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No lenger wolde he byde.

When he was redy forthe to fou[nde],

"Be-leve there," he seyde, "ye hethen h[ounde],

For ye have lorne yowre pryde."

1485

Clement toke the ryght way

Into Parys, as hyt lay,

Fulle blythe was he that tyde!

"Florent, sone, where art thou?

That y the hyght, y have hyt [now],
I have broght thy stede !"
Florent blythe was that day,
And seyde, "Fadur, yf y leve may,

I wylle the quyte thy mede.
But to the emperour of Rome
Therwith y wylle hym present sone,
To the pales ye schalle hym lede;
For evyr me thynkyth yn my mode,
That y am of hys own blode,

1490

1495

Yf hyt so poverly myght sprede."

1500

To the pales the stede was ladde,

And alle the kyngys were fulle gladd

Theron for to see.

The emperour before hym stode,

Ravyschyd herte and blode,

So wondur feyre was he.

Then spekyth the chylde of honour

To hys lorde the emperour,

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1505

Alle that abowte the chylde stode,
Seyde he was of gentulle blode,
Hyt myght noon odur be.

Aftur thys the day was nomyn,
That the batelle on schulde comyn

Agenste the Sarsyns to fyght;

Wyth trumpys and with moche pryde,
Boldely owt of the borogh they ryde,

As men moche of myght!
Florent thoght on the feyre maye,
To batelle wente he not that day,

A schyppe he hath hym dyght;

Fro Mountmertrous there the lady lay,
To Parys he broght hur away,

Ne wyste hyt kynge ne knyght.

1510

1515

1520

That whyle was moche sorowe yn fyzt,

1525

When the batelle began to smyght

With many a grymme gare;
Fro morne that hyt was day lyght,
Tylle hyt was evyn derke nyght,

Wyth woundys wondur sore.
For-why that Florent was not there,
The hethyn men the bettur were,

The batelle venquyscht they thore.
Or Florent to the felde was comyn,
Emperour and kynge were y-nomyn,
And alle that Crysten were.

1530

1535

Florent was of herte so gode,

He rode thorow them [as] he was wode,

As wyght as he wolde wede.

Ther was no Sarsyn so moche of mayn,

That myst hym stonde with strenkyth agayn,
Tylle they had slayne hys stede ;

Of Florent there was dele y-now,
How they hys hors undur hym slowe,

And he to grounde yede.
Florent was take yn that fyght,

1540

1545

Bothe Emperour, kynge, and knyght,
Woundyd they can them lede.

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Wyde the worde sprange of thys chawnce,

How the Sowdon was yu Fraunce

To warre agenste the ryght;

1560

In Jerusalem, men can hyt here,

How the Emperour of Rome was there

1565

Wyth many an hardy knyght. Than spekyth Octavyon the 3yng, Fulle feyre to hys lorde the kyng,

As chylde of moche myght: "Lorde, yf hyt were yowre wylle, I wolde wynde my fadur tylle,

And helpe hym yn that fyght."

Than spekyth the kyng of moche myzt,
Fulle fayre unto that yong knyght,

Sore hys herte can blede.

"Sone, thou schalt take my knyghtes fele,

Of my londe that thou wylle wele,

That styffe are on stede,

Into Fraunce with the to ryde,

Wyth hors and armys be thy syde,

To helpe the at nede;

When thou some doghtynes haste done,

Then may thou shewe thyn errande soone,
The bettur may thou spede."

He bad hys modur make hur yare,

Into Fraunce with hym to fare,

He wolde no lenger byde.

Wyth hur she ladd the lyenas

That sche brozt owt of wyldurnes,

Rennyng be hur syde;

There men myght see many a knyght,

With helmys and with hawberkys bryght,

Forthe yn-to the strete.

1570

1575

1580

1585

1590

Forthe they went on a day,

The hethyn ooste on the way
Alle they can them meete.

By the baners that they bare,
They knewe that they hethyn ware,
And stylle they can abyde.
They dyзt them with bremus bryght,
And made them redy for to fyst,

Ageyn them can they ryde:

They hewe the flesche fro the bone,

Soche metyng was never none,

Wyth sorow on ylke syde! Octavyon, the yong knyght,

Thorow the grace of God Almyght,
Fulle faste he fellyd ther pryde.

The lyenas that was so wyght,

When she sawe the yong knyght

Into the batelle fownde,

Sche folowed hym with alle hur my3t,

And faste fellyd the folke yn fy3t,

Many sche made on-sownde!

Grete stedys downe sche drowe,
And many hethen men sche slowe

Wyth-ynne a lytulle stownde!
Thorow God, that ys of my3tes gode,
The Crysten men the bettur stode,

The hethyn were brost to grownde !

1595

1600

1605

1610

1615

1620

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