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 xxvj. chapitre foloweth, whiche conteyneth how darius had a commaundement don vnto hym in his faders byhalue, that he shold haue blanchardyn forth in

to Salamaundrye. ¶ And how the ship in whiche Blanchardyn was Inne, was perysshed by fortune and tempeste of the see, and were all drowned except blanchardyn / And how he cam toward the kynge of Maryenbourgh / that reteyned hym in seruyse, [in seruyse = de son hostel] & of hym he made his constable /

After the departynge of the prouost, Alymodes the kyng gaaff commaundement vnto his sonn daryus, that he sholde tourne ayen in to Cassydonye, whiche is in the lande of Nourwaye, of whens he was kynge.

¶ And that he sholde take wyth hym his suster, and kepe wel his lande and countreye duryng the tyme that he sholde kepe his siege before Tourmaday / And that he sholde haue wyth hym blanchardyn / whome he sholde sende forth hastely assone as he were comen to Cassydonye / to be pressented on his byhalue to the kynge of salamandrye, whos brother blanchardyn had brought to dethe, for to haue wrake vpon hym. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less Daryus heryng his fadres commaundement, made to be redy a shippe right bygge and grete / wher Inne he and his suster entred wel garnysshed wyth folke & vytaylle / And in another small shippe that was there redy he made Blanchardyn to be brought ynne wyth thre score men that had the kepyng of hym / Whan they were redy they wonde theyr saylles vp and departed / Grete pyte it was to see and here the pyteouse rewthe and complayntes that blanchardyn made / for well he wend that he sholde neuyr haue seen ayen her for whom he was brought in suche angwysshe and sorowe / We shal at this tyme leue to speke of hym,

and shal retourne to speke of the proude pucelle in amours, And of the grete tyraunte Alymodes that wasted al the countrey aboute the city of Tourmaday, & greued sore the towne and them of wyth-ynne wyth his engynes asmoche as he coude / How be it that the cytezeynes yssued oute often and slew fuson of their enmyes / And ye fayre, the proude pucelle in amours that euermore had her sight that parte that she wyst her best beloued goon, whiche she wysshed sore agayne / lamentyng for hym, for she sawe playn ynough whan he departed from the porte, toke in her herte her leue of hym, full sore wepynge / She brought thene in remembraunce how swetly he had kyssed her, wherof she had take so grete a dyspleasure; 'but alas!' sayde she, 'this displeasure passed ouer manyfolde that other, and more than I can telle. Ha, A! fortune, shal I neuere haue noon other, but alwayes dysplaysure' / And after thes wordes she fel in a swone as half ded. And the ladyes and other gentyl women full pyteously wepyng, toke her vp anone, and had her to bedde, where fro she parted not six dayes after / Of that other part, Daryus and his folke, his suster wyth hym / & blanchardyn in the lytyl shippe, saylled soo longe that they arryued in the lande of Northweye, euyn at the hauene of the cyte of Cassadonye where they ancred / But or that daryus went out of his shippe, he commaunded and ordeyned to them that had kepynge of Blanchardyn / that they shold haue hym streyght forthe to the kynge of Salmaundrye / And that they sholde delyuere hym in his hande / And telle hym that it was he that had slayne Rubyon, his brother, byfore Tourmaday, where his fader kynge Alymodes was yet kepyng the syege, whiche made hym a present off hym that had kylled his brother, for to take vengeaunce thereof atte his wylle / They that had the charge to doo this, ansuered that they sholde doo hys commaundement. They departed from

cassydonye; but ye may be wel in certayne that this departynge dysplaysed moche vnto Beatrise, Daryus suster / & ful fayne wolde haue putte ther vnto a remedy yf by any meanes she had coude; but atte that oure she had noo power to do soo / Blanchardyn, that in the lytyl ship was, was sore dolaunt whan he sawe hym self to be had forthe from the other, and thoughte well that a present sholde be made of hym in some straunge lande. he dyde reclame & calle vpon oure lord god right deuoutly, beseching that of his grace he wold haue pyte and mercy vpon hym, that he myght yet ones come to his sore desyred wylle / that is to wytte, to see his fayre lady, the proude mayden in loue, and that he wold kepe her sauff from kynge Alymodes handes / Ye may byleue well that Blanchardyn made grete sorowe and lamentacyon, wyshyng full often that he may yet see ones his lady that he loued truly aboue all other. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less

¶ And whan they were comen two days saylyng nyghe the coste of Salamandre, a grete tempeste roose in the see, and so horryble that the saylle of their shippe was all to-rent in peces, that all the maryners coude putte therto noo remedye. suche and so grete was the tempeste that they must gyue nedes to the wyndes and wawes of the see, the kepynge & the gydynge bothe of their shippe and of them alle that were ther Inne, whiche soone were brought besyde a grete roche, wher vpon their ship smote by suche a force / that she cloued anone in two peces, wher-by alle the mareners and þe sayde thre score men were perysshed and drowned in the see / And neuere non of them saued, But onely blanchardyn, that couched hym self alonge vpon the mast of the shippe, whiche enbraced & colled sore fast wyth bothe his armes. They were nyghe the lande, as it is sayde, where as the sayd mast and Blanchardyn vpon it was cast of the wawes vnto the shores. whan

blanchardyn felt hym self nyghe a grounde, and fast by the lande, he forsoke his maste, & lepte from hit to the lande; and whan he was come there, he kneled doune right sone vpon bothe his knees, and hauyng his handes heued vp toward the heuens, rendered and gaff louynge and thankes vnto our lord, that thus had delyuered hym from that grete parell where he was Inne /

¶ After that he had made his oryson to oure lord, he toke on his waye all a fote, for to drawe hym self to that aduenture that god wolde sende hym / And walked so longe tyl that he fonde not, fer wythin the contrey, a right fayre towne, whiche is now called Maryenbourgh, and is in the lande of Pruce / wythin the whiche, at þe same tyme, was a right myghty kynge that kept ther a grete feste, wher-atte he had called alle his barons and lordes, & alle the gentylmen of there aboute, whiche alle arryued there vpon the daye that to them was prefyxed or poynted for to come /

¶ Blanchardyn thoughte wythin hym self that he wolde make black his vysage, or of coloure suche that the folke of that contrey had hers atte that tyme; he toke and gadred som herbs that serued hym ther to, and rubbed therwyth his vysage all aboute. And in lyke wyse his handes / by cause that of noo body he sholde not be knowen. He coude well speke dyuers langages, and in especyall the hygh duche [the hygh duche = thioise] tonge. He purueyed and dyde ordeyne hym self so, that yf he had ben met of them that had seen hym afore, they myght not thenne haue knowen hym.

¶ Whan he had apareylled hym self well, he toke his way forth on, and folke he met ynoughe by the waye, of whom he asked the name of the towne that he sawe a fore hym / and they tolde hym that it was the city of Maryenbourgh / He went so longe that he cam in to the towne, and asked whiche was the waye to the paleys, for right well he coude

speke the langage of the contrey, as it is sayde. Men shewed hym the paleys; and he went in, where he fonde the kynge amonge his barons, to whom he made the reuerence righte humbly & honorable, as ful wele coude he doo it. The kynge thenne demaunded of hym yf he was a yoman or els a squier, and Blanchardyn tolde hym that he was a knyght, & that from his contree that sore ferre was, thens he was departed / for to come & serue hym, for by cause of the grete renommee þat he had herde speke of him, and how thorugh fortune & tempeste of the see his ship was perished, & he only had saued hymsilf. The kynge ful besily behelde Blanchardyn, that semed to hym a full faer yonge man, and wele shapen of all membres / And wyth thys he praysed hym ryght gretly that he was a knyght, and so thought in hymself that he was come of som highe & nobyl extraccion, for his fayr behauore & assured contenaunce that the kynge sawe to be in hym, gaffe demonstracion of the trouble of what byrthe he was come of; wherfore the kynge was right wele content, and reseyued hym of his hous. And commanded to his stewarde that he sholde be brought to a chamber, and that all suche thynges that necessarye were to hym / shulde be delyuered wythoute onye gaynsaynge vnto hym: the whiche thynge, after the commaundement youen, was doon / he was ledde in to a chambre fayre & clene, where was raymentes, & full riche clothynge were to hym delyuerd, wherwyth he dyde araye hymsilf. whan he was thus clothed & richely arayed, he semed wele to be a man comen of some nobyl hous. he cam ayen anon toward the kyng, that ful gladli sawe hym and moche plesed him, and so dyd he to all þe knyghtes and other of the kynges courte. The kynge, that gretli desired to knowe of his estate, asked of hym what he was, of what lande and of what lynage. blanchardyn aunsuerd þat [sign. F j.] he was of the lande of Grece, and

sone to a kynge / 'but, sire, for cause of the right grete renomme and goode fame that renneth of you ouer all the world, is a wylle entred wythin me to departe secretly out of my countreye, wyth a fewe men of myne, wythout licence of the kynge, my fader, and brought wyth me but thre score men / We toke the see, and cam nyghe by the castell of Mocastre, byfore the whiche a right grete & Impetuouse tempeste rose, that lasted vs thre dayes and thre nyghtes without ceasse / In so moche that fortune, thrugh stormes of wyndes, made oure vessel to smite ayenst a grete roche, and brake, so that all my men were drowned, and noon escaped sau onely myself that ye see here. And wyth grete peyne and traueyl, all a fote, I am come toward you hether / Yf I sholde all suche aduentures as I haue fonde by the waye, reherce vnto you, ouer moche myght let you the heryng of hem / but thanked be Mahoum, that this grace hath doon vnto me / I am comen to do you seruyse after my powere' / 'Vassell,' sayde the kynge / 'of your commyn vnto me I am right glad / and wel pleaseth me your seruyse, and wyl not reffuse it / And for the grete losse and grete trouble and peyne that ye haue had for to seke me / rayson requyreth / that ye shold haue a goode reward of me / Well, ye are come to passe for to serue me in a werre whiche to vs is happed of newe, ayenst a kynge whos countrey is not fer hens / And for thys werke to conducte & brynge to an ende, I graunte you euen now, and chese you, for to be in oure behalue Conestable and hed captayne of oure present armye, for the grete trust and hope that we haue in your worthynes and personne' /