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 xl. chapytur conteyneth how Blanchardyn and sadoyne and the good kynge of fryse toke the see wyth a grete excercyte of folke / for to gyue socours vnto the proude pucelle in amours.

After their teeris and pytuable reconyssaunce were past and chassed, they taryed the space of a moneth wyth in the cyte of Cassydonye / abydyng that the kyng of fryse, fader vnto blanchardyn, were hole, and brought ayen in to the astate of his owne strength / that was yet that tyme of resonabel age for to suffer the excercise of armes / Blanchardyn, that all his hert and his thought had sette vpon his ladye, the proude pucell in amours, ryght sore desiryng to haue her oute of thraldom and power of Alymodes the kynge / and also seeng his fader broughte vp ayen in good conualescence and helth, cam by-fore Sadoyne and seyd: 'my feythfull felawe and ryght trusty frende, god and fortune hath helped you, so that ye be come to that thynge that ye moost dyd desire by-fore this tyme / for þe whiche thynge to be complete / accordyng to my promyse, I haue holpen you the beste that I coude, so thanked be our lord, ye are therof come to your aboue. Wherfore I praye you that in lyke case ye woll do so to me / as in you ys my verey truste and parfyte confydence.

¶ Whyche certaynly I knowe welle that ye woll doo. It ys soo, that I beseke you now that ye woll helpe and socoure me now ayenste the kynge Alymodes, that by his grete crueltee and

tyrannye kepeth shette & closed that thynge that I oughte moste to be desirouse of in thys worlde / for to haue her oute of seruytude into franchyse. It is my ryghte doubted ladye, the proude pucell in amours.' Whan Sadoyne vnderstode the wordes of blanchardyn, all smylyng he ansuerde vnto hym, and sayde: 'My ryghte verey frende and goode felawe, your desyer and your wylle is myn own; and neuere whyle I am man alyue, nothynge shall be parted, for, bytwene vs [? shall be parted betwene us, for your wylle, &c.] / your wylle and my wyll is but one wylle so stedfasteli knytted, [neuere whyle I am man alyue, nothynge shall be parted, for, bytwene vs [? shall be parted betwene us, for your wylle, &c.] / your wylle and my wyll is but one wylle so stedfasteli knytted = Iamais entre nous et moy ny a riens party. Vostre volonte et la mienne est vne telleque] that hit shall be lefte for an ensample / to them that shal come herafter / in perpetuall memorye.

¶ And your commaundemmentys and myn shalbe wyth vs two persones but one thynge / Late oure shyppes be made redy and appareyled / so shall we thenne goo for to gyue socoure and helpe vnto her, whos presence we so sore do desyre' / Thenne blanchardyn, heryng the gracyous ansuer of Sadoyne his feythful felaw / he thanked hym right moche / And syn afterward, by ordenance of Sadoyne & blanchardyn, the nauey was apparelled & redy made, stored & garnyshed wyth good men of werre, & wyth artylarye / as was perteynyng to suche a thyng, & made hemself redy in fayr araye for to goo to socour & helpe her that passed all other of beaute, [her that passed all other of beaute = lorguilleuse damours] that beseged was by kyng alymodes & his folke wythin her cyte of Tourmaday [& his folke wythin her cyte of Tourmaday = le quel par sa cruaulte est cause que le Royaulme de frize auoit este degaste par daire son filz / dont le bon roy pere de blanchandin auoit grant desir de sen vengier / tresconuoitant de soy trouver en lieu ou Il lui peust porter dommage car il estoit encorres de bon eaige pour porter et excercicer les armes] / after this that blanchardyn & Sadoyne sawe their shyppes redy & well stored wyth vytaylles & of other thynges

necessare to fynyshe their enterpryse to the socours & helpe of the proude pucel in amours, Sadoyne toke leue of his wyff, the fayre Beatryx, and so dyd blanchardyn / whiche they shall neuer see tyll that she & her husbonde Sadoyne haue ben in grete peryll of their lyues / as here after ye shall mowe here /

¶ Sadoyne, thorugh the counseyll of his felaw blanchardyn [sign. I ij.] lefte wythin his cyte of Cassydonye foure thousand of goode knyghtes, chosen for to defende and kepe it ayenste kynge Alymodes, yf by eny aduenture he cam thider ayen / as he dyd afterwarde. After their leue thus taken of the fayr Beatryx, they departed & toke the see, leuynge behinde theym the fayr Beatryx, that made so grete sorowe for her goode husbonde Sadoyne / Whan the barons were vpon the see the maryners made saylle. The wynde was ryght goode that broughte theym forth by suche a wyse, that wythin a whyle they were ferre fro the lande / And were togyder xxx [xxxij] grete shyppes and four score galeys subtyl / Duryng the tyme that the goode kynge of fryse, Blanchardyn and Sadoyne, and their folke shall be thus saylynge towarde Tourmaday / We shall retorne to speke of the tyraunte, the kynge Alymodes, and the proude pucell in amours /