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 June 8, 2025.

Pages

DCCXIII.
Siluestri confessoris.

We rede in his Legent how Constantyne þe emperour was made lepre, and þurgℏ cownceƚƚ of a bisshop̛ [Latin, de consilio pontificis.] þer was iij Mƚ childer broght vnto Rome to be slayn̛, at he mot be bathed̛ in þer warm̛ blude & so be made hale. And when̛ he saw þe moders of þies childer, shewand̛ hym̛ þer brestis & pulland of þer hare, & wepand̛ befor̛ hym̛, he made sorow & sayd̛; "How sulde I vse þis wykkid̛ batℏ? It is bettur to me to dye for þe heale of þies innocentis, þan̛ for to requovir my life for þer deade." And with þat he commandid̛ þe childer agayn̛ to be delyverd̛ vnto þer moders, and giff þaim grete giftis also. And vppon̛ þat same nyght, Saynt Petur apperid̛ vnto hym̛ and Saynt Paule, & sayd vnto hym̛; "Becauce þou vggid̛ to sla so mycℏ innocent blude, our̛ Lord̛ lesu Cryste sent vs to giff þe cownceƚƚ how þou sal be helid̛. Thow saƚƚ caƚƚ Siluester þe bisshop̛ [Latin, episcopus.] vnto the, & here hym̛, and þou saƚƚ be curid̛." And he garte caƚƚ hym̛, & tolde hym̛ aƚƚ hys vision̛. And so Siluester told̛ hym̛ at þase goddis at he wurshuppid̛ was no goddis, bod þe servandis of goddis, as þe son̛ & þe mone, et cetera. And he shewid̛ hym̛ þer ymagis, at he mott verelie know what þai wer. And þus he was enformyd̛ in þe faytℏ and̛ cristend̛. And when̛ he come oute of þe watir of baptym̛, he was clene of his lepre. And a grete shynyng was our hym̛, to so mekuƚƚ as he said̛ he saw almighti God̛; & þan̛ he gaff mekuƚƚ privalege vnto þe kurk̘.

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