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 21, 2025.

Pages

DLIII.
Natalis Domini probatur, vijmo.

Innocencius þe iij, pope, tellis how þat Ottouianus þe Emperour̛, þat aƚƚ þe werld̛ was subgett vnto, and be his reson̛ he plesid̛ so vnto þe senaturs of Rome, þat þai wolde hafe wurshuppid̛ hym̛ as Godd̛. And he callid̛ Sybilla þe prophetice vnto hym̛, & axkyd̛ hur if evur þer sulde be any born̛ þat sulde be gretter þan̛ he was.

Page 370

So it happend on̛ þe yole-day, and þis Sybyƚƚ was in þe Emperour chawmer. And evyn̛ aboute mydday þer apperid̛ aboute þe son̛ a golden̛ cercle, and in myddeste of þe cercle was þer standand̛ a fayr maydyn̛ and a chylde in hur armys. And sho shewid̛ þis vnto þe Emperour, and þe Emperour had grete mervaiƚ here-of, & said̛ þat he hard̛ a voyce þat spak, saying, " Hec est ara celi." And Sybyƚƚ said̛ þat childe sulde be mare þan̛ he was, and þerfor̛ sho bad hym̛ wurshup̛ hym̛. And þat chawmer is consecrate a kurk in honor of our Ladie, & is callid̛ to þis day Sancta Maria de Ara Celi [MS. Cela.] . And fro thens furtℏ þe Emperour wurshuppid̛ þis childe & wolde wurshup̛ none oþer goddis. And vnto þis sentans accordis Timotheus, historiagraphus, and Orosius for þe moste partie.

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