
said̛ þat sho was so tempid̛ with his luff þat
bod if sho had itt sho sulde sla hur selfe. And þis preste was
aferd̛ on̛ hur & had no faste purpos to syn̛ with
hyr, yit he assigned̛ hur a place & a tyme þer he
suld̛ com̛ vnto hur; and sho was fayn̛ þerof
& went & tellid̛ þe lord̛ how þe prest
had promissid̛ vnto hur. And þis preste come to þe
place befor̛ þe howr̛, & he made in þe same
place a bed of dry wud̛, & put stra þerin & put
fyre vnder-nethe in tow, & coverd̛ it clenlie with a shete.
And belife sho come & þe fyre began̛ to kyndeƚƚ in
þe bed̛, & þe prest went þerto, &
laid̛ hym̛ down̛ þeron̛, evyn̛ in
þe fire, & bad hur com̛ vnto hym̛. & þe
fire rase aƚƚ abowte hym̛ & sho callid̛ on̛
hym̛ & wold̛ hafe had̛ hym̛ þine, &
he lay stiƚƚ & was nothyng burnyd̛, nor his clothes
nowther. And þan̛ þis wrichid̛ womman̛ was
conpuncte & reknowlegid̛ hur selfe þat sho
accusid̛ þis holye man̛ of verray rancor &
iƚƚ wiƚƚ. And þis done þis holie preste went
& made hym̛ a monk̘.
...Meretrix multa mala facit. Infra de muliere pluribus
locis.
...Meriti causa est aliquando temptacio. Infra de
temptacione.
...Meretur homo relinquens omnia propter deum.
Infra de milite, iiij.
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