The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

by Unknown

Peke we of Sir Laba And let Charles and Gy be, 600 Howe he ordeyned for hem tha

To Distroye Rome Citee.
“Sir Lukafe,thou madiste thi boost		Laban reminded
To conquethe Romaynes	604	Lukafer of his
And to bringe me the Ooste		vaunting promise to
Of the xij peris and Charlemayne.		bring him Charlemagne
Vppo a condicio I graunte the		and his douzepeers,
My doghter, dere Dame Floripas.	608	in return for his
Wherefore, I aske nowe of the		daughter Floripas.
To holde covenaunte in this cas.”
“That I saide” quod Lucafere,		Lukafer said, he
“To Mahounde I make a vowe	612	would do all he had
To done al þat I hight the the,		promised.
Ye and more than[113] for Florip love.”
He ordeyned assaute anone in haste		With 10,000 men he
With x thousande men and moo;	616	attacked the city on
And Ferumbras at that oþer side faste		one side, the other
Assailed hem with grete woo.		being assaulted by
The saute endured al þat daye		Ferumbras. The combat
From morowe, tille it was nyght,	620	continues as long as
To throwe and shete by euery waye,		daylight lasts. At
While that hem endured the light.		night they retired to
Tho wente thai home to thaitentys,		their tents.

[‹p019›] THEY ENTER ROME BY TREASON.

Tille it were on the morowe.	624	Isres, who possessed
Isres in his fals ententes		by inheritance
Purposed treso and sorowe.		the guard of the
He was chief Porter of the Tow,		[leaf 16] principal
By heritage and fee so he shulde be.	628	gate, planned treason.
He wente to the Sowda,		He repaired to the
For the riche Cite betraye woolde he,		soudan and offered to
And saide “lorde, gife me grace		betray the city on
For my goodes and for me,	[632]	condition that his
And I wole delyuer the this place		life and property
To haue and holde for ever in fee.		should be spared.
The keyes of this riche Cite
I haue in my bandon.”	636
“That graunte I” quod Laban “the		The soudan promised
To be free withoute raunso.”		it.
Ferumbras made him yare,		Ferumbras with 20,000
With xxti thousand me and moo,	640	men went with Isres.
With this Isres for to fare,
And to wynne the Cite soo.
As sone as he entred was		On entering the gate,
The chief Gate of alle,	644
And alle his men in aras,[114]		he caused the
He lete the Portcolys falle.		traitor’s head to be
He smote of the traitourus hede		struck off by the
And saide “god gife him care!	648	portcullis, and
Shal he never more ete brede,
All traitours evel mot[115] thai fare!
If he myght leve and reigne here,
He wolde betraye me;	652
For go he west, soutħ or Nortħ,
Traitour shalle he never be.”		to be carried on the
He dide lete bere his hede on a spere		point of a spear
Througħ-oute this faire Citee.	656	through the city.
‘Treson, treso’ thai cried there,		“Treason,” cried the
Pite it was to here and see.		people within,

[‹p020›] FERUMBRAS TAKES THE RELICS TO AGREMORE.

The people fled by every waye,
Thai durst no-where a-bide.	660
The hye wey ful of dede men laye,		and all streets were
And eke by every lanys side.		soon covered with
Ferumbras to Seinte Petris wente,		dead men. Ferumbras
And alle the Relekes he seased anoo,	664	went to St. Peter’s,
The Crosse, the Crow, the Nailes bente;		seized the relics,
He toke hem with him everychone.		the cross, the crown
He dide dispoile al the Cite		and the nails,
Both of tresoure and of goolde,	[668]
And after that brente he		[leaf 17] burned
Alle þat ever myght be toolde.		the whole city, and
And alle the tresoure witħ hem þai bare		carried away all the
To the Cite of Egremou.	672	treasures and the
Laban the Sowdo soiourned there[116]		gold to Agremore,
Thre monþes and thre dayes more		where the soudan went
In myrtħ and Ioye and grete solas.		to stay. Three months
And to his goddes offrynge he made,	676	and three days they
He and his sone Sir Ferumbras		spent there in great
Here goddis of golde dide fade,		festivities, making
Thai brente Frankesense,		offerings to their
That smoked vp so stronge,	680	gods, and burning
The Fume in her presence,		frankincense in their
It lasted alle alonge.		honour.
Thai blewe hornes of bras,
Thai dronke beestes bloode.	684	They drank the blood
Milke and hony ther was,		of beasts and milk,
That was roial and goode.		and ate honey and
Serpentes in Oyle were fryed		snakes fried in oil.
To serve þeSowdo with alle,	688
“Antrarian Antrarian” thai lowde cryed
That signyfied ‘Ioye generalle.’
Thus thai lived in Ioye and blis
Two monþes or thre.	692
Lete we now be alle this,

[‹p021›] GUY AND CHARLEMAGNE APPROACH.

And of Gye nowe speke we.

Ow speke we of SirGe That toward Rome hied witħ his Oost. 696 Wha he approched there-to so nyȝe, When Sir Guy drew

That he myght se the cooste,		near Rome, finding
Alle on a flame þat Cite was,		the whole city in
That thre myle al abowte,	700	flames,
Ther durst no ma, þat ther was,
Come nyȝe the Cite for grete dowte.
That was a sory Cite than,
Sir Gye was in grete care,	[704]	he grieved much
Ther was nowhere a soryer ma,
For sorowe he sighed ful sare,
And saide “welallas”[117] the while
“For we come ar to late,	708	that he had arrived
For by some treson or some gyle		too late.
Thai entred in at some Gate.
There is no more but for to abyde,		He resolved there to
Tille Charles come, the kinge,	712	wait for Charlemagne
In this mede Vnder grene wode side,		[leaf 18]
To telle him of this tithinge,		and then to tell him,
Howe Laban hath the Cite brente		how Laban had burnt
And bore the Religes[118] a-waye,	716	the city, and had
And howe he hath hem to Spayne sente		sent the relics to
With Shippes of grete aray,		Agremore,
To Egremouhis chief Cite,		his principal town in
Ther to live and ende;	720	Spain.
And manassitħ Charles and his baronye.
God gife hem evelle ende!”
Kinge Charles he forgate nought		King Charles advanced
To come to reskowe Rome,	724	to rescue Rome with
Alle his Doȝypers were I-sought,		his douzepeers
Fulle sone to him thay come.
Thre hundred thousande of Sowdeoures		and 300,000 soldiers.