[Sidenote: This is done, and for the maiden they receive among other things a magnificent cup with a romantic history.]
Wel sone þat mayde was him betauȝt; An to þe hauen{ e} was she brouȝt. 160 [Sidenote: [100 _a_]] Þer haue þey for þ{ a}t maide ȝolde xx. Mark~ of reed golde, And a Coupe good and ryche, In al þe world~ was non{ e} it lyche. 164 Þ{ er} was neu{ er} noon{ e} so wel graue; He þ{ a}t it made was no knave. Þ{ er} was purtrayd on, y weene, How P{ ar}yse ledde awey þe Queene; 168 And on þe Cou{ er}cle a-boue Purtrayde was þ{ er} both her love; And in þe Pomel þ{ er}on{ e} Stood a Charbuncle stoon{ e}. 172 In þe world~ was not so depe soler, Þat it nold~ lyȝt þe Botelere, To fylle boþ ale and wyne, Of syluer and g{ o}ld{ e} boþ good and fyne. 176 Enneas þe king~, þat nobel man, At Troye in batayle he it wan, And brouȝt it in-to Lumbardy, And gaf~ it his le{ m}man, his Amy. 180 Þe Coupe was stoole fro king~ Cesar; A þeef~ out of his tresour hous it bar. And sethe þ{ a}t ilke same þeef~ For Blaunchefloure he it ȝeef~. 184 For he wyst to wynne suche þree, Myȝt he hur bryng~ to his contree. Now þese Marchaundes saylen ou{ er} þe see, W{ i}t{ h} þis mayde, to her contree. 188 So longe þey han vndernome,
[Headnote: _Blauncheflur is sold and carried to Babylon._]
[Sidenote: Blauncheflur is taken to Babylon and sold to the Admiral.]
Þ{ a}t to Babyloyn{ e} þey ben coom{ e}. To þe Amyral of~ Babyloyn{ e} Þey solde þat mayde swythe soon{ e}; 192 Rath and soone þey were at oon{ e}. Þe Amyral hur bouȝt Anoon{ e}, And gafe for hur, as she stood vpryȝt, Seuyn{ e} sythes of~ gold{ e} her wyȝt, 196 For he þouȝt w{ i}t{ h}out~ weene Þat faire mayde haue to Queene; Among~ his maydons in his bo{ ur} He hur dide w{ i}t{ h} muche hono{ ur}. 200
_MS. Cott. Vitell. D. III., 6 a, col. 1._
_The 3 leaves of this MS. are burnt and shrunk, and are hardly legible._
. . . . . [FB-2]so dere (196) . . . . wiþ þoute wene. . . þat maide to his quene. . his maidenes vp in is tur, 4 . hire wiþ muchel honur (200)
[Footnote FB-2: _MS. note._ See Introduction; also _Floris et Blanch._, Paris 1856, p. 28, l. 673.]
Now þese merchaundes þ{ a}t may belete, [Sidenote: [100 _b_]] And ben glad of~ hur byȝete. ++nOw let we of Blauncheflo{ ur} be, And speke of Florys in his contree. 204 Now is þe Bu[r]gays to þe king~ coom{ e} W{ i}t{ h} þe gold{ e} and his garyson{ e}, And haþ take þe king~ to wolde, Þe seluer and þe Coupe of golde. 208