Remains of a sabre?

[blue lander]

The seller thought it was an "african machete", but after posting a pic over on the ethnographic side the consensus is that may be a cut down European sabre with all the metal and leather taken off the hilt.

Both sides of the blade are mostly covered with a floral pattern. One side has some writing at the bottom, but it's too corroded to make out most of it. The first three letters on the first line appear to be LEC, the last two look like TE. I can't read the bottom line at all. Other than the floral pattern, there's two lions holding a shield or something with a chevron on it. I'll try to take better pictures, but the patina is very shiny so you get a lot of reflection. The edges are banged up pretty good on both sides. No fuller or anything like that.

The hilt is cracked on both sides. It looks to me like it cracked from somebody hitting something too hard with it. Sort of like what happens when you try to use a sword as a machete. The patina is weird, it's very shiny and thick.

Any idea what this might have been once? It almost looks decorative piece except that it's so beaten up.