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

DCCXXVIII.
Sortilegi puniuntur.

Cesarius tellis how som tyme þer was in Englond a womman [MS. wommand̛.] þat vsid̛ sorcerie. And on̛ a day as sho was bown̛ to eatt, sho hard̛ a craw cry beside hur, and sodanlie þe knyfe þat was in hur hande feƚƚ. & hereby sho demyd̛ at hur dead̛ drew nere, & so sho feƚƚ seke, bown̛ to dye. And sho sent after a monk̘ & a non̛ þat was hur childer, and chargid þaim in hur blissyng þat onone as sho war dead̛ þai sulde sew hur in a harte-skyn̛, & þan̛ at þai sulde close hur in a tombe of stone, and at þai sulde feste þe coveryng þeron̛ stronglie bothe with lead & strong yrn̛, & at þai sulde close þis stane & bynde it aboute with iij strang chynys, and þan̛ at þai sulde do mes & pray for hur aboute hur bodye. And if sho lay so sekurlie iij dayes, þan̛ sho chargid̛ þaim to bery hur vpp[on] þe iiij day in þe ertℏ. And so aƚƚ þis was done, and ij furste nyghtis, as clerkis was sayand̛ þer prayers aboute hur, ffendys brak þe yatis of þe kurk̘, & come in vnto hur & brak ij of þe chynys at was at ather end̛; and þe myddyƚƚ chyne abade styƚƚ hale. And vppon̛ þe iij nyght aboute cokkraw, þer come in suche a throng of fendis, at þai at saw it semyd̛ at þe temple turnyd̛ vpsadown̛. So þer come a fend̛ at was maste vgsom̛ of aƚƚ, & hyer þan̛ any of þe toder was, and he come vnto þis tombe and callid̛ hur be hur

name & bad hur ryse. And sho ansswerd̛ agayn̛ & sayde sho mot not for þe bondis at was bon̛ aboute þe tombe. And he bad lowse þaim, and onone at his commandment þe chyne braste as it had bene hardis, & þe coueryng of þe tombe flow off. And þer he tuke hur oppynlie befor̛ aƚƚ men̛ & bare hur oute of þe kurk. And þer befor̛ þe yatis þer was ordand̛ a blak hors, & þat ane vglie, & here-vppon̛ was sho sett. & þan̛ onone sho & aƚƚ þis felowshup̛ vanysshid away.