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 May 13, 2025.

Pages

CCCCXCV.
Misericordia impenditur inimico crucifixi amore.

Cesarius tellis how in̛ Ducheland̛ þer [MS. þat.] was a knyght þat happend sla þe fadur of a noder knyght. So be chawnce his son̛ att was slayn̛ happend̛ to take hym̛ at slew his fadur. And he drew his swerde and wold̛ hafe taken̛ hym̛ and slayn̛ hym̛. And he feƚƚ on̛ kneis befor̛ hym̛ & said̛; "Sur, I beseke you, ffor His luff þat dyed on þe cross & had mercy of aƚƚ þis werld̛, þat ye wold hafe mercie on̛ me now." And with þies wurdis he was compuncte, & tuke hym̛ vpp̛ & sayde vnto hym̛; "Loo, in wyrshup̛ of þe holie cros, & for His sake þat dyed̛ þeron̛, at He may forgyf me my synnys I forgyff þe, not alonelie þe truspas at þou hase done vnto me, bod from̛ hens furtℏ I shaƚƚ be þi frend̛." And with þat he tuke hym̛ abowte þe nekk̘ & kyssyd̛ hym̛. And with-in a little while after, þis same knyght burnyd̛ hym̛ with þe cros & went vnto þe holie land̛. And when̛ he come at þe kurk̘ of þe sepulcre of our̛ Lord̛, he went in-to it as other did̛. And, at aƚƚ folk saw, þe ymage of þe crucifix bowed̛ evyn̛ down̛ & lowtid̛ vnto hym̛. And when̛ þai at saw vnderstude not vnto whome he did̛ it, þai aƚƚ went aforn̛ þe rude ilkone after oþer. And itt inclynyd vnto none of þaim bod vnto hym̛. And þai axked hym̛ what was þe cauce, and he tolde þaim aƚƚ as is aforn̛ sayd.

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