By the kinge of Boldas.enquires their names.
The Sowda hem sore affrayned,
What þat here names were.[1496]
Rouland saide and noght alayned:
“Syr Roulande and sire Olyuere,They confess their
Nevewes to Kinge Charles of Fraunce,names.
That worthy kinge and Emperoure,1500
That nowe are takyn by myschaunce
To be prisoneres here in thy toure.”
“A, Olyue, arte thou here?
That haste my sone distroyede,1504

[‹p044›] ROLAND AND OLIVER ARE IMPRISONED.

And Rouland that arte his fere,
That so ofte me hatħ anoyed.
To Mahounde I make a vowe here,The Soudan swears
That to morue, ere I do ete,1508they shall both be
Ye shulle be slay botħ qwik in fere,executed the next
And lives shalle ye bothe lete.”morning before his
Tho saide maide Florepas:dinner.
“My fader so derewortħ and de,1512But Floripas advises
Ye shulle be avysed of this cas,him to detain them as
How and in what manerehostages, and
My brothir, þat is to priso take,
May be delyuered by hem nowe,1516
By cause of these two knightes sake,
That bene in warde here with yo.
Wherefore I counsaile yo,my fader dere,
To have mynde of Sir Ferumbras.1520to remember his son
Pute hem in youre priso here,Ferumbras,
Tille ye haue better space.
So that ye haue my brother agayfor whom they might
For hem, þat ye haue here;1524be exchanged.
And certey elles wole he be slay,
That is to you so lefe and dere.”
“A, Floripp, I-blessed thou bee,
Thy counsaile is goode at nede,1528The Soudan finds her
I wolde not leve my sone so free,counsel good,
So Mahounde moost me spede,
For al the Realme of hethen Spayne,[leaf 38]
That is so brode and large.[1532]
Sone clepe forth my gaylour Bretomayne,and orders his gaoler
That he of hem hadde his charge,Bretomayn to imprison
“Caste hem in your priso depe,them,
Mete and drinke gyfe hem none,1536but to leave them
Chayne hem faste, þat thay not slepe;without food.
For here goode daies bene a-gone.”
Tho were thay cast in prison depe[140];

[‹p045›] FLORIPAS COMPASSIONATES THEIR SUFFERINGS.

Every tyde the see came inne.1540At high tide the sea
Thay myght not see, so was it myrke,filled their deep
The watir wente to her chynne.cells. They suffered
The salte watir hem greved sore,much from the salt
Here woundis sore did smerte.1544water, from their
Hungir and thurste greved heme yet more,wounds, and from
It wente yet more nere here herte.hunger.
Who maye live withoute mete?
vj dayes hadde thay rigħt none,1548On the sixth day,
Ner drinke that thay mygħt gete,
Bute loked vppon the harde stone.
So on a daye, as God it wolde,
Floripas to hir garde wente,1552Floripas, who was
To geder Floures in morne colde.gathering flowers in
Here maydyns fro hir she sente,her garden, heard
For she herde grete lamentaciothem lament.
In the Priso, that was ther nye;1556
She supposed by ymagynacio,
That it was the prisoners sory.
She wente henerto here more,
Thay wailed for defaute of mete.1560Moved to compassion,
She rued on hem anoo ful sore,she asks her
She thought, how she myght hem beste it gete.governess Maragound
She spake to her Maistras Maragounde,to help her in
Howe she wolde the prisoneres fede.1564getting food for the
The develle of helle hir confounde,prisoners. Maragound
She wolde not assente to þat dede,refuses, and reminds
But saide “Damesel, thou arte woode,Floripas of her
Thy Fadir did vs alle defende,[1568]father’s command.
Both mete and drinke and othere goode[leaf 39]
That no man shulde hem thider sende.”
Floripe by-thought hir on a gyleFloripas, thinking of
And cleped Maragounde anoon rigħt,1572a trick, called to
To the wyndowe to come a whileher governess to come
And se ther a wonder syght:to a window and
“Loke oute” she saide “and see a fer

[‹p046›] FLORIPAS KILLS THE GAOLER.

The Porpais pley as thay were wode.”1576see the porpoises
Maragounde lokede oute, Floripe come nesporting beneath.
And shofed hire oute in to the flode.Maragound looking
“Go there” she saide “the devel the spede!out, is pushed into
My counsail shaltowe never biwry.1580the flood.
Who so wole not helpe a ma at nede,
On evel deth mote he dye!”
She toke witħ hire maidyns two,
To Britomayne she wente hir waye1584Floripas asks
And saide to him, she moste goBretomayn to let her
To visete the prisoneris that daye,see the prisoners.
And saide “sir, for alle loues,
Lete me thy prisoneres see.1588
I wole the gife botħ goolde and gloues,
And counsail shalle it bee.”
Brytomayne that Iaylor kene
Answered to hir sone agayne1592
And saide “Damesel, so mote I the,
Tha were I worthy to be slay.
Hath not youre Fader charged me,
To kepe hem fro every wyght?1596
And yet ye wole these traytours see?
I wole goo telle him Anoo right.”
He gan to turne him anone for to go,
To make a playnte on Floripas.1600The gaoler threatened
She sued him as faste as she myghte go,to complain to her
For to gif him harde grace.father, but Floripas,
With the keye cloge, þat she caugħt,having seized his
Witħ goode wille she maute[141] than,[1604]key-clog, dashed
Such a stroke she hym theraught,out his brains. She
The brayne sterte oute of his hede þa.then went to tell
To hire Fader forth she gotħher father, she had
And saide “Sire, I telle you here,1608surprised [leaf 40]
I saugħ a sight, that was me lotħ,the gaoler feeding
Howe the fals Iailour fedde your prisone,the prisoners and

[‹p047›] THE SOUDAN GIVES THE PRISONERS INTO HER GUARD.

And how the covenaunte made was,promising to deliver
Whan thai shulde delyuered be;1612them; wherefore she
Wherefore I slougħ him witħ a mace.had slain him.
Dere Fadir, forgif it me!”
“My doghtir dere, that arte so free,[142]
The warde of hem now gif I the.1616The Soudan gives the
Loke, here sorowe be evere newe,prisoners into her
Tille that Ferumbras delyuered be.”guard.
She thanked her Fadere fele sithe
And toke her maydyns, and forth she gotħ,1620She now proceeded to
To the prisone she hyed hire swytħ.the prison,
The priso dore vp she dothe
And saide “sires, what be ye,
That make here this ruly moone?1624
What yolakkitħ, tellyth me;asked the prisoners
For we be here nowe alle alone.”what they wanted,
Tho spake Roulande with hevy chere
To Floripe, that was bothe gente and fre,1628
And saide “lo, we two caytyfes here
For defaute of mete dede moste be.
vj dayes be comy and goo,
Sith we were loked in priso here,1632
That mete nor drinke hade we noo
To comforte witħ oure hevy che.
But woolde god of myghtes moost,
The Sowdo wolde let vs oute goo,1636
We to fight witħ alle his Ooste,
To be slay in feelde anoo.
To murthir me for defaute of mete,
It is grete shame tille a kinge;[1640]
For every man most nedes ete,
Or ellis may he do no thinge.”
Tho saide Floripe with wordes mylde,and promised to
“I wolde fayne, ye were now here,1644protect them from any
From harme skatħ[143] I wole you shelde,harm.

[‹p048›] CHARLES DESPATCHES GUY TO THE SOUDAN.