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 27, 2025.

Pages

DCXLII.
Prelatus non debet se ingerere.

Hugo Florianensis tellis when̛ þe knyghtis of Rome saw Vaspasyan̛, at he was a nobyl man̛ and a redy to cownceƚƚ, and comfurthable to yong men in bateƚƚ, þai besoght hym̛ at he wold̛ take governance of þe empyre of Rome. And when̛ he denyed̛

Page 428

þaim & sayd̛ he was not wurthie þerto, & þai laburd̛ hym̛ þerto daylie, at þe laste he grauntyd̛ vnto þaim, þuf aƚƚ it wer agayns his wiƚƚ, at he wulde furste tytter take þe charge of þe empyre rather þan̛ þe wurschup̛ þeroff. And when̛ he had reseyvid̛ þe empyre he sayd̛ þat in his begynyng onone he wold̛ clens þaim at wer fowle, & putt vnwurthi men̛ oute of þer placis and fulfyƚƚ þair rowm̛ with honeste men̛. And he was neuer prowde nor statelye, bod aƚƚ-way consydurd̛ of what kynryd̛ at he come; & he wold̛ neuer do grete punysshment for offens.

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