University of Virginia Library

Quhill as the manfull Troian Eneas
To se thir nyce figuris thocht wonder was,
And as he musyt, studyand in a stair
Bot on a sycht quhar on he blenkit thar,
The queyn Dido, excellent in bewte,
To tempill cumis with a fair menȝe
Of lusty ȝyngkeris walkyng hir about.
Lyke to the goddes Dian with hir rowt
Endlang the flude of Eurot on the bra,
Or vndir the toppis of hir hill Cynthia
Ledand ryng dansys, quham followis our alquhar
A thousand nymphis flokkyng heir and thair;
On hir schulder the arrow cace baris sche,
And quhar scho walkis abufe the laif on hie
May weil be seyn; to Latone hir moder this
Gevis reiosyng and secrete hartis blyss:
Sikane was Dido, sykane hir blithly bair
Amyd thame all, the warkis and weilfair
Providing for the realm in tyme tocum.
And quhen sche to the tempill dur is cum,
Syne entryng vnder the myd volt, tuke hir sete
Heich in a trone, and cumpaneis grete
On athir half standyng of armyt men,
The domys and law pronuncis sche to thame then,
The feys of thar laubouris equaly
Gart distribut; gif dowt fallis tharby,
Be cut or kavill that pled sone partit was.
Bot suddandly persavis Eneas
Quhar with gret haist com rynnyng Antheus,
Sergest he seis, and stalwart Cloanthus,
With diuerss otheris of the Troian menȝe,
Quham the blak storm had skatterit on the see
And at ane other cost drevyn to the land.
He and his fallow awondris this seand.
Achates half estonyst stude in affray;
With feir and ioy smyttin baith war thai,
And langit sair to schaik handys; bot thar hart
The onkouth cace amovit in sum part
Forto dissymyll, as na thing seyn thai had,
And with the dyrk clowd hyd, to spy thai baid
Quhou it stude with thar ferys, or chansyt eft,
Or on quhat cost thar navy thai had left,
Quhat thai desyrit, for, as full weill thai saw,
From thar schippis per ordour thai com on raw,
Besekand grace and peax fast, as thame thocht,
And to the tempill with gret clamour socht.
Fra thai war enterit in the tempill tho
And licens grantit thame to speke alsso,
The gretast oratour, Ilioneus,
With plesand voce begouth his sermond thus:
“O hie princes, quhamto Iupiter hass grant
To beld ane new cyte, and to dant
The violens of prowd folk by iust law,
We wrachit Troianys, with the wyndis blaw
Throu strange stremys and mony diuerss see,
Forbyd ȝon cruell fyre, besekis the,
Suffir not to byrn our schippis in a rage,
Haue reuth apon our petuus auld lynage.
Considir frendly our mater quhou it standis:
We com nocht hiddir with drawyn swerdis in handis
To spulȝe templis or rychess of Lybia,
Nor by the cost na spreth to dryve away.
Sik violens nane within our myndis is,
Nor sa gret stowtnes to venquyst folk, I wyss.
Thar is a place quham the Grekis, thai say,
Onto hys name clepis Hesperia,
Ane nobill land, richt potent in bataill,
And fructuus grond, plentuus of vittalle,
By Kyng Onotryus inhabit first, we trow,
Bot in our days laitly, the fame is now,
Eftir thar duke it is namyt Italy.
Thidderwart our courss was laid, quhen suddanly
The flude boldnyt, and stormy Orion
Amang blynd bankis cachit ws onon;
The byttir blastis, contrarius al ways,
Throw wallis huge, salt fame and wilsum wais,
And throw the perrellus rowkis gan ws dryve;
Hidder at ȝour cost ar few of ws arryve.
Quhat kynd of pepill duellis heir?” quod he,
“Quhou beyn sik thewis sufferit in this cuntre?
We ar defendit to herbry on the sand,
Prouokyt eik to batale, and, drevyn to land
By forss of storm, the slyke thai ws deny.
Albeit the strenth of men ȝhe set not by
And mortal weris contempnys and comptis nocht,
Belevis weill ȝit than and haue in thocht
The goddis sall remember, traistis me,
Baith of gud dedis and iniquite.
To ws was kyng the worthy Eneas,
Ane iustar man in all the warld nane was,
Nor mair reuthfull, nor wisar into weir,
And mair valiant in dedis of armys seir,
Quham gif the fatis alyve conservit haith
To tak this hevinly ayr and draw his braith,
And not with cruell gostis hyd vnder erd,
We neid not dreid, sall nocht mak ws efferd,
Nor thou sall neuer repent the sykkyrly
To schaw ws first frendschip and curtasy.
Into the realm of Sycill als haue we
Frendis and citeis, with armyt men plente,
And of the Troian blude Acestes kyng.
Gyf ws war levit our flote on land to bryng,
That with the wynd and storm is all to schaik,
And grantit eik wod leif to hew, and take
Tymmyr to beit ayrris and other mysteris,
So that our kyng we mycht fynd and our feris,
Blithly we suld hald towart Italy,
And to the cost of Latium seik inhy.
Bot gif our weilfar and beleve cleyn gayn is,
And the, maist souerane fader of ws Troianys,
The Lybian sey withhaldis, gif thou be gone,
Nor of Ascanyus comfort remanys none,
Than suythly, at the leste, the Sycill see
And placis reddy fra quham hidder drevin ar we,
We sall seik, and to the kyng Acestes.”
Thus said Ilioneus, and sa can he cess,
Bot than the noyss rayss amang the Troianys—
Thai murmuryt and complenyt all at anys.
Than schortly Dido spak with vissage doun cast:
“Remove all dreid, Troianys, beis nocht agast,
Pluk vp ȝour hartis, and hevy thochtis dovn thring.
Ane hard myschans and novelte of this ryng
Constrenys me sik mastry forto schaw,
And with discurriouris kepe the cost on raw.
Quha knawys nocht the lynnage of Enee?
Or quha myskennys Troy, that ryall cyte?
The gret wirschip of sik men quha wald nocht meyn
And the huge ardent batalys at thar hass beyn?
We Phenycianys nane sa blait breistis hess,
Nor so fremmytly the son list nocht address
Hys curss frawart Cartage cyte away.
Quhiddir ȝhe will to gret Hesperia,
The grund of Saturn, quhilk now is Italy,
Or to the cost of Sycill fast tharby,
And at the kyng Acestes lyst ȝou be,
Thidder sall ȝhe suyrly pass with my supple;
I sal support ȝou with all geir may gayn.
And pless ȝhe with me in this realm remane,
The cite quhilk I byg is ȝouris fre;
Bryng in ȝour schippis hidder from the see;
Betwix a Troiane and ane Tyrriane
Na differens—all sall I rewle as ane;
And with this sammyn wynd hidder blaw in feir
Wald God Enee ȝour kyng war present heir!
Endlang the costis and far partis of Lyby
I sall forsuyth exploratouris send to spy
In ony wod gyf that he be vpdryve,
Or ȝit perchance at ony cyte arryve.”