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

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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 24, 2025.

Pages

LXXX.
Assenecℏ historia.

As we rede in þe furste yere of þe vij plentyfuƚƚ yeris þat was in Egipte, Kyng Pharao sent Josepℏ to gadr̛ samen cornys þat he cuthe gett in þe bowndis of Cleopilas, of whilk region̛ Pytaphar [MS. Pyckaphar.] þe preste was prince. & he was a wise man̛ & grete of cownceƚƚ with Pharao; and he had a doghter þat hight Assenecℏ, and sho

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was a passand̛ fayr mayden̛ emang aƚƚ oþer; & with þat sho was passand̛ statelie & prowde, & thoght skorn̛ be evur-ilk common̛ man̛. And sho was kepid̛ so at no man̛ saw hur. And þer was ioynyd̛ uppon̛ þis Putyphar howse a towr̛, at was grete & hy, & in þe top þerof was a cenacle, þat had in it x chawmers; of þe whilk þe furst was grete & fayr, & dight with-in with precious stonys; and in þat was þe goddis of Egipte, of golde & of syluer, at þis Assenecℏ did sacryfice vnto. & evur-ilk day sho offerd̛ vnto þaim. And þe secund̛ chawmer lay hur clothyng in, & hur gold & hur sylver & hur precious stonys; and in þe iij chawmer war aƚƚ þe gudis of þe lande, & þer was hur buttrie; and in þe toder war̛ vij maydyns þat servid̛ þis Assenecℏ, with whame spak nowder childe nor man̛; and in Assenecℏ chawmer was þer iij wyndows, ane at þe suthe, a noder at þe este, & þe iij at þe weste: & at þe northe was hur bed̛, onowrnyd̛ with gold̛ & syluer, precious stonys, & gay clothis of purpur & sylk at sho slepid̛ in, & þer sat neuer man̛ on̛ þat bed̛. And aboute þis towre was þer ane entre with a hy waƚƚ, with-in þe whilk þer was fayre treis & frutefuƚƚ of dyvers kyndis; & þer was a fayr spryng & a weƚƚ. And þis Assenecℏ was a mekuƚƚ large womman̛ as Sarra was, & als wise as Rebecca, & als fayr as Racheƚƚ. So þis Joseph sent vnto þis Putiphar & lete hym̛ witt at he wald̛ com̛ vnto hys place & se itt; & he was fayn̛ þerof, & lete his doghter hafe knowlege, & said̛ he wolde marie hur vnto hym̛. And sho was wrothe þer-with, & said̛ scho wold̛ be giffen̛ vnto no man̛ at was in thraldom̛ as Josepℏ was, bod rather vnto a kyngis son̛. So as þai war spekand̛ samen, one come & tolde þaim at Josepℏ come. And þis Assenecℏ fled̛ in-to hur cenacle, vp into þe topp̛ of þe towre. And Joseph come rydand in Pharao carte, þat was aƚƚ of gold̛, & iiij white hors drew it, & þai had brydyls aƚƚ of gold̛; & Josepℏ was cled̛ in a white cote & in paƚƚ & purpur wovyn̛ with golde, & a crown̛ of precious gold̛ opon̛ his head̛, & aboute it was xij precious stonys, & he had in his hand̛ a golden̛ wand̛ of þe kynges, & a brancℏ of oliff fuƚƚ off fatt frute. And þis Putiphar̛ & his wife come & mett hym̛, and wurschippid̛ hym̛, and Josepℏ went in-to þis entrie, & þai sparrid̛ þe duris after hym̛. & at þe laste he was war of Assenech oute at a wyndow, and sho saw

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hym̛. And þan̛ sho was gretelie trubled̛ with wurd at sho had hard̛ on̛ hym̛, and þan̛ sho said̛; "Beholde! þe son̛ is commen̛ fro hevyn̛ to shyne vppon̛ vs in his cowrs; and I wiste not," sho said̛, "at Josepℏ was þe son̛ off Godd̛. What man̛ myght hafe so grete fayrnes, & what wommans wambe myght bere so grete a light?" And þan̛ Josepℏ went vnto Putiphar hows, & þai wasshid̛ his fete. And þan̛ Josepℏ asked̛ what womman þat was þat he saw in þe cenacle oute at þe wyndow, & þai tolde hym̛. & he was aferd̛ þat sho was hevye vnto hym̛, as sho was vnto other þat sent vnto hur messangers with grete giftys; & euer sho keste þaim agayn̛ att þaim with grete [After grete, giftis, erased.] skorn̛ & dedyne. And þan̛ said̛ Putiphar; "Sur, my doghter is a mayden̛, & hatis evur-ilk man̛, for sho saw neuer man̛ bod me & the at sho saw þis day. And if þou wiƚƚ, sho saƚƚ com̛ & speke with the." And þan̛ Josepℏ thoght þat & sho hatid̛ euer-ilk a man̛, sho sulde not be vnbehuvable vnto hym̛. And þan̛ he said̛ vnto hur fadur; "and your doghter be a mayden̛, I luff hur as my sustre." And hur moder went & fechid̛ hur down̛ & broght hur befor hym̛, and hur fadur bad hur hals hur bruther, þat hatid̛ aƚƚ women̛ as sho did̛ aƚƚ men. And sho halsid̛ hym̛ & sayde; " Ave benedicte a deo excelso! hayle þou blissid̛, commen̛ fro Almyghti God̛!" and þan̛ he said̛ agayn̛; " Benedicat te deus qui viuificat omnes; God blis þe þat whikkens aƚƚ creaturs." And Putiphar bad his doghter kys Josepℏ; and sho wolde hafe done so, & he lett hur with his hand̛ & said̛; "It semys nott a man̛ þat wurschuppis Almyghti God̛ to kys a womman̛ þat wurshuppis mawmettis þat er defe & dom̛." And when̛ sho hard̛ hym̛ say so, sho was passand̛ hevye & wepid̛. And Josepℏ was sorowfuƚƚ for hur, & laid̛ his hand̛ on̛ hur heade & blissid̛ hur. And þan̛ sho was merie & partid̛ with hym̛ & went vnto hur bed̛. And what for ioy & what for drede, sho feƚƚ seke, & did penans for þase fals goddis at sho had wurshuppid̛, and forsuke þaim. And when̛ Josepℏ had etyn̛, he tuke his lefe & went his way, & said̛ he sulde com̛ agayn̛ þat day viij dayes. And when̛ he was gone, þis Assenecℏ did on̛ blak clothyng in token̛ of hevynes & sparrid̛ hur dure, & keste down̛ aƚƚ hur ydolsis, & keste hur supper vnto

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hundis, & putt assℏ opon̛ hur head̛, & laid̛ hur down̛ on þe payment & wepid̛ bitterlie vij dayes. And on̛ þe viij day come Josepℏ & tuke hur vnto wyfe & wed hur. et c̛.

  • ...Asinus portat usurarium ad patibulum. Infra de sepultura.
  • ...Asinus custoditur a leone. Infra de Leone.
  • ...Asinus legatus tribus perit. Infra de legato.

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