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 xxvij. chapitre conteyneth how a knyght, all sore wounded, cam and brought tydynges to the kynge of Maryenborugh,

that his enmye, the kynge of Poleyne, was entred wythin his royalme.

Whan the kynge had precented this grete worship to blanchardyn, it nedeth not to be asked yf he was therof gladde / or yf he forgate to thanke the kynge for the same; yet he dyde th[e]rin his deuoyer so well, that none coude haue doon it better, sayeng to hym in this manere / 'Syr, sith that this grete honoure ye haue proffred me / euyn now forthwythall I do accepte it, promyttynge you that all my strenghe, myght & vnderstandynge, that the goddes haue gyuen to me, I wyll putte & applie in your seruyse' / The kynge thenne, wyth a right glad chere, receyuyd blanchardyn, and toke hym by the hande, and sayd vnto hym: 'vassel, yf ye serue me well / a grete rewarde shal be redy yeuen to you therfore of me' / Ryght thus as the kynge was talkynge so wyth blanchardyn / cam there a knyghte armed of al peces, that was sore hurt in dyuerse places of his body, his shelde crasyd and broken, and his helmet all to-kutte / he cam byfore the kynges presence, sayeng to hym all an hyghe / 'Alas, noble kynge, where is now becomen the grete prowesses and hardynesse that were wont to be in the, that soo well hast ruled and kept vs of soo long tyme paste, Whan thou suffrest now thyn enmyes to sette thy land al on a fyre, and wymmen & children to be slayn of them, are comen ferre wythin they royalme / And but yf thou putte a prouysyon therto shortly, thou shalt, are thre dayes be passed, see thy self beseged wythin the cyte of Maryenbourgh / & knowe for certayn that the kynge of polonye, thy mortall aduersarye, is there in his persone, whiche hath auaunced hym self for to brenne and waste all the lande, the whiche thynge he shal mowe well doo, yf remedy be not [sign. F ij] sone putte by the therunto; and alredy

thou mayste see by me that they be not fer from hens, for as I was commynge towarde the / I dyde fynde thyn enmyes byfore me, whiche haue broughte me to the plyght that thou seest me nowe ynne / and yf wele yhorsed I had not ben / I shulde neuer haue escaped, but other I muste deye or be taken of hem.' Whan the kyng herde the knyght speke, he vnderstode wele by his wordes / that the thynge wente euyll for hym / he asked hym in what countree of his realme he had lefte his enmyes. 'Syr,' aunswerd the knyght / 'hyt is wele xxx. myle from hens to the place where I lefte them / but to myn aduyse, or euer thre dayes be past / but yf ye se a remedy, ye shal se them lodged here byfore the toun in their tentys & pauyllyons.' The kynge thenne, after the knyght had thus spoken to hym, he gaff commandement to his styward that he sholde be seen wele to / that he were helyd of his woundes, that were grete, by his owne leches cyrurgyens / the whiche thynge was doon as he had commaunded / The kynge wyth grete haste assembled them of his counseyll, for to see how a remedye shulde be had to the grete daunger that lykely was to comme, wythoute a goode prouysion were had. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less