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The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

General

The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

Charlemagne, Emperor, 742-814 -- Romances; English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Romances, English

For loue hath made many a conquerou[rh]
 And many a worthy knighte.
 This worthy Sowdan, though he heþen we[rh],      The soudan was a
 He was a worthy conquerou[rh];               980 great conqueror;
 Many a contrey with shelde and spere
 He conquerede wyth grete honoure.
 And his worthy sone Ferumbras,                   Ferumbras and
 That kinge was of Alisaund[rh],              984
 And Lucafe[rh] of Baldas,                        Lukafer wrought
 That cruel kinge of Cassaund[rh],
 That wroughten wonders w«i»t«h» here honde       wonders with their
 With myghte and mayne for to fyghte,         988 hands.
 And over-ride mony a manly londe,
 As men of Armes hardy and wighte.
 The Sowdan seyinge this myschief,
 How Charles hade him a-greved,               992
 That grevaunce was him no thinge
   lese,[123]
 He was ful sore ameved.
 He sente oute his bassatoures                    The soudan sent for
 To Realmes, provynces fer[rh] and ne[rh],    996 his vassals,
 To Townes, Citeis, Castels and Tours,
 To come to him the[rh] he were,
 To Inde Maior and to Assye,
 To Ascoloyne, Venys, Frige and Ethiope,     1000
 To Nubye, Turkye and Barbarye,
 To Macedoine, Bulga[rh] and to Europe.
 Alle these people was gadred to Agremore,        and assembled more
 Thre hundred thousand of Sarsyns felle,     1004 than 300,000 Saracens
 Some bloo, some yolowe, some blake as            at Agremore.
   more,
 Some horible and stronge as devel of
   helle.
 He made hem drinke Wilde beestes bloode,         [leaf 25]
 Of Tigre, Antilope and of Camalyon̄,         1008
 As is here vse to egre here mode,
 Whan þai in werre to battayle goon.
 He saide to hem “my frendes de[rh],              He addressed them in
 As my trust is alle in you,                 1012 order

[p030 THE SARACENS SACRIFICE TO THEIR GODS.]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

General

The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

Charlemagne, Emperor, 742-814 -- Romances; English poetry -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Romances, English

For loue hath made many a conquerou[rh]
 And many a worthy knighte.
 This worthy Sowdan, though he heþen we[rh],      The soudan was a
 He was a worthy conquerou[rh];               980 great conqueror;
 Many a contrey with shelde and spere
 He conquerede wyth grete honoure.
 And his worthy sone Ferumbras,                   Ferumbras and
 That kinge was of Alisaund[rh],              984
 And Lucafe[rh] of Baldas,                        Lukafer wrought
 That cruel kinge of Cassaund[rh],
 That wroughten wonders w«i»t«h» here honde       wonders with their
 With myghte and mayne for to fyghte,         988 hands.
 And over-ride mony a manly londe,
 As men of Armes hardy and wighte.
 The Sowdan seyinge this myschief,
 How Charles hade him a-greved,               992
 That grevaunce was him no thinge
   lese,[123]
 He was ful sore ameved.
 He sente oute his bassatoures                    The soudan sent for
 To Realmes, provynces fer[rh] and ne[rh],    996 his vassals,
 To Townes, Citeis, Castels and Tours,
 To come to him the[rh] he were,
 To Inde Maior and to Assye,
 To Ascoloyne, Venys, Frige and Ethiope,     1000
 To Nubye, Turkye and Barbarye,
 To Macedoine, Bulga[rh] and to Europe.
 Alle these people was gadred to Agremore,        and assembled more
 Thre hundred thousand of Sarsyns felle,     1004 than 300,000 Saracens
 Some bloo, some yolowe, some blake as            at Agremore.
   more,
 Some horible and stronge as devel of
   helle.
 He made hem drinke Wilde beestes bloode,         [leaf 25]
 Of Tigre, Antilope and of Camalyon̄,         1008
 As is here vse to egre here mode,
 Whan þai in werre to battayle goon.
 He saide to hem “my frendes de[rh],              He addressed them in
 As my trust is alle in you,                 1012 order

[p030 THE SARACENS SACRIFICE TO THEIR GODS.]

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

The Romaunce of the Sowdone of Babylone and of Ferumbras His Sone Who Conquerede Rome

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