865 "Certes", seide þe Kyng,
866 "Now is she a swete þing.
867 Wel au3t me 3erne her to wyf,
868 Þat so preyeth for my lyf."
869 Anoþer day Clarys erly aryst.
870 Þat Blauncheflour well wyst,
871 And seide: "y come anoon",
872 When Clarys her clepe bygan,
873 And fel in a slepe newe.
874 Sone after it made hem to rewe.
875 Clarys to þe Pyler cam;
876 A basyn of gold in hond she nam,
877 And cleped after Blaunchefloure,
878 To wende with hur into þe toure.
879 Þe Amyral asked after Blauncheflour:
880 "What! is she not come 3et?
881 Now she me douteþ al to lyte."
882 Forþ he cleped his chamburlayn,
883 And bade him wende with his mayn,
884 To wete why she wyl not come,
885 As she was wonyd to doon.
886 Þe chamburlayn is forth noom;
887 Into chamber he is coom,
888 And stondeþ byfore hur bedde,
889 And fyndeþ þere nebbe to nebbe,
890 Nebbe to nebbe, and mouþ to mouþ.
891 To þe Amyral it was sone couþ.
892 Vp into þe toure he stey3,
893 And told his lord al þat he sey3.
894 Þe Amyral lete him his swerd brynge,
895 For wete he wolde of þat tydynge.
896 He went to hem þere þey lay;
897 3it was she aslepe þere ay.
898 The Amyral lete þe clothes doun cast
899 A lytel bynethe hur brest,
900 And sone he knew anoon
901 Þat oon was woman & þat oþer groom.
902 He quaked for tene þere he stood;
903 Hem to sloon was in his mood.
904 3it he þou3t, or he hem quelde,
905 What þey were, þey shuld him telle,
906 And seth he wyl with dome hem done.
907 Þe children wakyd swyth soone,
908 And saw þe swerde ouer hem drawe;
909 Þey ben adrad and in aw3e.
910 Þan seide Florys to Blauncheflour:
911 "Of oure lyf is no socour."
912 But þey cryde him mercy swyth,
913 For to length her lyue.
914 Vp he bade hem sytte booth,
915 And do on boþ her cloþ.
916 Seþ he dide hem bynde fast,
917 And in prison lete hem be cast.
918 Now haþ he after his barons sent
919 To wreke him after iugement,
920 Now han þe barons vndernome,
921 And to þe Amyral þey ben coome.
922 He stood vp among hem al,
923 With semblant wroþ withalle,
924 And seide: "Lordynges, with muche honour,
925 3e herde speke of Blauncheflour,
926 Þat y bou3t hur dere a ply3t
927 For seuen sithes of golde hur wy3t;
928 For y wende, without wene,
929 Þat feire mayde to haue had to Quene.
930 Among my maydons in my toure
931 I hur dide with muche honoure.
932 Byfore her bedde my self y coom;
933 I fonde þeryn a naked groom.
934 Þan were þey to me so looþ,
935 I þou3t to haue sleyn hem booþ;
936 I was so wroþ and so wood.
937 3it y withdrow3 myn hoot blood,
938 Tyl y haue sende after 3ow, by assent,
939 To wreke me with iugement.
940 Now 3it 3e woot how it is goon,
941 Wreke me soon of my foon."
942 Þan spake a kyng of þat londe:
943 "We haue herd al þis shame and shonde,
944 But, or we hem to deth deme,
945 Lat vs hem see, 3if it þe queeme,
946 What þey wolde speke or segge,
947 3if þey wyl au3t ageyn vs legge.
948 Hit were nou3t ry3t iugement,
949 Without answere make acoupement.
950 Til þis is herde of more and lasse,
951 What myster is to bere wytnesse."
952 After þe children haue þey sent;
953 To brenne hem was his entent.
954 Two serieauntes hem gan brynge
955 Toward hur deeþ, al wepynge.
956 Drery booþ þese children goo;
957 Ayther bemeneþ oþeris woo.
958 Þan seide Florys to Blauncheflour:
959 "Of oure lyf is no socour.
960 Yf kinde of man it þole my3t,
961 Twyes y shuld dye with ry3t:
962 Oones for myself, anoþer for the;
963 For þy deeþ þow hast for me."
964 Blauncheflour seyde þoo:
965 "Þe gylt is myn of oure woo."
966 Florys drou3 forþ þat ryng
967 Þat his moder him gaff at her partyng.
968 "Haue þis ryng, lemman myne;
969 Þow shalt not dye while it is þyne."
970 Blaunchefloure seide þoo:
971 "So ne shal it neuer goo,
972 Þat þis ryng shal help me,
973 And þe deed on þe see."
974 Florys þat ryng hur rau3t,
975 And she it him agayn betau3t,
976 Nouther ne wyl other deed seene;
977 Þey let it falle hem bytwene.
978 A king com after; a ryng he fonde,
979 And brou3t it forth in his honde.
980 Þus þe children wepyng com
981 To þe fire and hur doom.
982 Byfore þe folk þey were brou3t;
983 Drery was her bothes þou3t.
984 Þere was noon so sterne man
985 Þat þe children loked oon,
986 Þat þey ne wolde al wel fawe
987 Her iugement haue withdrawe,
988 And with grete catel hem bygge,
989 3if þey durst speke or sygge,
990 For Flores was so feire a 3onglyng,
991 And Blaunchefloure so swete a þing.
992 Þer wyst no man whor hem were woo,
993 For no semblaunt þat þey made þoo.
994 Þe Admyral was so wood,
995 Ne my3t he nou3t kele his hoot blood.
996 He bade þe children fast be bound,
997 And into þe fire slong.
998 Þat ilke king þat þe ryng fonde,
999 To Amyral he spake and rounde,
1000 And wolde hem saue to þe lyf,
1001 And told how for þe ryng þey gon stryf.
1002 Þe Amyral lete hem ageyn clepe,
1003 For he wolde here hem speke,
1004 And asked Florys what he heete,
1005 And he tolde him ful skeete.
1006 "Sire," he seide, "yf it were þy wylle,
1007 Þow ne au3test not þat maide to spylle;
1008 But, good sir, quel þow me,
1009 And late þat maide on lyue be."
1010 Blauncheflour seide byne:
1011 "Þe gylt of oure dedes is myne."
1012 Þe Admyral seide þoo
1013 "Iwys 3e shul dye boo."
1014 His swerd he breide out of his sheeth,
1015 Þe children to haue done to deeth.
1016 Blaunchefloure put forþ hur swire,
1017 And Florys dide her agayn to tyre,
1018 And seide: "I am man; I shal byfore.
1019 With wrong hast þow þy lyf loore."
1020 Florys forth his swere putte,
1021 And Blauncheflour agayn him tytte.
1022 Þe king seide: "Drery mot 3e be,
1023 Þis rouþ by þis children to see."
1024 Þe king þat þe ryng hadde,
1025 For routh of hem sone he radde,
1026 And at þe Amyral wyl he spede,
1027 Þe children fro þe deþ to lede.
1028 "Sir" he seide, "it is lytel prys
1029 Þese Children for to slee, ywys;
1030 And it is wel more worship
1031 Florys counsel þat 3e weete,
1032 Who him tau3t þat ilke gynne
1033 Þy toure for to come ynne,
1034 And who him brou3t þare,
1035 And other, þat 3e may be ware."
1036 Þan seide þe Amyral: "As god me saue,
1037 Florys shal his lyf haue,
1038 3if he me telle who him tau3t þerto.
1039 Quod Florys: "þat shal y neuer doo."
1040 Now þey bydden al ywys,
1041 Þat þe Admyral graunted þis,
1042 To for3eue þat trespas,
1043 3if Florys told how it was.
1044 Now euery word he haþ him tolde,
1045 How þat maide was fro him solde,
1046 And how he was of Spayn a Kynges sone,
1047 For grete loue þeder ycome,
1048 For to fonde with sum gynne
1049 Þat feire maide for to wynne,
1050 And how þe porter was his man bycome
1051 For his gold and for his warysoun,
1052 And how he was in þe florys born;
1053 Alle þe lordinges low3 þerforn.
1054 Now þe Admyral-wol him tyde;
1055 Florys setteþ next his syde,
1056 And efte he made him stonde vpry3t,
1057 And dubbed him þere kny3t.
1058 And bade he shulde with him be
1059 Þe furthermast of his meyne.
1060 Florys falleþ doun to his feet,
1061 And prayeþ geue him his sweet.
1062 Þe Amyral gaf him his lemman.
1063 Al þat þere were þankyd him þanne.
1064 To a chirche he let hem brynge,
1065 And dede let wed hem with a ryng.
1066 Boþ þese twoo swete þinges ywys
1067 Fel his feet for to kysse.
1068 And þrou3 consel of Blauncheflour
1069 Clarys was fet doun of þe toure,
1070 And Amyral wedded hur to Queene.
1071 Þere was fest swythe breeme.
1072 I can not telle al þe sonde,
1073 But rycher fest was neuer in londe.
1074 Was it nou3t longe after þan
1075 Þat to Florys tydyng cam,
1076 Þat þe King, his fader, was deed.
1077 Þe baronage gaf him reed,
1078 Þat he shuld wende hoom
1079 And fonge his feire kyngdoom.
1080 At þe Amyral þey toke leue,
1081 And he byddeþ þem byleue.
1082 Home he went with royal array,
1083 And was crownyd within a short day.

 

The Auchinleck MS has an expanded ending:

Þai bitau3t þe Amerail our Dri3t
& þai com hom whan þai mi3t,
& let croune him to King,
& hire to Quene, þat swete þing,
& vnderfeng Cristendom of prestes honde,
& þonkede God of alle his sonde.
Nou ben þai boþe ded;
Crist of heuene houre soules led.
Nou is þis tale browt to þende
Of Florice and of his lemman hende,
Hou after bale hem com bote;
So wil oure Louerd þat ous mote.
Amen sigge3 also,
And ich schal helpe 3ou þerto

. . . . . . . . Explicit