[‹p087›] HE HURRIES ON TO AGREMORE.

xiiij fote longe wethay,4 feet high.
Thay weBarrakes sonnes so boolde;They were sons of
Bygote thay weof Astragot.Barrock, begotten by
Grete joye the kinge of hem hade.3024Astragot.
Hethe thay webotħ, wele I wote,
Therfore he to be cristenede he bade.Charles caused them
He called þat one of hem Roulande,to be baptized, and
And that other he cleped Olyue:3028called the one Roland
“For thai shalle be myghty men of honde.”and the other Oliver.
To kepe hem, he was fulle chere.
Thay myght not leve, her Dam was dede;But they soon died
Thai coude not kepe hem fortħ.3032
Thai wolde neyþer ete butter nere brede,
Ner no me[184] was to hem worthe.
HeDammes mylke they lakked the,for want of their
Thay deyden for defaute of here dam.3036mother’s milk.
Kinge Charles made hevy che,
And a sory ma was than.
The kinge lete ordeyne anoo,
The Cite to be gouerne3040
Of the worthyest of heycho,
That weren of werbest lerne.
Duke Richarde of Normandy,The king appoints
He was made chief gouernou;[3044]Richard governor of
And ij C with him in hys companythe city,
To kepe the brigge and tou.
Fortħ he rode to labatha,and hurries on
With his Ooste and SiFerumbras.3048to Agremore with
A spye to the Sowdo fast ranhis army and with
And tolde him al that cas,Ferumbras.
How Charles was come with his ost,
And Mountrible hade he wonne,3052
“Alagolofur slay is for alle his bost,
This game was evel bego.”
Whane laban herde of his comynge,

[‹p088›] FLORIPAS RECOGNISES THE FRENCH BANNER.

Him thought his herte gan breke.3056
“Shalle I never be withoute moornynge,[leaf 76]
Tille I of him be wreke.”
He commaunded to blowe his Claryons
To assemble alle his Ooste.3060
His counsaile to him he lete calle
And tolde, how kinge Charles was in þat coost,Laban, being told by
Hadde wonne Mountrible and slay his mena spy that his city
“And dishirytħ to disheryte me,3064was taken and the
And proudely manessith me to flee,bridge-ward killed,
Or drive me oute of this contre.
Me mervaylythe moch of his pride.
By Mahounde, moost of mygħt!3068
Ye and my sone withe him doth ride,
To the develle I hem bedigħt.
But I be venget of hem bothswears to avenge him.
And honge he on a tree,3072
To myghty Mahounde I make myne othe,
Shalle I never Joyfulle be.
Therfore I charge yo in alle wyseHe calls a council,
That thay be taken or slay.3076and charges his
Thane shalle I pynne heme at my gysebarons to take
And do hem alle qwike be flay.”Charles alive that
On the morowe, whan it was day,he might flay him.
Kinge Charles was in the felde,[3080]Charles approaches.
Byfore Agremouin riche aray
On stede witħ speand sheelde.
Floripe lay on the touo hyeFloripas first
And knewe the baneof Fraunce.3084recognises the banner
To Roulande she gan faste cryeof France
Tidynges of goode chaunce:
“Kinge Charles is comen and Ferumbras,and tells the others.
Here baners botħ I do see,3088
With alle her oste yondein þat place;
Welcome to vs thay alle be.”
Roulande and Olyuere

[‹p089›] CHARLES DISMOUNTS LABAN AND LEADS HIM TO AGREMORE.

Arayed hem for to ride;3092Roland and all his
And here felawes alle in fe,companions sally
To Charles thay go that tyde.forth to meet
Laban come forth with his mayne,Charlemagne. Laban
Saresyns, that were ful felle,3096draws up all his
Turkes, Indens, and Arabyepeople
Ye and of the Ethiopes like the develes of helle.
There were stronge wardes sette[leaf 77]
By ordynaunce of dyuers batayle.3100in battle-order.
Whan thay to geder were met,
Eythir othir sore ga assayle.
Ther were Saresyns al to-hewe;The French make a
Roulande sloughe many one.3104great slaughter of
Thay lay so thikke dede on rewe,the Saracens.
That onneþe myghte men ride or goo.
Kinge Charles met with LabaCharles encounters
And bare him dow of his stede,3108the Soudan, unhorses
He lighted dow and ceased him tha,him,
He thought to qwite him his mede.
He brayde oute Mowjoye wytħ gode wille
And wolde have smeten of his hede,3112and would have cut
Ferumbras prayde him to abyde stille,
To cryste him, er he wedede.off his head, but
The Saresyns saughe Laban take,for Ferumbras, who
Thay fledde away fulle faste.[3116]requested that
Lenger durste thay no maistryes make,his father might
Thai were so sore agaste.be baptized. The
The Criste hem chased to and fro,Saracens, seeing
As a grehounde doth the hare.3120Laban a prisoner,
.iij. c. ascaped with moche woo,fly; but the
To Belmore gan thay fa.Christians pursue
Kinge Charles ladde Labathem. 300 escaped to
In-to AgremouCite.3124Belmarine. Charles
And wha þat he thecameleads Laban to
A ful sory man was he.Agremore. Floripas
His doghter welcomed himwelcomes her father,

[‹p090›] FLORIPAS BRINGS OUT THE SACRED RELICS.

With right gode che.[185]3128
He loked on hir al grymme,but he is enraged at
As he wode wroth we,seeing her.
And saide “fye on the, stronge hore,
Mahounde confounde the!”3132
Charles saide “here-of no more,
But let us nowe mery be!”—
“Sir” she saide thanne,She then bids
“Welcome ye be into this tou!3136Charlemagne welcome,
Here I presente to you, as I can,and presents the holy
Relikes of grete honou,relics to him.
That were at Rome I-wonne
And broght into this halle.3140
That game was evel bygonne,
It sithen rewed us alle.”[leaf 78]
Kinge Charles kneled adow
To kisse the Relikes so goode,3144Charles kisses them,
And badde theaorysoand says a prayer;
To that lorde, þat deyde o rode.he then thanks
And þanked Floripe witħ al his herte,Floripas for her
That she hade saued his meyne3148assistance to his
And holpe hem oute of peynes smerteknights, and for
And kepte the Relekes so fre.having preserved the
Kinge Charles did calle bisshopeTurpyprecious relics. He
And bade him ordeyne a grete fat,[3152]orders Turpin to
To baptyse the Sowdo yne;prepare a vessel,
“And loke what he shalle hat.wherein to baptize
Unarme him faste and bringe him ne,the Soudan
I shal his godfader be.3156
Fille it fulle of watecle,
For Baptysed shalle he be.
Make him naked as a Childe,
He moste plunge ther-inne.3160
For now most he be meke and mylde,and to wash off his
And I-wassh awaye his synne.”sin in the water.

[‹p091›] LABAN IS SLAIN, AND FLORIPAS WEDDED TO GUY.

Turpyn toke him by the hondeTurpin leads Laban to
And ladde him to the fonte.3164the font,
He smote the bisshope witħ a brondebut the Soudan
And gaf him an evel bronte.strikes at him,
He spitted in the water clespits on the vessel,
And cryed oute on hem alle,3168utters invectives
And defied alle þat cristewe.against all
That foule mote him by-falle!Christians,
“Ye and tho, hore serpentyne,
And that fals cursed Ferumbras,3172and curses Ferumbras.
Mahounde gyfe hem botħ evel endyn,
And almyghty Sathanas!
By you came all my sorowe,
And al my tresure for-lorne.3176
Honged be ye both er tomorowe!
In cursed tyme were ye bor.”
Ferumbras saide to the kinge,
“Sir, ye see, it wole not be,3180
Lete him take his endynge,
For he loueth not Cristyante.”
“Duke Neymes” quod Charles tho,Charles commands
“Loke þat execucio be do,3184Naymes to cut off his
Smyte of his hedde! god gyfe him woo!head. [leaf 79]
And goo we to mete anoone.”
It was done as the kinge commaunde,He is executed; his
His soule was fet to helle,[3188]soul goes to hell,
To daunse in þat sory landethere to dance with
With develes, þat weful felle.devils.
Dame Florip was Baptysed tha
And here maydyns alle,3192Floripas was baptized
And to Sir Gye I-maryed.with all her maidens,
The Barons honoured hir alle.and wedded to Guy.
Alle the londe of SpayneCharles divided Spain
Kinge Charles gyfe he two,3196between Guy and
To departe bitwyxt hem twayne,Ferumbras,
Ferumbras and G also.