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 xxj. chapiter conteyneth how the proude pucell in loue / by the grete loue that she had sette vpon Blanchardyn, bycam Ialouse / and douted leest he shuld sette his loue on one of the doughters of the prouoste / whom she hasteli sente for, and spake to hym as it foloweth [Wanting in the French.] expand_less /

The maystres, herynge the complayntes of the proude pucelle in amoures, had no lytyl Ioye to here suche tydynges, and tyll her feete fell herself, and sayd: 'Thanked be god, madame, þe werre wiche is cause of so many euilles shal ceasse in your realme, yf it please god, for from þe owr that ye shal wold gyue your loue vnto kynge Alymodes, the right happy wele of peas shal be publysshed thurgh alle the countrey. But and yf ye suffre the siege to abyde any lenger byfore youre cyte, Ye ought to wyte that the countrey about shal vtterly be dystroyed of kyng alymodes folke; wherfore at my request, vse youre self after þe dyscyplyne of amours, to whome ye haue made obeyssance, and take to youre lord and husbande the kynge Alymodes: how well [sign. D ij.] he ys ouerraged, take no hede and care not therfore. he hath yet strenghe ynough. ye see what it ys of warre' / And thenn the proude mayden in loue answerd and sayde to her maystres: 'I haue absoluteli sayde to you, ones for alle / that

while I lyue, kyng Alymodes shall neuer wedde me. I merueylle me gretli of you, that ar ferre in age, & ought wele to knowe so ferre that a lesse euyll it were for to suffre all my lande to be wasted, than to wed and take to my lorde a kynge full of Idolatrye, acursed and apostata of oure holy crysten feyth. Thynke not that I sorough for hym, but byleue that there is grete choys of alymodes & hym for whom loue hath taken my fayth, that neuer I shall change hym.' The maystres wyste not goodely what she shulde thynke, but ynoughe she doubted that Blanchardyn had that grace, from whiche he was alytyl afore sore ferre cast. Sone after, wythoute lityll taryeng, the proude pucelle in amoures sent for the prouoste, sayeng that she had nede of his counceyl / 'he is sage, dyscrete, and experte in many thynges,' sayd she; 'I am sure that he hath in his house a rote that, as to my semyng, shal gyf me help, and shal lyght my herte of the soris wherof I am full sore passyonned' / her maystres, wythout more enquyre to be made / sent one for the prouost, that cam sone toward the proude mayden in amours / and made to her the reuerence / She toke hym by the hande, and made hym to syt doune by her, for to breke her matere and to come to a conclusyon. She made her premysses for to speke of her werre / But she forgate not to telle hym how the knyght, his hoste, that is to wyte, Blanchardyn, and he hym self had borne hem self that day right valyauntly, wherof she was right well content / And that yf it pleased god, she sholde haue knowlege som day of thoos that helpeth her to mayntene her were ayenst the false sarasyn [false sarasyn = desloyal] Alymodes / She that ardauntly sought occasion to fynde matyere for to spek of Blanchardyn, sayde vnto the prouost in this manyere: 'Prouost, I haue founde you alwayes goode and / trewe seruaunt vnto me /

wherof I fele me moche beholden to yow / And wyl aduertyse you of one thyng that dyspleseth me sore, whiche is sayd of youre doughters, that is that they wyll enamoure hem self of that knyght, youre ghest, whiche is now lodged wyth yow, whiche is a thynge of grete oultrage and grete dyshonoure vnto them, knowyng that he is a man come of a grete house and extracted of hyghe parentage, and a grete lorde in his contrey / I make no doubte, but holde my self wel certayn that he the lesse therfore setteth by them. And also it is no merueylle, theyre grete foly displayseth me moche. for it is to be presumed that this myght be cause to mynusshe your worship and their goode renomme' / 'Madame,' sayd the prouost, 'I haue not perceyued me of this ['I haue not perceyued me of this = Je ne me suis pas perceu de] that ye telle me / But yf it were soo that the knyght wherof ye speke were wyllyng to take one of hem, I sholde holde her to be employed to the most valiaunt knyght that men euere speke of: to the moost free, sage, and curteys that I trowed euere to be acqueynted of. Now wolde god that his wylle were suche / And that he had as grete desyre to take her / as I sholde be wyllyng for to gyue her to hym, shure bargayne shold be all thus lyghtly doon / that sore lytyll that god hath lent me of goodes sholde not be straunged vnto hym by me / for he is worthy to haue mykel more [for he is worthy to haue mykel more = car il le vault] / hath he not taken this daye tenne knyghtes prysonners, besydes threty coursers that he hath conquered vpon youre enemyes; and so many of them he hath clouen and slayne, that grete merueylle it were to reherse the same. and to my demyng [to my demyng = a mon ensient] / I trowe better that he is a man of the feyre than [sign. D iij.] otherwyse, for his prowes and worthynes, that ben hyghe, are not to be tolde ne compared to the humayn or wordely werkes.'