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Thys kyng Evandrus than, the first foundar
Of Romys burgh or palyce, can declar
And dyd reherss ontil his gest Enee:
“Thir woddis and thir schawis all,” quod he,
“Sum tyme inhabyt war and occupyit
With nymphis and fawnys apon euery syde,
Quhilk fairfolkis, or than elvys, clepyng we,
That war engendryt in this sam cuntre,
That with ane kynd of men yborn, but leys,
Furth of ald stokkis and hard runtis of treis;
Quhilkis nowder maneris had nor polecy,
Na couth thai eir the ground, nor occupy
The plewis, nor the oxin ȝok infeir,
Nor ȝit had craft to conquyss nor wyn geir,
Nor kepe thar moblis quhen it gadderit was;
Bot, as thir bestis, or the doillit ass,
Thar fude of treis dyd in woddis fet,
Or of the wild veneson scharp to get.
First from the hie hevynnys into this land
Saturnus com, fleand gret Iovis brand,
Hys realmys reft, and banyst eik was he;
Bot tha ontaucht pepill of this cuntre,
That skatterit dwelt in hie hillis greyn,
He maid forgadder togidder and conveyn,
Gaue thame lawys and statutis thame to lede,
And wald also this regioun euery sted
War callit Latium, and clepit to hyss name,
For that he surly lurkyt in the same.
And as thai tel, and redis in mony ryme,
Of gold the warld was in that kyngis tyme;
Sa lykandly, in paix and liberte,
At eyss his common pepill governyt he;
Quhil, peiss and peiss, the elde syne war and war
Begouth to wolx, that cullour fading far,
As, in the sted of paix, the rage of wer
Begouth succeid, and covatyss of geyr.
Syne the pissance com of Ausonya,
And the pepill Sycany hecht alsswa,
By quham the land of Saturn, war and wyss,
Hes left and changit his ald name oftsyss.
Syne kyngis com, amangis quham for the nonys
Stern Tybrys rygnyt, a man byg of bonys,
Fra quham, ay syne, all the Italiane blude
Thar gret ryver hess clepit Tibrys flude;
Thus Albula hys auld trew name hes lost.
And me also to duel within this cost,
Banyst and flemyt of my natyve land,
Strang destany, quhilk may nocht be gaynstand,
And fortoun eik, clepit omnipotent,
Throu all extremys of sey hes hydder sent.
The reuerend alss and dreidfull monysyngis
Of Carmentes my moder, in mony thingis
Expert as nymphe and prophetes dyvyne,
And the autorite of god Appollyne,
Hes me constrenyt to dwel in this hald.”
Scarss hes Evandrus all thir wordis tald,
Quhen, walkyng thens furth bot a litil space,
He can do schaw the altar and the place
Quhilk in the langage Romane ȝit, sans faill,
Is to this day clepit port Carmentaill,
Quharby ramemmorit is in the ilk tovn
This ald Carmentes wirschip and renovn,
Quhilk was baith nymphe and fatale prophetes,
That first declarit, in hir sawys express
The gret pryncis fortocum of Ene,
And of Pallanteum the nobilite.
The kyng syne schew him to the haly schaw,
Quhilk strang Romulus dyd reduce and draw
In maner of franches or of sanctuary.
He schew him eik, but ony langar tary,
Vnder the frosty bra, the coif, was call
Ful mony ȝeris in thar leid Lupercall,
Efter thar gyss of Arcaid and estait,
To Pan the god of Lyce consecrait.
He schew alsso the wod hait Argilete,
That to the man of Arge, thar lost the swete,
Was dedicat, and drew to witnes that sted
That he was nevir culpabill of his ded,
And can to him declar the mater plane,
Quhat wyss his gest, this man of Arge, wess slane.
Fra thyne, to mont Tarpeya he him kend,
And beknyt to that sted, fra end to end,
Quhar now standis the goldin Capitoll,
Vmquhil of wild buskis rowch skroggy knoll,
Thocht, the ilk tyme, ȝit of that dreidfull place
Ane feirfull reuerent religioun, per cace,
The ery rural pepill dyd affray,
So that this crag and scroggis wirschippit thai.
“In ȝon schaw, on this woddy hillis top
That skowgit is with mony buskis crop,”
Quod Evander, “tharon a god dois dwell,
Bot quhat god at he be can na man tell:
My pepill that bene cummyn from Arcaid
Wenys thai saw ȝonder, as thai me said,
Gret Iove hym self, as he ful oft at large
Dyd schake his tawbart, or his beknyt targe,
And with his rycht hand dyd assembill and steir
The watry clowdis, that makis thundris beir.”
And furthir eik he said ontill Enee,
“Ȝon twa town stedis thou behaldis,” quod he,
“With barmkyn down bet and euery wall,
Of forfaderis thai bene memoriall:
This cite beldit our ald fader Ianus,
And ȝonder cite fundit Saturnus:
Ianiculum this hecht, myne awin leif brother,
And Saturnya clepit was that other.”
Amangis thame with sic carpyng and talk,
Towart Evandrus pur lugyng thai stalk:
The catal eik behald thai raik on raw,
And in that sted thar pasturand thai saw,
Quhar now in Rome is the cheif merkat platis,
Baith squeil and low in thai ilk plentuus gatis
Quhilk sum tyme hecht Caryne, fair and large,
Quhar the howsis war like a turnyt barge.
And quhen thai cummyn to the palice wer,
Quod Evander, “At thir ilk ȝettis heir
The conquerour entrit, douchty Hercules;
This sobir manss ressauyt hym, but less.
My gentil gest, enforss the and address
To lern to dar contemp welth and richess,
And do thi self compone, and schaw in deid
In goddis steid worthy to succeid,
With thame equal ressauyt in sic herbry;
Amang smal geir now entris bowsumly.”
And sayand this, the myghty gret Ene
Within hys narrow chymmys ledis he,
And maid him sytting doun apon a bed,
That stuffit was with levys, and ourspred
With the rouch skyn of a bustuus wild beir
In Affrik bred befor mony a ȝer.