The beginning of the Middle English version is lost, but the French text upon which it is based tells us that Fenix, the Muslim King of Spain (that is, Southern Spain, under Muslim rule during the Middle Ages), on one of his forays into Galicia (northwestern Spain), attacks a band of Christian pilgrims en route to the shrine of St. James Compostela, a famous medieval pilgrimage site. Among the pilgrims are a French knight and his recently-widowed daughter, who has chosen to dedicate the rest of her life to the sanctuary of the Apostle. The knight is killed, and his daughter is taken prisoner to Naples, where she is made lady-in-waiting to Fenix's wife. Both women are pregnant, and the children are born on the same day, Palm Sunday (Pasque florie): Floris to the Muslim Queen, and Blauncheflur to her lady-in-waiting.

folio 98, recto 1  Ne thurst men neuer in londe 2  After feirer children fonde. 3  Þe Cristen woman fedde hem þoo, 4  Ful wel she louyd hem boþ twoo. 5  So longe sche fedde hem in feere 6  Þat þey were of elde of seuen 3ere. 7  Þe king behelde his sone dere, 8  And seyde to him on þis manere: 9  Þat harme it were muche more 10  But his sone were sette to lore 11  On þe book letters to know, 12  As men don, both hye and lowe. 13  "Feire sone," he seide, "þow shalt lerne; 14  Lo þat þow do ful 3erne." 15  Florys answerd with wepyng, 16  As he stood byfore þe Kyng; 17  Al wepyng seide he: 18  "Ne schal not Blancheflour lerne with me? 19  Ne kan y no3t to scole goon 20  Without Blanchefloure", he seide þan. 21  "Ne can y in no scole syng ne rede 22  Without Blancheflour", he seide. 23  Þe King seide to his soon: 24 "She shal lerne for þy loue."  25  To scole þey were put. 26  Boþ þey were good of wytte; 27  Wonder it was of hur lore, 28  And of her loue wel þe more. 29  Þe children louyd togeder soo, 30  Þey my3t neuer parte atwoo. 31  When þey had v 3ere to scoole goon, 32  So wel þey had lerned þoo, 33  Inow3 þey couþ of Latyne, 34  And wel wryte on parchemyne. 35  Þe kyng vnderstod þe grete Amoure 36  Bytwene his sone and Blanchefloure, 37  And þou3t, when þey were of age 38 Þat her loue wolde no3t swage; 39  Nor he my3t no3t her loue withdrawe 40  When Florys shuld wyfe after þe lawe.

Medieval Manuscripts       Þ, þ--and other letters in Middle   English no longer in our alphabet.                                Words in bold indicate textual  emendations; in other words, an  editor has detected an error and  corrected it.                    Schooling in the Middle Ages.

folio 98, verso 41  Þe king to þe Queene seide þoo, 42 And tolde hur of his woo, 43  Of his þou3t and of his care, 44  How it wolde of Floreys fare. 45  "Dame," he seide, "y tel þe my reed, 46  I wyl þat Blaunchefloure be do to deed. 47  When þat maide is yslawe, 48  And brou3t of her lyf-dawe, 49  As sone as Florys may it vnder 3ete, 50 Rathe he wylle hur for3ete. 51  Þan may he wyfe after reed." 52  Þe Queene answerd þen and seid, 53  And þou3t with hur reed 54  Saue þe mayde fro þe deed. 55  "Sir", she seide, "we au3t to fonde 56  Þat Florens lyf wit menske in londe, 57  And þat he lese not his honour 58  For þe mayden Blauncheflour. 59  Who-so my3t þat mayde clene, 60  Þat she were brou3t to deþ bydene, 61  Hit were muche more honour 62  Þan slee þat mayde Blancheflour." 63  Vnneþes þe king g[ra]unt þat it be soo. 64  "Dame, rede vs what is to doo". 65  "Sir, we shul oure soone Florys 66  Sende into þe londe of Mountargis. 67  Blythe wyl my suster be, 68  Þat is lady of þat contree; 69  And when she woot for whoom 70  Þat we haue sent him vs froom, 71  She wyl doo al hur my3t, 72  Boþ by day and by ny3t, 73  To make hur loue so vndoo, 74  As it had neuer ben soo. 75  And, sir," she seide, "y rede eke 76  Þat þe maydens moder make hur seeke. 77  Þat may be þat other resoun 78  For þat ylk enchesoun, 79  Þat she may not fro hur moder goo." 80  Now ben þese Children swyþ woo,

folio 99, recto 81  Now þey may not goo in fere, 82  Drewryer þinges neuer noone were. 83  Florys wept byfore þe Kyng, 84  And seide, "Sir, without lesyng, 85 For my harme out ye me sende.  86  Now she ne my3t with me wende, 87  Now we ne mot togeder goo, 88  Al my wele is turned to woo." 89  Þe King seide to his soon aply3t: 90  "Sone, withynne þis fourteny3t, 91  Be her moder quykke or deede," 92  "Sekerly," he him seide, 93  "Þat mayde shal come þe too." 94   "Ye, sir," he seid, "y pray yow it be soo. 95  3if þat ye me hur sende, 96  I rekke neuer wheder y wende." 97 Þat þe child graunted þe Kyng was fayn, 98  And him betau3t his chamburlayne. 99  With muche honoure þey þeder coome, 100  As fel to a ryche Kynges soone. 101   Wel feire him receyuyd þe Duke Orgas, 102  Þat king of þat castel was, 103  And his Aunt wiþ muche honour; 104 But euer he þou3t on Blanchefloure. 105  Glad and blythe þey ben him withe; 106  But for no ioy þat he seith, 107  Ne my3t him glade game ne gle, 108  For he my3t not his lyf see. 109  His Aunt set him to lore 110  Þere as other children wore, 111  Boþ maydons and grome; 112  To lerne mony þeder coome. 113  Inow3 he sykes, but no3t he lernes; 114  For Blauncheflour euer he mornes. 115  Yf eny man to him speke 116  Loue is on his hert steke. 117  Loue is at his hert roote 118  Þat noþing is so soote: 119  Galyngale ne lycorys 120  Is not so soote as hur loue is,

folio 99, verso  121  Ne nothing ne none other flour.  122 So much he þenkeþ on Blancheflour,  123 Of oo day him þynkeþ þre,   124 For he ne may his loue see.  125  Þus he abydeth with muche woo  126  Tyl þe fourteny3t were goo.  127  When he saw she was nou3t ycoome,  128  So muche sorow he haþ noome,  129  Þat he loueth mete ne drynke,  130  Ne may noon in his body synke.  131  Þe chamberleyne sent þe King to wete  132  His sones state al ywrete.  133  Þe King ful sone þe waxe to-brake  134  For to wete what it spake.  135  He begynneth to chaunge his moode,  136  And wel sone he vnderstode,  137  And with wreth he cleped þe Queene,  138  And tolde hur alle his teene,  139  And with wraþ spake and sayde: 140  "Let do bryng forþ þat mayde!  141  Fro þe body þe heued shal goo."  142  Þenne was þe Quene ful woo.  143  Þan spake þe Quene, þat good lady:  144  "For goddes loue, sir, mercy!  145  At þe next hauen þat here is  146  Þer ben chapmen ryche ywys,  147  Marchaundes of Babyloyn ful ryche,  148  Þat wol hur bye blethelyche.  149  Than may 3e for þat louely foode  150  Haue muche Catell and goode.  151  And soo she may fro vs be brou3t,  152  Soo þat we slee hur nou3t."  153  Vnneþes þe king graunted þis;  154 But forsoþ so it is,   155  Þe king let sende after þe burgeise,  156  Þat was hende and curtayse,  157  And welle selle and bygge couth,  158  And moony langages had in his mouth.  159  Wel sone þat mayde was him betau3t,  160  An to þe hauene was she brou3t.

folio 100, recto  161  Ther haue þey for þat maide 3olde  162  xx. Mark of reed golde,  163  And a coupe good and ryche;  164  In al þe world was non it lyche.  165  Þer was neuer noon so wel graue;  166  He þat it made was no knave.  167  Þer was purtrayd on, y weene,  168  How Paryse ledde awey þe Queene;  169  And on þe couercle aboue  170  Purtrayde was þer both her loue;  171  And in þe pomel þeron  172  Stood a charbuncle stoon.  173  In þe world was not so depe soler  174 Þat it nold ly3t þe boteler,  175  To fylle boþ ale and wyne,  176  Of syluer and golde boþ good and fyne.  177  Enneas þe king, þat nobel man,  178  At Troye in batayle he it wan,  179 And brou3t it into Lumbardy,  180  And gaf it his lemman, his amy.  181  Þe coupe was stoole fro King Cesar;  182  A þeef out of his tresour-hous it bar.  183  And sethe þat ilke same þeef  184  For Blaunchefloure he it 3eef.  185  For he wyst to wynne suche þree,  186  My3t he hur bryng to his contree.  187  Now þese Marchaundes saylen ouer þe see  188  With þis mayde, to her contree.  189  So longe þey han vndernome,  190  Þat to Babyloyne þey ben coome.  191  To þe Amyral of Babyloyn  192  Þey solde þat mayde swythe soon;  193  Rath and soone þey were at oon.  194  Þe Amyral hur bou3t anoon,  195  And gafe for hur, as she stood vpry3t,  196  Seuyne sythes of golde her wy3t;  197  For he þou3t without weene  198  Þat faire mayde haue to Queene.  199  Among his maydons in his bour  200  He hur dide with muche honour.

folio 100, verso  201  Now þese merchaundes þat may belete,  202  And ben glad of hur by3ete.  203  Now let we of Blauncheflour be,  204  And speke of Florys in his contree.  205  Now is þe bu[r]gays to þe King coome  206  With þe golde and his garyson,  207  And haþ take þe king to wolde  208  Þe seluer and þe coupe of golde.  209  They lete make in a chirche  210  A swithe feire graue wyrche,  211  And lete ley þer vppon  212  A new feire peynted ston,  213  With letters al aboute wryte  214  With ful muche worshippe.  215  Who-so couth þe letters rede,  216  Þus þey spoken, and þus þei seide:  217  "Here lyth swete Blaunchefloure  218  Þat Florys louyd par amoure.  219  Now Florys haþ vndernome,  220  And to his fader he is coome.  221  In his fader halle he is ly3t,  222  His fader he grette anoonry3t,  223  And his moder, þe Queene, also.  224  But vnneþes my3t he þat doo,  225  Þat he ne asked where his Lemman bee.  226  Nonskyns answere chargeþ hee.  227  So longe he is forth noome,  228  Into chamber he is coome.  229  Þe maydenys moder he asked ry3t:  230  "Where is Blauncheflour, my swete wy3t?"  231  "Sir," she seide, "forsothe ywys,  232  I ne woot where she is."  233  She beþou3t hur on þat lesyng  234  Þat was ordeyned byfoore þe king.  235  "Þou gabbest me," he seyde þoo,  236  "Þy gabbyng doþ me muche woo.  237  Tel me where my leman be."  238  Al wepyng seide þenne shee,  239  "Sir," shee seide, "deede." "Deed!" seide he.  240  "Sir," she seide, "forsothe, 3ee."

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