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 xxix chapitre conteyneth, how blanchardyn & sadoyne & their folke, discomfyted their enmyes, & how blanchardyn toke prysoner the kynge of polonye, the whiche he putte in the handes of the kynge of Maryenbourgh. And of the worship that they made to Blanchardyn /

After their leue taken of the kynge, the two barons mounted on horsbacke, & camen to the felde, where they fonden their folke renged to-gydre; to whome they commaunded to departe, holdyng their waye toward their enmyes, whiche they fonde two dayes after, all redy aparailled for to fyght, for they were aduertysed afore of the commyng of blanchardyn / Whan they two oostes sawe eche other / the noyse & the cry began to be grete on bothe sydes / soo beganne they to marche forth toward eche other in right fayr ordonnaunce, made by blanchardyn, that conduyted the first bataylle; & had lefte sadoyne in the seconde baytaylle, in the kepynge of two noble prynces, that were there comen with hym / The shot beganne to fle of bothe partyes so fast & soo thycke, that the lyght of þe sonne was kept wythal from þe fyghters / And syth cam to Ioyne hem self togyder wyth sperys & wyth dartys, and wyth swerdes and axes, wherof they hewe eche other, in so moche that the felde was sone couerd wyth the bodyes ded that were slayne there / The horses went, trauayllyng after theym their owne bowellys, rennyng ouer hylles & dales here & there / And blanchardyn thenne, that in proesse & hardynes was entred, toke his spere doune, & ranne ayenst the brother of the kynge of polonye, that grete damage had done to þe prusyens / he rought hym so sore, & wyth so grete a strenghthe, that he shoued and passed his spere

alle thourgh & thourgh his body, that he fel doune sterk ded, wherof the noyse & the cry rose vp grete thourgh the batall of þe polonyens. ful sone cam the tydynges therof to the kynge, that grete sorowe made for his brothers dethe / he sware and made his auowe that he shold neuer haue Ioye at his herte vnto the tyme his brothers deth were auenged / Sore an angred & ful of wrath, smote hym self in to the thyckest of [sign. F iiij.] the bataylle, where he dyde vpon the prussyens grete merueylles of armes, so that there as he arryued no man durste not abyde nor come nyghe hym. Of that other parte was blanchardyn, that so many fayttes of armes had doon that, or euer his spere was broken, he had slayne and brought to deth, and borne to the grounde more than xxiiij [dix] of his enmyes / And syth toke in hande his swerde, wher wythall he brake the grete presses; he kutte & cloue the polonyens by so grete fyersnes that his swerde & bothe his armes were dyed wyth red blode / He semed not to them that sawe hym to be a man mortall, but semed better to be a fende, or a spiryte of the fayrye. he brake þe arayes of them that were renged, and the grete presses he departed, & made waye byfore hym. Alle fled, & non durste abyde hym, for the grete & merueyllouse faytes of armes that he made there, wherof they of prusse that wyth hym were, gaff hem self grete merueylle. they folowed after at þe backe of hym, as the yonge lambe do the sheep. sadoyne & his bataylle dyde approche their enmyes; they smote hem self wythin them, callyng a grete crye, wher for they of polonye lepte and reculed hem self abake six passes or moo. [six passes or moo = plus de six pas.] But the kynge of polonye, seeyng his folke go backe / was ful sory / he ascryed & dyde calle vpon his mayster Conestable, that he sholde ryde forth vpon his enmyes / þe whiche thynge he dyde, wherof the batayll began to

be reforced ayen, so that þe prussyens, wolde they or not, muste lose grounde and goo abak / And sholde haue be full sore dealed wyth all yf they had not be soone socoured of Blanchardyn / the whiche, seeyng his folke recuyelle abacke, gaffe the spore to his hors, & cam ayenst hym that bare the cheff standarde of polonye, to whom he gaaff soo merueylouse a stroke wyth his goode swerde that he cloue hym vnto the brest, and fell doune emonge the hors feet /

¶ Thenne byganne the noyse and the crye to ryse vp grete of the polonyens, that trowed to haue taken vp ayen their standarde. But blanchardyn, whiche at that owre slept not, smot hym self emonge them / he kutte and cloue them that nother helmet nor shelde coude helpe there / Soo that none was so hardy to approche hym / His folke dyde folowe hym, and putte hem self vpon their enmyes, so that it was force the polonyens to recule abak the space of an acre of lande or more. The kynge of polonye, that sawe his folke recule & fle, and his standarde ybrought to the grounde thourgh the valyauntnes and strengthe of one knyght alone, sware his goode goddes [sware his goode goddes = Iura ses bon dieux] that he sholde neuere haue Ioye at herte tyll that the deth of his brother, and the damage that he had receyued were by hym auenged / he smote hym self in to the bataylle, and relyed his folke to gyder as well as he coude / Soo chose he Blanchardyn, that grete slawghter dyde make ouer his men. he toke a bygge spere in his hande, and drewe that part where he sawe hym that so moche of euyll and damage had borne to hym / Blanchardyn sawe hym right well commynge toward hym; he toke also a grete spere from the hande of a knyght of his, that was nyghe hym, and cam ayenst the kynge of Polonye, that soone perceyued hym. They brought alowe their sperys, & ranne sore one vpon the other, and gaff eche other soo

vnmesurable strokes that the kynge of Polonye spere brake al to peces / but that other spere that blanchardyn had, that was of wode right stronge and harde, brake not, But roughte the kynge of Polonye wythall by suche a strengthe and vertue, that he bare hym from his horse doune to the grounde /

¶ Blanchardyn anon cast from hym his goode spere, & syth tooke his goode swerde in hande, and cam to the kynge for to haue smytten of his hed / but þe kynge, seyenge that noon of his folke came for to socoure hym, dyde take his swerde to blanchardyn, yeldynge hym vp vnto hym, & prayed hym to saue hym his lyff / Thenne was the kynge redely taken to mercy of blanchardyn, that toke hym by the hande, & gaf hym to tenn knyghtes for to kepe hym, that had hym out of þe presse by cause that they sholde be more sure of hym. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less Whan they of polonye sawe & knewe their kynge to be take, they wyst wel ynough that he was not to be recouered of hem / wherfor gaffe vp the place & fled awaye / And so fynably were all the polonyens discomfyted, taken, or brought to dethe, that fewe of them escaped / but grete gayne made there they of prusse, whiche was departed by blanchardyn to them that had hit deserued. After this bataylle doon, & that they had chassed their enmyes oute of their royalme / Blanchardyn wyth grete glorye & grete tryumphe, & Sadoyne his trusty felawe wyth hym, retourned toward Maryenborugh, and their folke wyth them, where they were receyued of the kynge wyth grete Ioye & praysynge / Thenne cam blanchardyn to the kynge, and to hym sayde: 'Syre, I do yelde and delyuere in to your handes the kynge of Polonye your enemye, whiche I haue taken wyth the helpe of your sone, and of your noble and worthy cheualrye; & ye may now doo wyth hym what youre goode plesure is or shalbe' / The kynge, that therof

was well aduertysed by his sone and by his other barons that the bataylle had ben ouercome, & the kynge of polonye taken, thourgh þe right excellent & hyghe proesse of Blanchardyn, toke hym in his armes, and syth sayde vnto hym: 'Ha, my right trusty frende & right noble knight, fulfylled with al gode maners and vertues; that hath be the pyler, susteynynge vnder thy swerde [Wanting in the French.] expand_less bothe my self & all my royalme [de mon people deffendeur / De vefues et orphenins secure garde et droituriere] / I am not a power to reward the after the meryte that ye haue deserued to haue of me. Well ye haue shewed, & doon perfytly to be vnderstande [Wanting in the French.] expand_less thexcellent vertu of humplite that is in you / and the right hyghe and noble lynage that ye be descended of. [sans nulle doubte et as bien averi fie tes parolles.] But fro this owre now I betake my self, my sone, & my royalme in your protection, & wol that all your commaundementes be obeyed and put to execucyon in all manere poyntes.' The noble Blanchardyn thenne heryng the kynge, that suche honoure made vnto hym, sayd: 'sire, suche a worship apparteyneth not to be doon to me / for I am not to the value therof / And it suffyseth me right well to be symply taken and kept as one of youre knyghtes wyth you and youre soone.' The kynge wyst not to thanke hym ynough, that soo had delyuered hym from his enmyes, and had put in his handes that kynge that moost he hated in this world / Wherfore he sayde vnto Blanchardyn that he had a Cosyn, that was of a right excellent beaulte, whiche he wolde gyue hym right gladly to be his wyff. But Blanchardyn dyde excuse him self, saynge þat in his countrey he was trouthplyght tyl another / The kynge herynge blanchardyn, helde hym therof for excused. right grete honoure was don vnto hym of the kynge & of all his barons / but aboue

al other he was most beloued & dere yholde of Sadoyne, the kynges sone, that was a fayr knyght & yonge, right hardy and valyaunt; and also Blanchardyn loued hym moche, & yet more he wolde haue do yf he had be a crysten man / but nought he durste to hym speke therof /

¶ Here we shall leue to speke of Blanchardyn, & shal leue hym wyth the kynge of Maryenbourgh in prusse, and wyth his sone Sadoyne, that soo dere loued hym that wythout he was alwayes wyth hym, he myght not endure. but what so euer goode sporte & pleysure that blanchardyn sawe ther make for his sake, nothyng coude playse nor brynge hym tyll his hertys ease, But euer more reforced and redoubled his sorowe at alle tymes that he remembred wythin hym self his right swete lady & goode maystres, the whiche he had lefte beseged wythin her cyte of Tourmaday by the vntrewe and crymynel tyraunt Alymodes, kynge of Cassydonye, that had made his othe neuere to departe thens Into the tyme that he had tyl his wyf the right fayre and proude pucelle in amours /