[‹p006›] SAVARIS LEADS THE CHRISTIAN TROOPS

Of Rome he was a Senatoure,of Rome, advised that
And saide “senditħ some worthy manworthy men should be
To Charles kinge of hye honoure.168sent to Charles of
He wolde you helpe with al his mygħte,Douce France to implore
That noble kinge of Dowse Fraunce.”his assistance.
“Certes” quod Savaris “þat weren no rigħte,But Duke Savariz,
It were right a foule myschaunce,172thinking this to be
To sende to þat worthy kinge.a wretched piece
We have oure hedes yet al hole, of timidity, as they
Oure sheldes be not broke no-thinge,had not tried
Hawberke, spere, ner poleyne, ner pole.176anything for themselves,
Where-of shul we play to him,
That no thinge yet have assaide?
Mecħ uylanye we myght wynne,
That for noght were so sone afrayed.180
Ten thousande men delyuere me tyteasked for 10,000 men
Tomorue next in-to the feelde,to be put under his
And I shall prove with al my myghtecommand.
To breke there bothe spere and shelde.”184
Vnto the Senatours it semed welle,
His counsaile goode and honurable.
This worthi Duke was armed in stele
In armes goode and profitable;188
He bare a Chek of goulis clere,
An Egle of goolde abrode displayed.
With him many a bolde Bachelere
Tho spake Savaryȝ witħ wordes on hye192The next morning the
And saide “my felowes alle,duke addressed his men,
This daie prove you me worthy,
And faire you al shal befalle.
Thenke yat Criste is more myghty196
Than here fals goddis alle;
And he shal geve vs the victorie,
And foule shal hem this day bifalle.”
Fortħ than rode þat faire Ooste[200]and directed them to
With right goode chere and rando,the soudan’s

[‹p007›] AGAINST THE SARACENS AND CONQUERS THEM.

Tille than come ful nyȝe the cooste.pavilion near the
Of the Sowdons Pavyloshore.
Ferumbras was of hem ware204[leaf 6] Ferumbras,
And sprange out as a sparkil of glede;that doughty
Of Armes bright a sheelde he bare,warrior, becoming
A Doughty ma he was of dede.aware of them, led
xv thousande came oute there20815,000 men against the
With him at þat same tyde,Romans.
Ayen the Romaynes for to were,
Witħ bobaunce, booste and grete pride.
The stoure was stronge, enduryn longe:212
The Romaynes hade there the feelde;
The Sarysyns thai slougħ amonge,
Ten thousand and mo with spere and sheelde.10,000 and more of the
Sauariz was wise and ware216Saracens were slain,
And drowe towards þat Citee.and the Romans, though
His baner displaied witħ him he barevictorious, were led
To releve with his meyne.back to Rome by the
The Pope with his Senatours220cautious Savaris.
Thanked god þat tyme of glorie,The Pope thanked God
That gafe hem þat day grete honours,for the victory.
Of hethen that dai to have the victorie.Lukafer of Baldas
Lukafere, kinge of Baldas,224having scoured the
The countrey hade serchid and sought,country,
Ten thousande maidyns faire of facebrought 10,000 maidens
Vnto the Sowdan hath he broghte.to the soudan, who
The Sowdo commanded hem anone,228ordered them to be
That thai shulde al be slay.slain,
Martires thai were euerycho,saying, he would
And therof were thai al ful fayne.not have his people
He saide “my peple nowe ne shalle232polluted by them, and
With hem noughte defouled be,he would destroy every
But I wole distroie ouer allChristian seed.
The sede over alle Cristiante.”Lukafer said to the
Tho spake lukefere the kinge,[236]soudan:
That hethe hounde Baldas,

[‹p008›] THE NEXT DAY LUKAFER ASSAULTS THE CITY,

And saide “Sir Sowda, graunte me one thinge,“Grant me thy daughter
Thi doghter Dame Floripas.and I will bring thee
The kinge of Fraunce I shal the bringe240Charlemagne and all his
And the xij dosipers alle in fere.”twelve peers.”
The Sowdan saide in þat tokenyn,Laban assented; but
“I graunte the here, that is so dere.”Floripas said, she
Tho sayde Floripe “sire, noo haste,244would only consent to
He hath note done as he hath saide.be his darling,
I trowe, he speketh these wordes in waste,[leaf 7]
He wole make bute an easy brayde.
Whan he bryngith home Charles the kinge248when he had taken
And the xij dosipers alle,Charles and the
I graunte to be his derlyngedouzepeers.
What so evere therof by-falle.The next morning the
Than on the morowe the Sowda252soudan ordered Lukafer
Callid to him Lukafeof Baldas,to assault the City
To assaile the Cite anone:with 30,000 men.
“And loke thou tary not in this cas!
Thritty thousande of my menie,256
Of Gallopes, Ethiopes and Aufricanes,
Take hem to the walles witħ the.
Betitħ dow wallis, towris and stones.”
Lukafe blewe his clario260
To Assemble the Sarasyns þat tide,
Where-of thai knewe right welle the soune,
Thai made hem redy for to ride,
But whan thai come to the yate,264
The Dikes were so develye depe,The Saracens, finding
Thai helde hem selfe Chek-mate;the ditches too deep,
Ouer cowde thai nothir goo nor crepe.cannot pass, and are
Lukafein al the haste268
Turned to the Sowdan agayobliged to return.
And saide “sir, it is alle in waste,
We laboure nowe alle in vayne.
To depe and brode the Dikes bene,[272]
The Towres so stronge be witħ alle,

[‹p009›] BUT THE HEATHENS ARE OBLIGED TO WITHDRAW.

That by Mahounde I can note see,
How that we shulde wyne ther to the walle.”
Who was woode but the Sowdo?276
He reneyed his goddis alle.
He clepede his Engynour sir mavone,The soudan calls for
To counsaile he did him faste calle.his engineer Mavon,
He tolde him the case of þat myschefe,280
How it stode at that ilke tyde.
Mavon Gafe him counsel in breefewho advised him to fill
To fille the Dikes þat were depe.[98]the ditch
Every man to woode shal goo,284
Fagotis to hewe and faste bynde,with fagots.
And fille the Dikes faste anoo
With alle, that we may ther fynde.
“Gramercy, Mavo,”quod Laban tha,288Laban thanks his wise
“Mahoundis benysone thou shalt haue,engineer.
Of alle myn Ooste the wiseste man,[leaf 8]
With counsaile men for to saue.”
Alle this was done the seconde daye,292The following day, the
Men myght go even to the walle;ditch being filled with
On every party the ooste laye,fagots, the city
Thai made assaite[99] then generalle.was assaulted from all
The Romaynes ronne to the toures,296quarters. The Romans
Thai were in ful grete dowte;ran to the towers, and
Thai hade many sharpe shoures,a sharp conflict
Thai were assailed sore a-bowte.ensued.
Wifis and maidyns stones thai bare300Women and maidens
To the walles than ful faste,carried stones which
Thai were in grete drede and care;the
The men over the wallis did caste.men threw over the
Thai slowen many a Sarasy,304walls.
x thousande[100] pepul of he and moo.10,000 Saracens were
The daie passed to the fyne,slain and
The hethen withdrowe hem tho.the heathens obliged to
Whan these tidinges came to laban,[308]withdraw.

[‹p010›] LUKAFER ENTERS THE MAIN TOWER OF ROME.

His goddes he gan chide.Laban chides his gods
He waxe both blake, pale and wan,and nearly grows mad
He was nyȝe woode þat same tyde.with vexation. But
Tho Lukafer comfortede him welle312Lukafer told him that,
And saide “sir, be not dismayed,having espied that
For I have aspied everydele,Savaris would, the
Howe thai shalle alle be betrayede.following day, come
Sauariz wole to morowe witħ us fighte,316out again to fight
His baner knowe I ful welle;with them, he would
I shal have an othere, I yoplighte,have a banner made
Like to this every dele.exactly like his, which
Whan he is moste besy in bataile,320when Savaris was much
Than wole I with banere displaiedeengaged in the battle,
Ride in to Rome without faile,he would unfold and
Thus shal thai al be betrayede.”enter Rome.
The Sowda was glad of this tidinge,324
Hopinge it shulde be so;
And even as it was in purposynge,And so it
Right so was it aftir I-do.turned out; the Romans
Wenynge it hade be Sauarye,328mistaking him for
Relevinge fro the hethen stou,Savaris, returning from
Wenynge doth ofte harme withoute lye,his sally, he entered
He entred to the maister Toure.the main tower,
The firste warde thus thay wonne332[leaf 9]
By this fals contrevede engyne.
Thus was moche sorowe bygo,
Thai slougħ all, that were ther-Inne.and slew all therein.
Wha Sauariz saugħ this discomfitu336Savaris becoming aware
Of the Romaynes in that tyme,of the artifice of the
And howe harde tha was here aventu,enemy,
Of sorowe þat myghte he ryme
Of x thousande me lefte no moo340and seeing out of
But sexty me and twelfe,10,000 Romans no more
And whan he sawe this myschief tho,than seventy-two left,
He turned homewarde agayn him selue.turned back, but found
By tha he founde the gate shite[344]the gate shut,