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 xxxiiij chapiter conteyneth how sadoyne toke leue of his fader the kyng, & so dyde Blanchardyn, & toke the see wyth a grete naue, charged wyth men of werre, for to gyue socoure to the proude pucelle in amours / And of the prouost of Tourmaday, whiche they founde by the waye.

After many wordes proferred & sayde betwene þe two yonge knyghtes, sadoyne departed & com to fore the kynge his fader, to whome in the best wyse that he myght or coude / dyde shewe vnto him his wyll / requiring of him that it myght be accomplisshed / shewyng vnto hym how that his royalme was in peas & tranquilite that tyme, & that it was not lyke that werre shold happe there to befal; and by cause he was a yonge man, he wolde yet faine excercyse him self in þe noble crafte of armes, & that a lawfull & Iuste cause he had to do soo, for to gyue socoure & helpe the yonge knyght straunger, 'that thourgh his

prouesse & grete worthynes hathe socoured you, and holpen to putte out your mortal enmyes that were ferre come wythin this your royalme / and hath brought in to your handes as prysonner, your enmye the kynge of polonye, for to do your owne wylle vpon hym / of the whiche good seruyse, he ought of rayson to be well rewarded' / Whan the kynge of prusse vnderstode his son / he gaf to hym-self grete merueylle, & was wel abashed of that soudayne a wylle that was come to him. Neuertheles, whan he knewe, & that he was aduertysed by his sone al alonge of the cause & quarelle of Blanchardyn, he was al ynough content, and graunted hym his request / Wherof his son & eke Blanchardyn cam & fel bothe doune humbly at þe fote of hym, and thanked him of that grete curtosye. And for to see and furnysshe that this were doon, the kynge dyde make redy suche shippes as apparteyned therunto, and made them to be garnished well of vytaylles and of artyllery nedeful to suche an enterpryse. Vpon whiche nauye he sent wyth his son and wyth Blanchardyn the nombre of twelue thousand knyghtes of the most approued and best chosen of al his royalme / and other men of werre in grete nombre / Al their arraye was made redy, & the daye come that they sholde departe. The kynge seenge the barkes and shippes of his sone to be furnysshed of men of werre and of vytaylles, of golde and syluer, and of alle thynge that were necessary to them / he was therof right glad / And syth dyde doo putte wyth the shippes foure ydoles, his goddes, that were all of fyne golde and garnyshed full richely wyth grete perles and precyouse stones.

¶ And after this he entred hym self wythin the ship & toke his leue of his sone Sadoyne / prayng vnto blanchardyn that he shold haue him for recomended / & toke his leue of them / Whan the kynge was come out of the ship where he had lefte his sone sadoyne wyth blanchardyn / he beganne to wepe /

And after that he was gon from hem / they made to take vp the ancres & to hale vp their saylles, wher-in þe wynde entred that had them soone ferre from the lande out of syght / & toke the hyghe see assone as they myght, sayllyng by the costes of many a strange regyon wythout fyndyng of eny aduenture that is to be recounted / & so longe they saylled bothe daye and nyght that they cam nyghe Tourmaday as two dayes Iournay / byfore whiche cyte was yet kyng Alymodes at siege wyth his oost, wherof the fayr the proude pucell in amours was sore displeysaunt. And in especyall she was sore discomfited at her herte for the loue of her frende blanchardyn, that was the same tyme wyth his felawe sadoyne sayllyng vpon the see in grete gladnesse for the wynde & the see that were peasible. And saylled so longe that they perceyued a galeye from ferre, that made fast waye ther as they went hem self, In whiche vessell was the prouost of Tourmadaye & other seruauntes to the proude pucelle in amours, and cam ayen from the oncle, the kyng of the grete Norweghe, whiche they fonde but late ded whan they cam there, where they retourned wyth-out expedicyon of that wherfore they were goon thyder. Whan the prouost & they of the galeye dyde perceyue the shippes of Blanchardyn, they were full sore affrayed, by cause they knewe well anoon that they were all sarrasyns.

¶ And of that other parte, Blanchardyn and sadoyne perceyued sone that they of the galleye were crysten / they made anon after the sayd galleye for to enclose & take her / And whan they cam nyghe by her, they called & asked 'of whens was the vessell, What they were, & fro whens they came;' & thenne the prouost, wyth a grete drede & feer of his lyfe, lept forthe & sayde / 'Lordes, we see wel that we can not escape you / but for drede of noo deth I shal not leue to telle vnto you the trouth of all oure affayre / We all that

be here, come from the grete north weghe, & were sent toward the kynge of the lande, whiche was oncle to the proude mayden in loue, whiche is oure ladye & maystresse.'

¶ Blanchardyn, right Ioyouse, knewe fulsone the prouost, & thought that sone ynought he sholde here of hym som goode tydynges of that thynge whiche he most desyred in this worlde / But the prouost knewe not blanchardyn the same tyme, by cause he was made blak, disfigured & sore chaunged of face by strengthe of the sonne / but trowed that he had ben a sarrasyne as other were / Thenne cam blanchardyn nyghe the bordours of the galley, & toke the prouoste by the hand, & made hym to come wythin his ship. Of dyuerses thynges he questyoned hym, but the prouost ansuered ferfully, for he doubted them sore. So prayed he to blanchardyn, after he had exposed vnto hym of whens he cam & what he was, that he wolde doo them no harme. Blanchardyn right humbly aysuered hym & sayde / 'ffrende, take no feere at all, for nother damage nor euyl shal not be don to you nor to non of yours, for I shal myself conueye you yf nede be' / the prouost thanketh hym moche & was right glad. 'Sir,' sayde blanchardyn to the prouost, 'ye haue tolde me that ye be of the cite of tourmaday. I pray you that ye wyl telle me in what regyon & what marche it is sette, and who is lord there. I praye you to telle me the trouth of it' / þe prouost thenne seeng þat feabli he myght speke without doubte or fear, he dyde reherce unto blanchardyn al a longe, how þe royalme of tourmaday was come to a doughter full fayre and goode, that made her self to be called the proude pucelle in amours, that neuer wolde wedde kynge, duc, nor erle, how grete that he were; & that for the loue of a gentyl knyght that not longe agoo cam and socoured her in her werre, that she had and yet hath ayenst the kynge Alymodes, that wolde haue her to his wyff. 'But,

sire,' sayde the prouost / 'by grete infortune the worthy knyght wherof I do speke to you, and the most valyaunt and most fayre that euer man myght or coude seke noowher in all the worlde, was taken of kynge Alymodes folke by-fore the cyte of Tourmaday; whiche kynge hath sent hym in to exile in ferre landes, that none can not knowe where / But that men saye that of hym sholde be made a present to a kynge sarrasyne, whos brother the sayd knyght had slayen. Wherfor my sayd lady is in grete displaysure, & ceaseth not nyght nor day to wysshe hym wyth her / praying god for his retourne agayne. The sayd kynge Alymodes is alwaye kepynge his siege before her cyte of Tourmaday, & wasteth & distroyeth al the contrey about, for other harme can he not do to her, the towne and the castel are stronge ynoghe and are vytayled alle ynough, so that or euer he coude haue them, my sayde lady sholde be for aaged.' Blanchardyn herde wel gladly the prouost / and sayde to sadoyne his felowe in his ere, that of his lady in amours thees wordes were sayde. Sadoyne dyde here hem gladly, and the deuyses wyth Blanchardyn to the said prouost of many thynges concernyng this matyre. And Blanchardyn coude vnderstande noo thynge by the prouost, but that all was at his auantage, wherby he knewe that he was in his lady's grace as well as he was euer afore /

¶ The prouost thenne seeng soo many fayre men of armes, he pryuely demaunded of Blanchardyn / yff they wolde be souldyours of the fayre, the proude mayden in amours, ayenst the kyng Alymodes, and they shold be right well payed / Thenne ansuered to hym Blanchardyn and sayde, 'I byleue al ynough well that yf she wolde make of one of vs a kyng, she myght of lyght be serued of vs and of oure men.' 'Syre,' sayde the prouost, 'it is no nede to speke more herof / for she shal neuer take, I am well sure, non other man tyl her lord, but that self

knyght of whom I spake right now to you of / nor non shal haue her royalme of her but only hym self.'

¶ 'How thenne,' sayd blanchardyn, 'thynke ye that her loue be so stedfastly & so truly sette vpon hym that kynge Alymodes hath sent to be presented as ye saye / Is it your aduyse that yf of aduenture he cam ayen to her, that she wolde sette ought by hym / for it is sayde of a custume, that the herte of a woman is mutable and inconstaunt, and not in purpos stedfast' / 'Ha, ha, sire,' sayde the prouoste, 'pleysed god that he myght come to her ayen, Neuer happed so goode a daye to the contrey nor to hym also / for he shold renewe manyfold þe goode grace of her that so truli loueth him.' 'frende,' sayde Blanchardyn, 'I praye you telle me the name of the knyght of whom ye doo speke so moche.' 'Sir,' sayde the prouost, 'the knyght of whom my sayde lady is so sore enamoured vpon, hath to his name blanchardyn / Ye may well be sure that she shal neuer forgete hym, nor sette her herte from hym / though she were insured neuer to see hym / for she wol not here nother prayer nor requeste of no man in this world, al be he neuer so grete a kyng or prince. She dremeth often that her frende Blanchardyn cometh ayen, & that they enbrace & kysse each other in recompence of þe right euyl tyme in whiche they haue be longe in grete displaisure one from another / & for to telle you þe trouth of it, It were not possyble to [l]oue more tenderly nor more truly than she doth hym / so oughte wel þe said knyght to haue her ryght dere, yf he lyue yet.' 'frende,' sayd blanchardyn, 'I doute not but he doth so / and aduyse is to me that wyth al dilygence he shold himsilf come to socoure her at her nede, after his power, yf / he applye him it to do soo' / [after his power, yf / he applye him it to do soo' = se en lui estoit de ce faire.]