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 xxx. chapitre conteyneth how daryus the sone of Alimodes, by fortune of the see, arryued in the lande of ffryse, where he dyde grete hurt, damage, & toke the kynge of ffryse, the fader of Blanchardyn, and had hym wyth hym prysoner vnto Cassydonye.

Well ye haue herde by-fore how Blanchardyn was taken and had prysoner by kynge Alymodes folke, the whiche betoke hym to his soone Daryus for to brynge hym to cassydonye; And þe manere how he escaped the fortune of the see, and cam & arryued in the lande of prusse; Duryng the whiche tyme

Daryus, the sone of Alymodes, the kynge beyng in his cyte of Cassydonye, awaytyng after tydynges of them that had forth Blanchardyn toward the kynge of Salamandrye. But his awaytyng that he made was in vayne, for they were all perysshed and drowned in the see, as ye haue herde aboue /

¶ Whan Daryus sawe noo tydynges, he coulde not vnderstande of them; he made redy a grete nauye laden wyth men of werre, and wyth artylary, and vytaylles for to goo agayn to the syege of Tourmaday toward his fader / Whan all these thynges were redy, he toke his leue of his suster Beatryse, to whom he betoke his citye to kepe. he syn entred his shyp, made to drawe vp ancres, and began anoon for to sayle, so that wythin a lytil / whyle they were oute of syghte and fer ſrom the hauen. and so longe they saylled wyth goode wynde, that they were anoon nyghe the realme of Tourmadaye; but as they shulde haue taken lande, a storme began to come, grete & horribyll wynde to blowe, that rose oute of the landes, soo that, wether they wolde or not, they must habandoune their barkes & galleys to the wyndes & wawes of the see, wherfor they were ful sore afrayed. The wynde & the see were so horryble to here & see, that they wende all to peryshe anoon / They were full sone y-caste from the realme of Tourmaday / And the wynde brought them in to a lytyl Isle, longyng to the realme of fryse, the whiche was fruytfull & right fayr, and replenyshed wyth all maner of goodes / So that bycause of the grete commodytees of that Isle, Blanchardyns fader, kynge of fryse, went for to sporte hym there thre or four tymes in the yere, that he shulde forgete ther by the grete sorowe that was atte his herte for loue of his sone Blanchardyn, of whom no tydynges he had syth his departynge from hym / And also for of the grete dysplesure that he had of the quene his wyffe, that suche a sorowe made for her entyerli beloued

sone / blanchardin / whiche she wyste not where he was becom / that no body lyuyng myghte gyue her consolaconn / nor brynge her herte oute of trystesse & sorowe. And ther for the noble kynge, wyth a fewe of his folke, was come to the sayde Isle for to dysporte hym there, and to dryue his fantassye away. In the whiche Isle he had do make a fayr paleyce ryghte delectable / Duryng the tyme that he was thus there, the sayd aduenture happed, that daryus, the sone of kynge Alymodes, wyth his grete naue, by fortune of the see arryued there, as it is sayde, euen at that same hauen that was most nyghe to the sayde paleys where the kynge of fryse lay / Daryus, that of his beynge ther was soone aduertysed, [Daryus, that of his beynge ther was soone aduertysed = Daire et toute sa nauire y vint arriuer et prendre port par vng bien matin Il fist jette les ancres puis saillirent hors tous ensamble moult Ioyeux de ce que hors de la tourmente de la mer estoient eschappez. Mais pas bien ne scauoient en quel pays Ilz-estoient arriuez.] came anone wyth his puissaunce of men to the paleys, where they founde but litil resistaunce. whan they were come there, they fonde three of þe kynge of frysys seruauntes, to whom they asked to whom belongeth that paleys, and how the lande was called. The sayd thre men ansuerd them wyth grete fere, that the paleyce and the ysle was bylongyng vnto the kynge of ffryse, that was come there thre dayes afore that / 'frendes,' sayde daryus, 'what lawe is there kept amonge you in this lande?' / 'Syre,' sayde one of hem, 'we holden on the crysten feyth, & are byleuyng in Ihesu cryste' / Thenne daryus, knowyng that he was fortunatly arryued vpon the crysten peple, enmye of his lawe / comaunded that they sholde be all slayne & brought to deth / the whiche thynge was putte to execucyon after his comaundement, except vpon one of hem that escaped, that dyde soo moche, that he went & entred in to the paleys thurghe the wykettes of the gate, that of a custume were allewayes

lefte open. And whan he was come wyth ynne, he made a scrye, and called alowde after the watche / so that euery man cam forth for to doo his deuoyre, eche of hem in his rowme [eche of hem in his rowme = chacun en son lieu accoustume] in defending the place after their powere / & whan he was come as ferre as the halle wythin the paleys, he byganne to reforce his callynge, cryinge wyth a hyghe voyce / sainge þat 'they were all lost, and that þe sarrasyns were descended from their shippes byfore þe paleyce in grete nombre.' thenne rose & cam they of wythin out of all partyes of the place, armed & arrayed as haste requyred, and no bettre / Soone was the tydynges herof brought to the kynge, that at that owre was at his rest, and slept fast as a man that doubted hym self of noo suche aduenture to be falle / he a-woke out of his slepe thurghe the pyteouse crye that of his men was made. Notwythstandyng he made hym self redy, and made a goode ordynaunce as a prynce of hyghe corage and grete vertue / for in all poyntes he was a right valyaunt and a hardy prynce / but ouer sodaynly he was taken. Neuerthelesse, full nobly, lyke a man of grete corage, he admonested his folke, and trowed to haue goon to the yate of his palayce, the whiche was all redy wonne and taken / And daryus and his folke were entred Inne / The kynge of ſryse seynge his paleys wonne, a grete sorowe toke hym at his herte of that he was so taken vnbeware / And anone hastely he and his folke went and sought wythin the place where they myght saue hymself best / but ouer sore oppressed they were, and of so nyghe chassed that neuer one of them escaped, but he was taken or ded / The kynge was taken and seasid, the handes ybounde & the eyen yblynded, and sent in to the shippes by daryus, and lykewyse was doon of all his barons that were there / After that this grete myshap was thus falle to the kynge of fryse /

Daryus & his folke serched the paleys / they robbed alle the richesses and goodes that were ther Inne / & were al brought in to daryus shippes /

¶ Thees pytoyable thynges thus y-happed, they made their horses to be had out of their shippes, and anone ouer ranne all the ysle, & wasted and dystroyed all the countrey, and slewe men, wymen, and children bothe yonge and olde / they toke and rauysshed alle the bestyall, as oxen, kene, and shepe, wherof was there wythout nombre, and had them in to their shippes whyche they charged wyth the praye and gayne that they made there in the sayd Isle. And syn they dyde putte the palayce all in a fire, and toke wyth them grete nombre of prysoners, and entred agen in to their shippes, wyth grete Ioye & gladnes for the goode aduenture that they had fonde. all thus in grete dyspleasure & heuynes was taken þe kyng of frise, and was broughte as a prisoner, sore wepyng & sorowynge his byttirnesses. The poure sorwfull kyng had his herte all replenished wyth sorowe & heuynes, of the whiche the nobel quene his wyff shall haue parte whan thees pituable tydynges shall come to her eeris, for she toke in her self suche a sorow & so grete a displesure therfor, wyth þat that she sorowed before for the departynge of her dere sone blanchardyn / that she was constrayned thorugh grete passion & bytternes of hert to falle in a swoune; for her legges nor feete myghte not bere her, and not wythoute a cause, and bycamme so sore febil, & so full of sorowe / that atte the laste, what for her sone blanchardyn as for þe loue of her goode husbande & her lorde, she toke suche a sekenes that her soule departed from the body of her / And thus the noble ladye & goode quene of fryse ended her dayes in heuynes & sorowe, for the loue of her lorde that she so myserably had loste. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less