_Ensamble vont, ensamble vienent Et la joie d’amor maintient Nus d’aus deus chose ne savoit Que lués a l’autre ne disoit. . . . . . . . . . . . . On ooient parler d’amors. Ensamble lisent et aprendent; A la joie d’amor entendent: Un vergier a li peres Floire . . . . . . . . . . . . D’amors i chantent li oisel. Quant il mangoient et bevoient Li oisel seure aus se séoient; Des oiseles oent les chans: Cou est la vie as deus enfans. . . . . . . . . . . . . Et quant a l’escole venoient Lor tables d’yvoire prenoient, Adont lor veissiez escrire Letres et vers d’amors en cire. Letres et salus font d’amors Du chant des oisiaus et des flors._
The writer of I. is evidently a genuine poet, though perhaps somewhat of the ‘spring poet’ order. He exalts the sentiment of love, as we have seen, and feelingly describes the elaborately constructed tomb (vv. 530-652), the finely wrought cup (vv. 431-498), and the birds and flowers and fountains and trees of the gardens of the king and of the ‘Admiral.’ He dwells in sensuous fondness in his enumeration equally of the fine stuffs and precious stones; the _mantiaus_, _vairs osterins_ and _bliaus indes porprins_ (429-30), or the _saffirs_ and _calcidoines_ and _boines jagonses_ and _sardoines_, etc. (1755-77), and of flowers and trees; the “_poivre, canele et garingal_,” or the “_encens, girofle et citoval_,” or the _beuns_, the _plantoine_, the _alïer_, the _boins figiers_, the _peschiers_, the _periers_ and the _noiers_ (1761-8).
The “_version populaire_,” on the other hand, seems to be adapted somewhat to the ideal of the native French epic, and Floire is represented as a model of courage and knightly virtue, in a class with the _douze pers_ and the other heroes of the Charlemagne cycle of stories. The writer interpolates scenes in which Floire may display his fighting qualities. In the early part of the story, he returns from school just in time to rescue Blauncheflur, who is about to be committed to the flames. He accomplishes her rescue by acting as her champion and fighting the seneschal, who has accused her of attempting to poison the king. The combat is a stirring one quite in the manner of the _Chansons de geste_ (vv. 920-1160). On the journey to Babylon, Floire has heroic adventures in a battle with Diogenes, son of Samones, king of the city of Fusis (1854-1984). Later, when the trial of Fl. and Bl. is interrupted by the arrival of an invader, Jonas de Handreas, Fl. offers to vanquish the invaders if his life be spared. At first he is unsuccessful in his attempt, but after being taken prisoner by the invaders, he is aroused by the reproachful words of Bl. and breaking loose, slays Jonas, thus delivering the city and winning Bl. (3120-3410). The writer of II. emphasizes the battle scenes at the expense of the descriptive passages, devoting to the description of the tomb only 32 verses, and to that of the wonderful cup, only 14. He seems also to be of a practical turn of mind, and instead of fondly enumerating the gems received for Bl., describes rather the circumstances of the sale. Babyloine is a rich city with no poor, and has a rent of three thousand ounces of gold each day (vv. 2319, 2342). From all these instances one can see that the sweet and sentimental tale of the I. version is quite modified in II. If we agree with Herzog that this version was the result of the blending of the #B# version imported from Italy, with the #A# version, which was already well known in France, we must conclude also that this “_version populaire_” is influenced by the ideals of contemporary French poetry of native origin, by the manners and conventions of the _chansons de geste_, and the heroic romances springing from or influenced by them.