Caxton's Blanchardyn and Eglantine, c. 1489 : from Lord Spencer's unique imperfect copy, completed by the original French and the second English version of 1595

¶ The xiiij chapitre conteyneth. how the Iouencell blanchardyn Iosted and fought ayenst the preuost, and ouerthrewe hym; and how two yonge damoselles, doughters to the prouost, cam and toke Blanchardyn for to haue hym to be lodged wythin her faders place /

Whan blanchardyn had wel loked and rede the verses that grauen were in the marbell vpon the gate, & well vnderstode theire sentence, a lytyl he bygan to smyle / as he that lytyl dyde sette ther by [lytyl dyde sette ther by = de ce tenoit peu de compte] / And the prouost axed hym yf he was counseylled for to fulfylle the construction of that texte. Blanchardyn ansuered that he was therof right wel content, so that he myght haue harneys to arme hym selff wyth all / The prouost sayd it sholde not lacke on that / and that gladly he sholde furnysshe hym of goode and mete harnoys to arme his body wyth all / And he dyde soo / For he made to be brought vnto hym by his folke al suche armures and harneys as to hym behoued to haue, and that to suche a caas apperteyneth / Blanchardyn sette fote a gronde, and made hym to be armed and well appoyntted by the prouostis men, whiche was all prest and redy poyntted to the Iouste /

¶ Whan Blanchardyn sawe hym self well armed of alle peces / right quykly he lept vpon his courser, the helme on his hede / the shelde atte his necke, and the spere in his fyste, wythout takyng any auauntage, wherof all thas-systents that were comen there for to see hym Ioust with the prouost of the toune, sayde that they neuere sawe no fayrer man of armes, nor better pyght, [adroit] nor better syttyng on horsbak. Grete multytude of peple was there assembled for to see the Ioustynge of the two vasselles.

þe prouost seyng blanchardyn redy mounted vpon his hors, þe spere in his fyste, & lepte out of his place, he semed wel by his behauoure & mayntenaunce to be a man of right grete fayte / for to saye trouthe, he was a myghty man of body, wel renommed of prowesse. And the valyant Blanchardyn, the spere couched on his thye, awayted for hym in the strete all redy for to assaylle hym. The prouost sayde to blanchardyn from as ferre as he coude chuse [choisir] hym: 'Syre, thynke to deffende your self well, For yf ye ouercome me I shal lodge you in my house, where ye shalbe right richely serued wythout your cost / but yf I may, it shal not come therto, For I shal brynge you to dethe, or to me ye shal yelde your self.'

¶ Blanchardyn herkned the prouost, to whom boldly he answered that he shold doo the best and the worst that he coude, and that he shulde take no thoughte but onely for hym self, and that he sholde putte peyne that his honoure sholde be kepte, and his body ayenst hym / Thenne toke the prouost his spere / and so dyde Blanchardyn the his, [the his = la sienne] whiche was strong and bygge, that it was meruayll. And as moche as the horses myght renne, came eche ayenst other / The prouost brak his spere vpon blanchardyn, but he hurted hym not, For his goode shelde kept hym, and his stronge bones suffred hym not to bowe bakward, by the right grete vertue wherof he was garnysshed / Blanchardyn hytt the prouost in the myddys of his shelde so myghtly that it was perced all thourgh, that the yron was seen at the other syde of the shelde / And yet the prouostis harneis was hole, and nought dommaged of nothyng / But not-wythstandyng the strok was so myghty grete and so sore peysaunt / that hit lyfted the prouost out of the sadel to the grounde more thenne tenn fot ferre bakward; & with that renne, blanchardyn his courser ran ouer þe

prouost that he tradd vpon one of his armes, so that it was hurt full sore. But he was so gretly astonyd of þe myghty stroke wherby he was fallen doun, that he wyst not where he was. [where he was = quelle chose aduenue luy estoit] Blanchardyn right quykly alyghted from his hors / his swerd in his hande for to cutte the laas ſro the helmet of the preuost, & so to smyte of his hede yf he wolde not yelde hym self to Blanchardyn, and gyue hym fre entre wythin his hous. But whan the two doughters of the prouost, that right praty and full fayre were, dyde see this harde bataylle, and theire fadre in parell of deth / lepte hastely out of their house, and cam to the place, where as bothe of hem / puttyng them self vpon theyre knees byfore blanchardyn, sayde vnto hym: 'O thou free knyght, replenysshed wyth prowesse & of grete wordynesse / haue mercy vpon [de] our fadre' / And Blanchardyn, full of courtoysye, to them answered / that for the loue of them / he sholde be sauf from all euyll / And euyn at these wordes / cam the prouost tyl his owne knowlege ageyne, & vnderstandyng that he had lost the felde for cause of þe stourdy stroke that he had receyued of the spere of blanchardyn.

¶ And sayde in this maner: [Wanting in the French.] expand_less 'a, right gentyl knyght, to whom none oughte to compare hym self / For that right grete vertue that in you is entred and sette, I yelde my self vnto you / And presente my hous to your plesure and behouffe, [Wanting in the French.] expand_less prayeng right affectually that in pacyence ye wyl taken hit wyth suche as ye shall fynde in hit.' And thenne wythout taryeng drewe his swerde, and toke it vnto Blanchardyn, that wyth goode wyll gaff it hym ageyn, and wyth-all pardoned hym alle that he myght haue had mysprysed ayenst hym in that / that he wold fyght wyth blanchardyn / wherof the prouost thanked hym gretly.