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

¶ Here foloweth the xlviij chapter, that conteyneth how kyng Alymodes arryued before the cyte of Cassydonye / And how he spake to his doughter, the fayr Beatryx; and how for to doo to her a more grete despyte, made a gybet to be dressed vp, for to haue hanged there, afore her eyen, hyr goode husbonde Sadoyne.

Ye haue wele vnderstonde here afore, how kyng Alymodes toke his shippyng hastely after the batayll that was afore Tormaday, and brought Sadoyne prysoner wyth hym; and saylled toward Cassydonye, where they arryued wythoute lettyng or perell. whan they were comen in to the hauen, Alymodes made his

ancres to be cast, and toke lande there wyth his folke; and syth made their horses to be had oute of the vesseles, wheropon they mounted, and spred theymself vpon the playn in a fayr ordenaunce of batayll. There beganne the trompettes, the hornes, the olyphauntes, & the busynes to blowe, that suche a noyse made, that the see & the erthe retentyssed wyth alle / The same tyme was the fayr Beatryx, the doughter of kynge Alymodes, lenyng wyth bothe her armes [Wanting in the French.] expand_less vpon a wyndowe wythin her paleys, that loked toward the see syde.

¶ She sawe there in the playne a grete nombre of men of armes, wherof she was right glad, wenyng to her that it had be Sadoyne, her true louer and welbeloued husbande, that had retourned ageyne wyth Blanchardyn. hastely she made her stywarde to lepe a horsbak, and sent hym for to knowe what folke werre arryued, and landed in so grete nombre; whiche taryed not longe after that he was goon out of the towne, that he sawe Alymodes and his folke, that cam toward the towne a softe paas [a softe paas = le petit pas] / he asked hem what they were, and yf they wyst not som goode tydynges of Sadoyne / Thenne cam kyng Alymodes forthe, and demaunded to the styward whiche his lady had leuer to see, other her fader or her louer Sadoyne. The styward ansuerd and sayde: 'Syre, I knowe not your persone, what ye be, nor to whom I speke; but wel I dare telle you, that she careth not of her fader, and that yf he cam ayen, he sholde not entre nor come ayen he[r] nor come wythin the towne' / [he sholde not entre nor come ayen he[r] nor come wythin the towne' = Il nentreroit pas en la ville]

¶ And he tolde hym that they of the towne, and of alle the lande of Cassydonye, were becomen cristen; and had crowned Sadoyne to their kynge, [to their kynge = a roy] & had made their homage vnto hym, and helde hym for their lorde souerayne / Whan Alymodes vnderstode the styward, he was sore dolaunt,

& tryste of that he sawe hym self thus vnfortunable as to haue lost his knyghtes, and trowed to haue come to reffut in his lande, that he fonde tourned to another lawe than his owne; The gates of the cyte and castell shet / And theym of wythin rebell ayenst hym; his right dere sone daryus slayn and ded. Of that other part, he sawe his only doughter, that denyed and defended hym his comynge in to his cyte of Cassydonye. He sayd full angerly to the styward, that 'to an euyll owre hath your lady ben so madde as to mary her self to a ladde, a straunger, wythout my lycence and knowlege. She hath styred suche a thynge, wherof she shal haue yet at her herte grete sorowe and heuynes.

¶ for thou shalt mowe telle vnto her / that wyth me I doo brynge her yong ladde Sadoyne, whiche I shall to morowe make to be hanged in despyte of her, byfore my cyte of Cassydonye /'

¶ Whan the goode styward vnderstode hym that to hym spake, and knewe certaynly [sign. L ij.] that it was kynge Alymodes / wythout eny moo wordes departed from hym, and cam hastely, brochyng his horsse wyth the spore, vnto the cyte / he went in to the paleys, where he fonde his lady, and recounted to her how it was kyng Alymodes and his folke, and what he had sayde; wherof she entred in to a bytter displaysure, and hertely sorowe.

¶ Not wythstandyng this, as a vertuose lady, made alle her folke to be redy in their harneys, whiche at that syde off the towne made to goo vp vpon the walles and towres, for to deffende the towne. And charged them that they sholde not late her fader come wythin, and that non of them sholde speke wyth hym. Kynge alymodes came rydyng toward the cyte wyth his bataylle / And aryued afore the castell, where he sawe and knewe his doughter, that loked out of a wyndowe / wyth hym he brought Sadoyne, to thende that she myght see hym, for to make to her a gretter dispite. Thenne called

kyng Alymodes alowde, and sayde vnto his doughter, that anone hastely she sholde make to hym and his folke openyng of the gates of the castel and towne; sayng to her / that ouer grete haste she had made to mary her self wythout his wyll, and that in an euyll oure she euer wedded Sadoyne; that for this cause, for to doo to her a grete dyspite, he shal to morowe make hym to be hanged /

¶ The fayre Beatryx, heryng her fader speke that she sone knewe, ansuered vnto hym swetly, and sayd by grete humylyte, full of sorowe, and of compassyon and pyte, for to refrene and brynge to swetnes the harde corage and cruel wylle of kynge Alymodes her fader / And namely for her goode husbande sake / trowyng to eschewe his deth therby:

¶ 'Ha, ha, my lorde, my dere fader, pardone your Wrathe and euyll wylle to my lorde my good husbonde, and to me your only doughter; & be you sure my lord, my dere fader, that whiche I haue donn in this behalue, I haue donn it for the best. and yf ye woll byleue me / ye shall leue your folishe credence that ye geue vnto your false goddes, [Wanting in the French.] expand_less and shall byleue the fader, the sone, & the holy goost / one onli god, [Wanting in the French.] expand_less that shalle make you to come to the blysse [gloire] perdurable, that neuer shall fayll; and ye shall accorde wyth blanchardyn & wyth sadoyn, of whom [of whom = desquelz] ye shall be serued and dred of all your neyghbours / and shall lyue in grete worship & goode prosperyte alle your dayes; and I shall well doo wyth theym, that all that whiche I saye shall be made sure' / [shall be made sure' = Ilz feront]

¶ Whan thenne kynge Alymodes herde thus speke his doughter, as a cruell man from his wyttes, sayd vnto her: 'Ha, false and renyed strompet, I were me leuer ded, [false and renyed strompet, I were me leuer ded = mauuaise pute et renoyee Iameroye mieulx que Il fusse mort] than that I sholde byleue nor doo

thi cursed counseyll; and that euer I sholde byleue in that same god of the crystens, that thou now preysest / I sholde me leuer soffer to be drawen wyth horses / and in despyte of hym & of the, I shall doo to be executed in thy presence that that I haue sayd / and after I shall make hym to be brent, and to deye an euyl deth.'

¶ And whan she sawe that by no manere of meanes [no manere of meanes = nullement] she myght not tourne ne chaunge the corage of her cruel fader, And that she herde hym saye blame of her god, her creatoure in whom she had sette her byleue and her herte / she by grete wrath sayd to hir fader: 'O, full ryght false and olde tyraunte, that worshypste false and desceyuable goddes and [Wanting in the French.] expand_less ydoles, that canne not helpe the nor theym selfe,

¶ What sekest thou here, nor what moeueth the to come in to this marche? Thou haste noughte to doo here, for thou shalt not sette thy foote wythin my towne / goo ayen [sign. L iij.] to Tormaday to see the noble lande of that lady, she of whom thou arte amorouse soo moche, that thou arte a fole become therfore / Olde vnfamouse myschaunt / how arte thou soo folyshe and so ouerwenynge / as for to wene to haue her / thou haste that berde of thyne ouer whyte therto / thy face is to mykel wonne / and that olde skynne of thyn ys ouer mykel shronken to gyder; [thou haste that berde of thyne ouer whyte therto / thy face is to mykel wonne / and that olde skynne of thyn ys ouer mykel shronken to gyder = vous auez la barbe trop grise, la face trop vsee et le cuir trop retrait] put thy selfe in to some fayr hermytage, And medel thou nomore wyth loue / leue this thoughte, and make no more thyne accomptes for to entre wythin my cyte; for yf ye haue taken and bunde my husbond, that I see ther by the, I shall haue hym ayene, to the pleasure of our lorde my creatour, some daye, that shal be to your euyll aduenture' / Whan Alymodes vnderstode the reproches and the rygorouse wordes of his doughter / he wende to haue lost his wyttes, and to

haue deyd for anger and sorowe / Incontynent, wythoute delaye, he made his trompettes to be blowen, And commaunded that the towne sholde be wele assaylled of all partyes / His men made hem redy after his commaundement / and came and sawted the towne full proudely / they that were wythin defended theym vygoryously, as men of highe facion [facon] / They kylled and slue and hurte sore many one, Deffendynge hem selfe soo strongely ayenste their enmyes, to theyr grete losse and damage, & to wythdrawe them self ayen / [They kylled and slue and hurte sore many one, Deffendynge hem selfe soo strongely ayenste their enmyes, to theyr grete losse and damage, & to wythdrawe them self ayen = maint en naurerent et occirent en eulx deffendant / tellement que leurs ennemis a leur grant perte et dommage sen retornerent arriere sans gaires prouffiter par moult en yolt de mors et de naures] wherfore kynge Alymodes, sore angry and full of wrathe for the deth of many of his knyghtes that had be ther slayne [Wanting in the French.] expand_less / made his ryche pauylyons to be dressed & hanged byfore the towne [made his ryche pauylyons to be dressed & hanged byfore the towne = fist sonner la retraite et fist tendre son pauillion et ses tentes.] / and commaunded thorugh al his oost that they sholde reioyse hem self, and that they sholde make grete reuell, in sygne of Ioye / to thende that þe noyse therof shold come to the eeres of his doughter / for to gyue a more grete cause of dysplaysure and sorowe: Also he commaunded that Sadoyne sholde be beten / And syth to morowe, in the mornyng, as soone as the daye byganne to appiere, kynge alymodes commaunded expressely to the mareshall of his ooste, that he shold doo make and to be sette vp a galhouse, euyn byfore the castell / to thende that his doughter myght better see hange at her ease her frende and louer Sadoyne. He ordeyned and comaunded that he shold be hanged / After this comaundement made by kynge Alymodes, his mareshall dyde the kynges wyll to be accomplyssed; and accompanyed wyth fyue hundred men of armes, brought

sadoyne euyn at the place where the gybet was made redy / Whan he cam there, and sawe a payre of galhouse [a payre of galhouse = "les fourches" as above.] dressed vp, where he trowed certaynly to haue fynysshed hys dayes, þe teerys habondantly fell doune from his eyen so byttyrly [Wanting in the French.] expand_less that they wette al his face / He byganne to make grete rewthe and pyteouse complayntes, sayng in this wyse [Wanting in the French.] expand_less / 'O, my right true felawe and right dere frende blanchardyn, this day shall the seperacyon be made of the amyte that is bytwene vs bothe.' and syth loked vp toward the castel, where he sawe his lady & wyf, the fayr beatryce / And whan he dyde perceyue her face, he fyl doune in a swone alonge the erthe / The sarrasyns, that saw this / lyfte hym vp, and gaf to hym grete and heuy strokes wyth staues [grete and heuy strokes wyth staues = de moult grans cops et ourbes] / He byganne yet ayen to make rewthe and complayntes, wyshyng after blanchardyn; [He byganne yet ayen to make rewthe and complayntes, wyshyng after blanchardyn = De rechief commenca a regretter blanchandin] and sayde how that he was come out of his contrey, whiche was ferre thens, for to helpe hym to socoure his lady, the proude pucelle in loue; & syth that he shold neuer see hym, that he at the laste wyste yf he wolde auenge hym of this shamefull dethe or not, that he most nowe suffre. [Wanting in the French.] expand_less and syth he saide, ful sore sobbyng / 'Alas! yf nedes I shal dey, I were of it all well [sign. L iiij.] content / soo that it were in the absence of her, that maketh all my sorowes to encreace for her tendre loue. Alas! myghte not fortune aswell hurte or greue me by a nother manere of wyse, than for to mak me deye shamefully by-fore my owne true loue, my goode wyffis presence / Alas! wo to me, vnhappy man, and more than myschaunte that I am / ys ther non other remedye? muste I nedes deye thus shamefully, wythoute eny deffence makynge?' After thees wordes of complaynte that Sadoyne made,

the cursed and felon paynems peyned hemselfe sore for to make redye suche thynges as serued to make hym deye vpon the galhouse, that was sette vp byfore the castell. [that was sette vp byfore the castell = qui la estoyent]