[Sidenote: The chamberlain reports Floris’s sorrow to the king.] Þe Chamberleyn{e} sent þe king~ to wete, His sones state al y-wrete. 132 [Sidenote: The king is very angry, and again proposes to put Blauncheflur to death.] Þe king~ ful sone þe waxe to-brake, For to wete what it spake: He begynneth to chaunge his mood{e}, And wel sone he vnderstode, 136 And w{i}t{h} wreth he cleped þe Queene, And tolde hur alle his teene, And w{i}t{h} wraþ spake and sayde, “Let do bryng~ forþ þ{a}t mayde! 140 Fro þe body þe heued shal goo.” Þenne was þe Quene ful woo. Þan spake þe Quene, þ{a}t good lady, [Sidenote: The queen proposes, instead, to sell the maiden.] “For goddes love, s{ir}, mercy. 144 At þe next hauen þ{a}t here is, Þ{er} ben chapmen ryche y-wys, Marchaundes of~ babyloyn{e} ful ryche, Þat wol hur bye blethelyche. 148 Than may ȝe for þ{a}t louely foode Haue muche Catełł and goode. And soo she may fro vs be brouȝt, Soo þat we slee hur nouȝt.” 152 Vnneþes þe king~ g{ra}unted þis; But forsoþ so it is, Þe king~ let sende after þe burgeise, Þ{a}t was hende and Curtayse, 156 And welle selle and bygge couth, And moony langages had in his mouth. [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.]