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 xviij. chapitre conteyneth how the proude pucelle in amours made her ordonaunces for the kepynge of her cyte / And how Kynge Alymodes arryued and toke lande nyghe the cyte of Tourmaday, whiche he beseged with a myghty power of folke / [Wanting in the French.] expand_less

In this dyuersyte of purpos the proude pucelle in amours, to what a peyne that it was passed the tyme of the nyght / And on the morowe she made the castell and her sayde cyte of Tourmaday to be garnysshed right wel of vytaylles, of men of warre, and of almanere of artyllary / by cause that she had had tydynges that same daye / that for certayn she sholde be beseged there, after whiche ordynaunces so made by her knyghtes & captaynes, she wythdrewe her self in to her castell of Tourmaday / She entred in her chambre and cam toward a wyndowe, out of whiche men sawe

right ferre in to the see / And there she had not be no longe whyle, whan she had perceyued the playn choys ands fyght of a right grete and myghty nauye, and of many a highe mast that bare grete saylles / And many penoncelles, baners, and standardes that the wynde shok here and there, wherof the golde & the azure was glysteryng tyl vnto her eyen / bycause of the bryght bemes of the sonne that spred were vpon them. All the see was couered wyth shippes & galeyes, that wyth a full sayll cam to take parte, and to caste theire ankers byfore the cyte of Tourmaday.

¶ The damoselle seeng that grete armee commyng, knewe all ynoughe that it was thexcercyte of the sayd kynge Almodes, by the banners & cognyssaunce that she sawe appyere vpon the see / She called to her them that were in her chambre / to whiche Incontynent she commaunded that they sholde goo & arme them self for to resiste ayenst her enmyes at their commyng on lande, whiche she sawe approched alredy right nyghe / After this commaundement made, they all went to arme and arraye hem self, & thourgh all the cyte euery man toke his harneys on hym, & made grete haste toward the hauen. [euery man toke his harneys on hym, & made grete haste toward the hauen = Chacun courut aulx armes.] Troumpettes, claryons, & other instrumentes bygan to blowe thurgh euery part of the towne / and were all in affraye for to lepe out, to thende they myght be at the descendyng of theyr enemyes to lande. Neuer so soone they coude comen, But that the kynge Alymodes had alredy taken lande, & his sone daryus wyth hym, and one of his daughters that he had, whiche was moche fayre, and a praty mayden, that it was meruaylle / So had he one kynge in his companye that hyght Rubyon. And wyth theym was come another kynge right myghty and grete beyonde mesure, whiche of heyght was xv fote long, and wyth-all right foull and hydouse for to see / So moche they dede that

they cam all out of their vesselles, and had out all theyr horses, tentes, & pauyllyons / artylleryes, and harneys / And sprade them self thurgh the medowes that be there full ample & large / They of the cyte coude neuer lette hem nor defende / But that atte their pleasure they descended from their shippes & toke lande, for so grete a nombre they were, that men called them about four score thousand men of warre or more, besyde thos that kept their shippes / Ryght grete bruyt & grete noyse they made at their comyng a lande, of harnes, bussynes, and of tambours, so that an horryble thyng it was to here / The Kynge Alymodes and his son daryus, acompanyed wyth the two other kynges, mounted vpon theire coursers & palfreys, & [sign. C iiij.] xx thousand men wyth them, [& xx thousand men wyth them a dix mille hommes auec eulx] & came to fore the cyte, The kynge Alymodes so ferre that he was nyghe by the gate, heuyng vpward his hand / sayeng to them that kept theire warde / that they sholde yelde vp the cyte vnto hym or euer that the lande aboute were wasted / sweryng vpon all the goddes that he worshiped / that he ne sholde departe from byfore the cyte, vnto the tyme that he had the proude pucelle in amours tyl his spouse and wyff / They of wythynne thenne heryng Alymodes the kynge speke that wel they knewe, ansuered vnto hym / that they had noo fere of hym / And that theyre damoyselle & maystres doubted nor feered hym nought in noo thynge / This ansuere y-herde, Alymodes þe kynge, replenysshed wyth wrath and Ire more than euer he was to fore / made his oost to approche as nyghe the cyte as he coude / He made there his tentes & his pauyllyons to be pyght, and his folke to be lodged aboute hym / And made his chieff standard to be sette al on hyghe vpon his riche pauyllyon / ayenst whiche they of the cyte casted full fast,

& often serpentynes and gunnes, wherof they dyde grete dommage vnto their enemyes./ But what someuer thinge that men euere dyde vnto them, nor that of their folke was made grete occysion and slawghter, Neuertheles, they lefte not to lodge hem self there, what for daunger nor moleste that men coude do to them [what for daunger nor moleste that men coude do to them = quelque dangier ou moleste que on leur sceust faire.] / And all as nyghe the cyte as myght be / makyng redy their canons and their bombardes, for to bruse and bete doune the walles of the sayd towne /