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Iove or Iupiter by the gentillis was clepit the mast soueran god, fader of goddis and men, and all the otheris war bot haldyn as poweris dyuerss of this Iupiter, callit “iuuans pater,” the helply fadir; bot quham we cleip swa I haf writyn in my proloug of the x buyk. Of Iupiter, as writis Sanct Augustyn in his volume clepit the Cyte of God, in the vii buke and ix c. therof, thus writis poetis:

“Iupiter omnipotent, king of kingis, and god, fader and moder of goddis, an god, and all the goddis.” Of him largly spekis he alsswa, reprevand the gentile opinionys, in the sam volum, in the first buk and xi c. therof; and in the xii c. repreuys the opynion of Plato, that haldis God the sawll of the warld. Of Iupiter sais the poet Lucan:

“Iupiter is all that euer thou seis, and all that euer movis.” Bot quhou ther beyn thre syndry Iupiteris, reid Iohn Bocas in his Genealogy of Goddis, in the first c. of the xi buyk, quhar he tretis of Iupiter, kyng of Crete, quhilk was Iupiter the thrid; and ther at the full of all the fiction and fabillis therof, and quhy he is clepit gret god, and of this Iupiter in the recollectis of Troy. Of the secund Iupiter, kyng of Archad and syne of Athenes, quhilk slew Lycaon and was fadyr to Dardanus, of quham cam the Troianys, he writis in the first c. of his v buyk. And of Iupiter the first, callit Lysanyan, and kyng Athenes, in the ii c. of his ii buke, quhar he tretis the proprieteis of Iupiter the planeyt. And now to speyk of Iupiter the planete, quhilk is secund in ordour, and vnermaste nyxt Saturn. He is gentyll and meyk, and full of gud influens, and profitabill aspectis, in sa fer that gif he conionys with a frawart planete, sik as Mars or Saturn, he meysis ther wreth. Gif he conionys with a meyn planete, as the Sone, the Moyn or Mercury, he drawis thaim and makis inclyn to his gudness. Quhen he conionys wyth Venus, or is participant wyth her, as he stud in the ascendent at this tym of Eneas landyng, quhilk is fenȝeit the commonyng betwix hym and Venus, than, as heir apperis, batakynnys all gud; for Iove is clepit “Fortuna maior,” and Venus “Fortuna minor.” He completis his curss in xii ȝeris, and by this constylation betwix him and Venus, Seruius ondirstandis felicite tocum be a woman, as followis be Dido. And that Venus was sorofull, that is to knaw, discendent, and nocht in hir strength, signifeis the sorofull departyng and myschans of Dido.

Becauss ther is mension of Anthenor, quham many, followand Gwydo De Columnis, haldis tratour, sum thing of him will I speyk, thocht it may suffis for his purgation that Virgill heir hayth namyt him, and almaste comparit him to the mast soueran Eneas, quhilk comparison na wyss wald he haf maid for lak of Eneas, gif he had bein tratour. Bot to schaw his innocens, lat vs induce the mast nobill and famus historian and mylky flud of eloquens, gret Tytus Lyuius, quhilk of Anthenor and Eneas sais thir wordis in his beginning: “It is weill wyt that, Troy beand takin, in all the otheris Troianys crudelite was exersit, exceppand twa, Anthenor and Eneas, to quham the Grekis did na harm, bot abstenyt fra all power of batall as twichyng thaim, becauss of the rayson of hospitalite, for thai had beyn ther ald hostis, and all tymys thai war solistaris and warkkaris to rendyr Helen and to procur paice.” Now I beseik ȝow, curtess redaris, considdir gif this be punctis of traison, or rathar of honour, and wey the excellent awtorite of Virgill and Tytus Lyuius wyth ȝour pevach and corrupt Gwido. Landinus sais als of this Anthenor that, for his sone Glaucus followit Paris, he depechit him of him, and for that sam caus, quhen he was aftyr slan by Agamenon, he maid na duyll for his ded.

Ilyria hes his naym fra Illyrus, son to Polyphemus, and, as sais Sextus Rufus, it contenys xvii provyncis. It extendis endlang all the gret flud Danubyum, callit Hister, on bayth the sydis, and in it is Vngary, Pannony, Sclauony, Bohem, Denmark and Macydon; and this Lyburnya is bot a part therof, contenand certan ilis. Timauus is a flud in Lumbardy, in the Venytian landis, that cumis furth of the Duch montanys at ix beginnyngis, quhilk all rynnys in a loch, quham the pepill adiacent callis a sey, and from this loch cumys the flud that rynnys to Padva, byggit be Anthenor, as heir ȝe may se. Bot it is tobe notyt that Virgill sais abuf, in the first c., Eneas coim fyrst fra Troy to Italy, and heir it apperis Anthenor caym befor him: to that sais Seruyus, tha partis quhamto coym Anthenor beyn not haldyn of Italy, bot of Lumbardy, callyt Gallia Cysalpina. Or mayr evidently may we say that Ene was the fyrst coim to Italy by fait, and at the goddis command. Anthenor coym at his awin auentur, and nocht be destine.

Venus is clepit Cytherea fra the ile Cythera, besid Creyt, quhar scho was norysit; or fra the mont Cytheron, quhar scho was gretly wirscheppit.

The cyte of Rome, or than of New Troy.

The deyfication of Eneas is eftyr, in the last c. of the xiii buyk.

Of the barganyng or batellis of this Eneas, her in dyuers bukis followand; and of the beldyng of his cyte and how lang his ryng endurit, in the last and penult c. of the xiii buyk.

Iulus is thre sillabis, spellit wyth i per se and v per se.

The cite Alba, biggit by Ascanius son of Creusa, eftyr Virgill had his naim fra the quhite swyn, as ȝe may se in the first c. of the viii buk; and was clepit Lang Alba for it was set endlang the band or ryg of a law hill, as writis Tytus Lyuius, and wass distroit by Tullus Hostilius, thrid king of Rom, and tharof in the xi c. of the xiii buke.

Pepill Hectorean, hardy as Hector, or of the kinrent and blud of Hector, for this Ascanȝus was his fift son.

Of Romulus ȝe sall knaw, that Porcas, the xi kyng of Alba or Albanys, gat twa sonys, Numytor and Amulyus, betwyx quham he dividit his realm. Bot this Amulyus banyst his brother Numytor, and slew his son Lawsus; and his dochtir, callit Ilya or Rhea, consecrat a nun onto the goddes Vesta, to that effect scho suld haf na succession, for in tha dais sik nunis, gif tha brak ther virginite, war eyrdit qwyk. Bot this Ilia consauyt and brocht furth twa childyr mayll, quham thai fenȝe to haf beyn engendyrit of Mars, becauss thai war bellicoss and chevalruss, and bygettin of sum dowchti man. And than this Amulyus gart put this Ilia to ded and bad kast tha childyr in Tybyr. Bot the flud bean speyt was flowyn sa far our the brays thai mycht nocht wyn to the crocis of the water and thus war thai left on the bra. And ane Faustus, an hyrd, had thaim haim to his howss, and maid Acca his wyf, other wyss callyt Lupa, nuryce thaim; and for that Lupa betakinnys a wolf and scho was callit Lupa, therfor is it said a wolf fosterit Romulus and Remus. And becauss this said Acca or Lupa maid Romulus hir ayr, therfor sais Virgill he was cled in his motheris or nuryce tawbart. And eftyr, quhen thai worth men, thai becam for the nanys briggantis of the wod, and by a maner pollycy or practyk convenyt that the tayn of thaim suld tak his brother and all his complicis, and sa thai did, and brocht him befor ther vncle the kyng Amulyus, as thocht he wald accuss him of a dedly cryme. And quhen thai war in presens cumin, thai bayth attanys rayss apon Amulyus and slew him, and ther declaryt ther blud and genealogy, and therefter brocht haim thar grandsyr Numytor, and restoryt to him his realm, syn went ther way and for thaim selvyn biggit Roym and wallyt fyrst. And for thai war bayth of a byrth, thai beguyth debait for the naim of the cyte. Than was appunctyt that on the morn quha saw the mast nobyll syng or takin augurian suld geif the cyte his naym. And Remus fyrst saw vi gripis, and Romulus eftyr hym xii gripis. Than said the tayn his takyn was most nobyll for that he saw thaim first; and the tother na, becauss he saw ma; bot quhiddir it was for that debait, or for the goyng our the wallis, as otheris will say, Remus was slayn be Fabyus, chyftan of weyr to Romulus, and the cyte clepit Roma eftyr Romulus. And quhou or quhy that he is callit Quyrites, and of his dowtsom end, and of the sonnis eclips the tym of his ded, and quhy he was repute a god, reid Titus Lyuius, Iohn Bocas in the last c. of the Genealogi of Godis in the ix buke, and Augustyn in the Cyte of God in the xv c. of the iii buke. And sum thing heir eftir in the xiii c. of the vi buke and the x c. of the viii buyk.

Sanct Augustyn in his volum clepit De Verbis Domini, in the xxix sermond, mokkis at this word, sayand: “Ȝit is not the end, and the empyr is translat to the Almanys. Bot Virgill was crafty,” sais he, “that wald not on his awyn byhalf rehers thir wordis, bot maid Iupiter pronunce thaim—and as he is a half fenȝeit god, swa is his prophecy.”

Pthytia was the cuntre of Achilles; Myce or Mycene, the realm of Agamenon; Arge, the realm of Kyng Adrastus, pertenyng eftir to Diomed be raison of his moder, and it is oft tane for all Grece, and the Grekis therfra bein oft clepit Argiui, or pepill of Arge.

Of Iuliuss Cesar, quhen I behald his Commentareis, and the gret volum of Lucan, and quhat of hym writis Swytoneus, I thynk bettyr hald styll my pen than wryt lytill of sa large a mater and sa excellent a prynce. Bot ȝe sall knaw that the principall entent of Virgill was to extoll the Romanys, and in specyal the famyllye or clan Iulyan, that coim from this Ascanyus, son to Eneas and Crevsa, otherwais callyt Iulus; becauss the empryour August Octavyan, quhamto he direkkit this wark, was of that hows and blud, and sistyr son to Cesar Iulyus. And therfor, quhen Cesar was slayn by the Sanatouris, Octavyan had revengit his deth, and rang passabilly at the byrth of our Salviour, quhen the starn of Bethliam apperit. Than to pless Octavian, said the Romanys that was the sawll of Cesar quhilk was deifyit, and this opynion heir twischis Virgill and alss in his Bucolyqueys.

Off the stek and of closyng of the tempill of Ianus in tym of weyr and of pace, ȝe haf in the vii buyk in the x c. And this tempill of Ianus was twyss closit befor Octauian: anys be Numa Pompilius, and the secund tym be Tytus Manlyus, and thriss be Octavyan. And this tym heyr markyt was the last tym, at the cumyng of Cryst, quhen all the warld was in pace. In wytnes therof the angellis sang pace in erd, the tym of bryth: the ii c. of Sanct Luke.

Off Mercury red in the v c. of the iiii buke; and that Mercur heir was send doun from Iupiter is nocht ellis bot the planet Mercur was at disces and Iove stud ascendent, quhilk signifeit frendschip in hast tocum bot not to lest lang.

In this cheptir ȝe haf that Eneas met his moder Venus in lykness of a virgyn or a mayd, by the quhilk ȝe sall vndirstand that Venus is fenȝeit to be modyr to Eneas becaws that Venus was in the ascendent and had domynation in the hevyn and tym of his natyvite; and for that the planet Venus was the signifiar of his byrth and had domination and speciall influens towart hym, therfor is scho fenȝeit to be his mother; and thus it that poetis fenȝeis bein full of secreyt ondyrstandyng ondyr a hyd sentens or fygur. And weyn nocht for this, thocht poetis fenȝeis Venus the planet, for the causs foirsaid, tobe Eneas mother, at thai beleve nocht he was motherless, bot that he had a fayr lady to his moder, quhilk for hir bewte was clepit Venus. And that Venus metis Eneas in form and lykness of a maid is tobe onderstand that Venus the planete that tym was in the syng of the Virgyn, quhilk betakynnyt luf and fawouris of wemen. And of Venus and hir son Cupyd I sall say sum thyng in the x c. of this sam buke.