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 21, 2025.

Pages

DCCXLIII.
Te Deum devote cantantibus deuotus ympnus est.

Cesarius [tellis] how þat in Essex [Latin MSS. In Saxonia.] , in a monasterye of nonnys, þer was a litle damyseƚƚ, and on̛ a grete solempne nyght hur maistres lete hur com̛ with hur to matyns. So þe damyseƚƚ was bod a wayke thyng, and hur maistres was ferd̛ at sho sulde take colde, and sho commaundid̛ hur befor̛ Te Deum to go vnto þe dortur to hur bed agayn̛. And at hur commandment sho went furtℏ of þe where, þuff aƚƚ it war with iƚƚ wyƚƚ, and abade withoute þe where & thoght to here þe residue of matyns. And when̛ þis song, Te Deum, was begon̛, sho saw hevyn̛ oppyn̛ & aƚƚ þe quere of þe nonnys lifte vp into hevyn̛. And when̛ þai come at þis place, " Tibi omnes angeli," et c̛, sho saw aƚƚ þe ordurs of angels, and evur-ilk angeƚƚ bow down̛ his head̛ & knele down̛ on̛ his kne & hold̛ vp þer handys and wurshup God & syng with þaim att sang, " Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus," et c̛. And þe same did̛ þe apostels at " Te gloriosus," and þe prophettis at " Te prophetarum," and þe martyrs at " Te martirum." And afterwerd̛ confessurs and virgyns & aƚƚ oþer did̛ þe same. And when̛ þai sang þe laste vers, " In te, Domine, speraui," þe quere of þe susters descendid̛ agayn̛ down̛ vnto þe erth, and hevyn̛ sparryd agayn̛ after þaim [A marginal note has, nota, de Te Deum.] .

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