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Thai in the meyn tyme hastit furth thar way
As the rod led thame, quhil ascend ar thai
The hill fer rysand abuf the town on hycht,
Quhar all the cite forgane thame se thai mycht.
Eneas wondrit the gretnes of Cartage,
Quhilk lait tofor had beyn ane smal cotage;
The fair portis alsso he ferleit fast,
And of the brute of pepill tharat inpast,
The large stretys paithit by and by.
The byssy Tyrryanys lauborand ardently,
Ane part haistis tobeild the wallys wight,
And sum to rayss the gret castell on hyght
And welt vp stanys to the wark on hie,
Sum grathis fast the thak and rufe of tre,
And sum abowt delvys the fowsy deip,
Sum chesis officeris the lawys forto kepe
With counsalouris and senatouris, wyss folkis,
Ȝonder othersum the new havyn holkis,
And heir alsso, ane other end fast by,
Lays the fundament of the theatry,
And otheris eik the huge pillaris grete
Out of the querrellys gan do hew and bete
Fortill adorn that place in all degre
In tyme cummyng quhar gret triumphe suldbe—
Lyke to the beys, in feildis floryst new,
Gaderyng thar wark of mony diuerss hew,
In soft somyr the brycht son hait schynyng,
Quhen of thar kynd thame list swarmys furthbryng,
Or in camys incluss thar hwny cleyn
And with sweit liquour stuffis thar cellis scheyn,
Or ressavys the byrdyngis from othir tharowt,
Or fra thar hyve togyddir in a rowt
Expellis the bowbart beist, the faynt drone be;
Thar labour is bissy and fervent forto se,
The hwny smellys of the sweit tyme seid.
“O,” quod Ene, “full happy ar ȝhe in deid,
Quhais large wallis rysys thus on hie!”
A quhile he visseit the boundis of this cite,
Ane wonder thyng, coverit with a clowd about:
He entrys syne amyd the thikast rowt,
Amang the men he thrang, and nane hym saw.
Amyd the cite stude ane semly schaw,
With hys maist plesand sobir schaddowis, quhar,
As the Punycianys first vpwarpit war
Efter the stormys blastis and seys rage,
Thai delvand fand the takynnar of Cartage,
Ane mekill horss hed that was, I weyn,
As Iuno had schaw tofor, of goddis queyn,
That signyfyit the cite excellent in batale,
And plentuus eik al tymys of vittale.
In the ilke place, the Sydonas Dido
Begouth to byg a prowd tempill of Iuno
With dowreis seir and gyftis of rychess
And eik the goldyn statw of the goddes.
The entre rayss with hie stagis of brass,
With brass alsso the cupplys festynnyt was;
The brassyn durris iargis on the marbill hirst.
In this tempill, seir novelteis first
Schawin till Eneas mesyt gretly hys feir:
The first assurance of comfort was heir
And hope of releif eftir aduersite,
For as he went diuerss thingis to se,
Rowmyng about the large tempill scheyn
Fortobehald the cummyng of the queyn
And of the cite the gret prosperite,
The mony warkmen and thar craftis sle,
In dew proportioun, as he woundrit for ioy,
He saw perordour all the sege of Troy,
The famus batellis, wlgat throu the warld or this,
Of Kyng Pryam and athir Attrides,
And, baldar than thame baith, the ferss Achil.
He styntis, and wepand said Achates tyll:
“Quhou now, quhilk place is this, my frend,” quod he,
“Quhat regioun in erd may fundyn be
Quhar our mysforton is nocht fully proclame?
Allace, behald, se ȝondir Kyng Priam,
Lo, heir his wirschip is haldin in memor.
Thir lamentabyll takynnys passit befor
Our mortal myndis aucht to compassioun steir.
Away with dreid, and tak na langar feir!
Quhat, wenys thou na this fame sall do the gude?”
Thus said he and fed hys mynd, quhar he stude,
With thir plesand fenȝeit ymagery,
Murnand sair and wepand tendyrly,
The flude of terys halyng our hys face,
For as he lukit on the wark percace,
He saw porturate quhar in sik a place
The Grekis fled and Troianys followis the chace
Abowt the wallys of Troy as thai dyd fyght.
At ȝondir part the Troianys tak the flycht,
With creste on hed Achillis in hys chair
Persewand strangly. Not far thens saw he quhar
The quhite tentis of Kyng Rhesus, evill kepe,
Betraisit war apon the first sleip,
Quhar with gret slauchter bludy Diomeid
Distroyt all, and till hys tent gan leid
The mylk quhite horssis, fers, swift and gude,
Or evir thai taistit ony Troiane fude
Or drunkyn had of the flude Exanthus.
And ȝondir, lo, beheld he Troilus
Wantyng his armour, the fey barn fleand,
Fortill recontyr Achilles onganand,
The horss hym harland behynd the void cart
Hyngand wyde oppyn, and hys hed dounwart;
Supposs he held the renȝeis fast but faill,
Hys nek and harys on the erd gan traill,
The speir ourturnyt in the duste dyd write.
The sammyn tyme, the Troian madynnys quhite,
With hair doun skalit, all sorofull gan pass
Onto the tempill of the grevit Pallas
To ask supple; with thame a wympill bair thai,
With handis betand thar breistis by the way:
This fremmyt goddess held hir eyn fixt fast
Apon the grund, nocht a blenk list thame cast.
Abowt the wallis of Troy he saw quhat wyss
Achilles harlyt Hectoris body thryss;
The ded corps syne for gold he saw hym sell.
Law from his breist murnand he gave a ȝell,
Seand the void cart and spulȝe of the knycht
And the corps of his derrest frend sa dight.
Priam onarmyt streke furth handis dyd he spy
From Achilles hys sonnys body toby.
Him self alsswa mydlit persavit he
Amang princis of Grece in the melle.
The orient hostis knew he one by one,
And Vlcanus armour on blak Menon.
The madynnys cum fra Amason saw he soyn,
With crukit scheildis schapyn like the moyn,
Led by thar furyus queyn Pantissylle;
Amyd the thousandis egyrly feghtis sche,
And quhar hir pap was for the speir cut away,
Of gold tharon was belt a rych tyschay:
Ane worthy weriour suythly thai mycht hir ken,
This wench stowtly recontir durst with men.