University of Virginia Library

In the meyn tyme, Venus a sle wile socht
By new consait in hir mynd quhou scho mocht,
In form the vissage of sweit Ascaneus tho
Transformyt, send hir awin son Cupido
To beir thir presandis, so that the amorus queyn
He mycht inflambe, within hir banys greyn
The hoyt fyre of lufe to kyndill and steir:
For in hir mynd scho had a maner feir
Of this lynnage waverand and ontrew
(Tyrrhyanys dowbill tongit weill sche knew);
Of cruell Iuno the dreid brynt hir inwart,
With mony thocht ran hastely tyll hir hart.
Onto the weyngit god of luf, but weir,
For thy scho spak, and said on this maner:
“O thow my child, my strenth and my gret mycht,
O thou my son, quhilk only art so wight
That thou the dartis of Iupiter dar ganestand,
Quharwith he slew Typhon, the fell gyand,
To the I cum, to the I seik,” quod sche,
“Lawly askyn thy power and supple.
Quhat wyss thy broder Eneas, but dowt,
Is blawyn and warpit euery cost about,
Of wykkit Iuno throu the cruell invy,
All this to the is manifest, weill wait I,
For quhen I wepit tharfor, thow murnyt also.
Now hym withhaldis the Phenycian Dido
And culȝeis hym with slekit wordis sle,
Bot to quhat fyne, richt sair it dredis me,
Sall turn this plesand gestnyng in Cartage,
Quhilk is the burgh of Iuno—for in hir rage
As is begun the mater sall not remane.
Quharfor I ombethynk me of a trane
This queyn first forto cawch in luffis lace,
And so with flambe of amouris till enbrace
That by na mycht tharfra scho may remove,
Bot strangly sall with me Eneas lufe.
Hark my consait, quhat wyss this may be done:
The riall child Ascaneus full sone,
On quham maist is my thocht, grathis to pass
At command of his fader Eneas
To the cyte of Cartage, and gyftis seir
Tursis with hym of the ald Troian geir
Quhilk fra the storm of sey is left ontynt
And from the fyre remanys ȝit onbrynt.
Hym sall I sownd slepand steill away
And hyde apon the hight of Citheray
Or in Idalium, my hallowit schaw,
That our dissait he nowder persave ne knaw,
Nor onprovisitly cum thidder, thocht he mycht.
Tak thou his lyknes, na mair bot a nycht,
Fortobegile Queyn Dido of Cartage.
My child, cleith the with ȝon kend childis vissage,
So that quhen scho all blythast haldis the
Into hir skyrt perchance, or on hir kne,
At hir fest ryall sittand at the tabill
Amang danteis and wynys amyabill,
And gan the forto hals and to enbrace,
Kyssand sweitly thi quhyte nek and thi face,
Than may thou slely thi vennamus ardent fyre
Of fraudfull luf amyd hir breste inspyre.”
The god of luf obeys hastely
Hys moderis wordis, and laid his weyngis by,
And blythly steppis furth lyke Iulus.
Bot Venus to this ilke Ascaneus
The sweit vapour of plesand sleip and rest
On all the membris of his body kest,
And softly the goddess in hyr lap hym bair
Amyd hyr schaw of Idalium, quhar
Tendir mariolyne and sweit flowris thar out
With thar dulce smell hym schaddowit rownd about.