The story can stand by itself here. What needs to be said was discussed above or expanded down below, in the discussion of the “Song of Roland”. I must admit, however, to cutting more out of the story at this point than in anywhere else.
Caxton includes a long scene in which Admiral Balan refuses to convert despite the best the French can do. Charlemagne delivers a whole sermon, and Fierabras begs him to submit in several ways. (Floripas would rather they stopped wasting time and kill him, an attitude that earns her a rebuke from her brother). In fear for his life, Balan agrees to be stripped and brought to the font for baptism, but at the end he reneges and tries to drown the bishop. That was the final straw.
Then comes the scene where Floripas strips to be baptized. Caxton describes this picture with loving detail: suffice it to say that she makes a lot of friends on her trip to the font, and Guy gets a lot of envious stares.
Caxton ends his story with the recovery of the relics. After some months Charlemagne asks Floripas to turn them over, which she does. Bishop Turpin tests them before the whole army[1] and proves their authenticity by the fact that they float in midair.
The last scene tells the story of how Charles put some of the smaller fragments of the True Cross in his glove for safekeeping before turning them over to the bishop. The glove went missing on the ride home, and the party turned back to look for it. They found it drifting in the air, suspended by an unnoticed splinter. (Had I been writing it, the empty glove would have slapped some poor soldier while he scanned the ground, but I left it out and you were spared).
