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 11, 2025.

Pages

DCXCIII.
Sacietas. Saciari non potest cor humanum.

Saynt [MS. Saynd̛.] Barnard̛ sayd̛ & tellis; "Som tyme," he sayd̛, "I saw v men̛ whilk I cuthe not say bod̛ at þai wer fond̛, for þe furste wald̛ eate no meate bod graveƚƚ of þe se, and þe secund̛ of þaim had a curage to fele aƚƚ maner of yƚƚ savyr, and þe thrid̛ wald stand̛ be a byrnyng ovyn̛ & evur gape to take in his moutℏe þe byrnyng sparkis. And̛ þe iiij wold̛ sytt vppon̛ þe pynacle of þe temple, and euer gape agayn̛ þe weddur. And þe v of þaim wolde luke behynd̛ hym̛ & scorn̛ his felas, and yit he was more to be skornyd̛ þan̛ þai, for with aƚƚ his myght he laburd̛ to sowke his awn̛ flessℏ & he wolde neuer nowder putt his arm̛ nor his hand̛ [hand̛ written over mouthe, erased.] vnto his mouthe. And in þaim aƚƚ I cowde fynd̛ no reson̛, bod̛ at he be my consayte had suffred̛ a passand̛ hu[n]ggre, mor̛ þan̛ any of þe toder."

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