University of Virginia Library

THE . 7 . CANT.

Precelling Spreits of Iowe the dochters gent,
Apollos Sisters that on Pernass sports,
from fragrant feilds Quhair freschlie ȝe frequent
Supplie me vith ȝour pithie prompt reports.
Ȝe that all cunnyng creaturs conforts
Sum polite propos for my pen prepair,
Quhilk now againe to Angelique resorts.
Blaw in my braine Sum of ȝour holsum air,
Quhilk flows about the famus fontane fair
Of the renownit heauenlie helecone,
Vith dytment douce derectlie to declair
The present plat Quhilk pithles I compone.
I haif exprest quhow Angelique alone
from dochtie Rodger in disert hir drest,
And to sum pastors thair besyd hes gone,
Quhair for ane space this ladie tuik sum rest,
Quhill feruent ȝeill hir hautie hart possest
for to returne in hir paternall land.
Concluding so Scho did esteme it best
That ether Roland, quho vold stoutlie stand,
Or Sacripant, hir luifer at command,
In this hir vilsum voyage lairge and lang
Sould hir conduct, That thair maist hardie hand
Hir persone passing mycht preserue frome vrang.
Ane horse scho fand the schiphirds thair amang,
Syn sped hir throw the flurist feildis fair
By monie citie, toune, And castell strang,
To find hir luifers schersing heir and thair,
Thame haifing all lyk egale in compair.
for nane scho vold in speciall elect,
Bot onlie socht thair conwoy, And na mair,
from perrels plaine hir pertlie to protect,
Refelling all thair fauor in effect.
As brasin bow quhilk vill not bendit bie,
Hir staitlie spreit vill not to luif derect
for onie cair hir cumbrit corps may drie.
So veying thame in equale ballance frie,
Scho schortlie past both forrest, hill, and plaine,
Quhill Scho approtchd be verray chance to sie
The part quhair all the knychtis did remaine,
Most bussie sutting vith perturbit braine
Ane fenȝeit figure be Inchantment drest.
Rycht veill scho spyis the friuole visione vaine,
And all the maner quhow thay var molest,
for quhy hir ring all sorcerie supprest,
Quhilk in hir mouthe schortlie did Inclois.
Amongs tham spying syn as lyks hir best,
And frie of feir Invisebill scho gois,
Long space auysing quhom for gyd to chois.
for this effect the vordiest conding
Scho dois desyre among the sort of thois
That Sold obey hir best in euerie thing.
Scho knew Comte Roland of all knychtheed spring
for to defend hir vas maist strong and stout;
Bot Sacripant hir awne Circassian king
Ay at hir vill Scho mycht him turne about;
By all the rest heirfoir scho socht him out
Hir cheif Conductor for to be erect,
for quhan Scho finds hir fred againe of dout,
As plesit hir scho mycht him ay reiect;
Bot gif scho vold Comte Roland ons elect,
His feruent flame effectionat and fell
Of veirray force behuift to tak effect;
No vayis Nor vaeills his panis mycht expell,
At suddan sycht his sute so soone sould suell,
for frustrat fauor vith refuise befoir,
That kyndlie Cupid knew scho keine vold kneill
The douce desyrit dint but proces moir.
To Sacripant heirfoir as gleme of gloir
Scho turning than from mouth hir ring abstraks;
Hir portrature him perst throch euerie poir,
In hir persute vith speid he passage taks.
Scho presuppond the rest haid turnd thair baks
And not persawed hir quhair scho did appeir;
Bot Sic ane glance of lycht hir beutie maks,
As Phebus face Quhan it dois scheine most cleir;
Than all the knychts began as Boirs to beir
To horse and harneis dressit but delay.
Now in this palice no thing sould ȝe heir
But hiddius din for diligence that day.
Quho mycht be formest, formest sprent away;
Gif Roland raeid, ferragus ferslie ran,
And Sacripant Quho thocht no tym to stay
Vith speid he spurrit As ane furius man.
Ane suddan chace thus meruelus began,
So that thay did fair Angelique constraine,
All in ane troupe approtching to hir thane,
To place the ring vithin hir mouth againe.
And from hir former thocht scho dois refraine,
Now nane of thir vith hir scho craifs to bie,
Desyrus navayis oblist to remaine,
Bot rather of tham all alyk go frie.
Ȝit Scho ane space abaid besyd to sie
Thair countinance; As hongrie honds agast
Quhane hontit haeir escaips be turnyng slie,
So stuid thay stairing quhan hir presence past:
Or as blind pilots plast behind the mast
To spy the Pol, And may no thing persawe,
Als stupifact full monie vayis thay cast
In hir persute, Quha smyld to sie tham rawe.
Thane fers ferragus, Quho mycht hautie hawe
The palme of prayise vith onie vordie vycht,
Began agains the vther tuo and strawe,
Reuerting to thame so vith manlie mycht.
“Desist,” sayis he, “sute not my ladie brycht,
Reteir or doutles ȝe sall schortlie die,
for certanlie I vill admit no knycht
for compaignon to scherse my luife vith me.”
Ȝit thocht he buir his glorius heed rycht hie,
Ane helm he laikit be ane former wow
Nane to posses Quhill that he conquest frie
The helmet fyn on Aufull Rolands brow.
The Comte he cryis, “maist beistlie bodie thow,
Var not it mycht sumpart my honor spot
To chasteis the so but ane Armet now,
I sould thois vords ding bakuart in thy throt.”
The proud espangol Ansuerd, “Thow dois dot
To cair for it Quhairof no cuir I tak,
for but ane helm, I sall in euerie Iot
Agains ȝow tuo Approwe quhat euir I spak.
Die sall ȝe both Or schortlie turne abak.”
“Helas,” quod Mychtie Roland to the king,
“Spair him thy helm that I may vork his vrak,
And all this folie from his furie bring.”
Sayis Sacripant, “that var ane fulische thing,
My force is na les vordie than thy awne
To dant the daftnes of ane fole maling.
Gif him thy helm, It sall be schortlie schawne.”
Subioins ferragus, “folis both veill knawne,
Gif plesit me ane heid peice to posses,
I mycht albeit of baith ȝour bragin blawne
Bereft ȝour helms And meed ȝour courage les.
Bot on my heed I neuir ane sall dres
Quhill that my solempn vow accomplist beine
In the obtening of the helme expres
Quhilk Roland beirs. The Staitlie paladeine.”
The Comte than Smyling sayis, “Art thow so keine
Vith nakit heed till do to Roland that
Quhilk vmquhyls he at Aspermont in teine
To Argolant sone did Quhan the helm he gat?
No, no, not so, Bot rather veill I vat,
Gif thow beheld him ons in to the face,
Vith speid thow vold repent the of thy plat.”
from heid till heile all trimbling in that place,
The vanteur Spangard vousting all the space,
Sayis, “I cognosce be pruif the contrare plaine,
for tym hes beine quhan Roland purchest pace
At my sourd poynt, Quhilk did him so constraine
That in my vill not onlie did remaine
His foirsaid helm (Quhilk than I vold not tak)
Bot all his armeur mycht haif beine my gaine,
Gif I haid plesit disposses his bak;
So than as now my vow vas not coak,
Quhilk seing him I esie may fulfill.”
The Pithie Paladine Than but patience spak,
“false smatchet smaik, knaiwe, loune, loud liar still,
Quhat part or cuntrie chancit this In till?
Vith vapnis quhan haid thow sic martiall mycht?
I am that man of quhom thow vaunts at vill,
Suppoist be the far from thy present sycht.
Tak gif thow dar my birnist Armes brycht,
Quhilk on this trie betuix vs I append,
Not crawing vantage to mainteine my rycht,
Bot bairheed both Quho may meist sall be kend.”
Out Durandal than hints he vith ane bend,
And furius fers As flame of feruent fyre
The fell ferragus forst him to defend.
No hasard mycht his hardiment exspyre,
Vith austeir luik birnand for Inwart yre,
His sourd he drew, And with his tairge him cled.
Thair dochtie hands than draife vith deip desyre
Schairpe sousing skelps So splentis skattrit spred.
As Bustius Boir In vildernes lang fed
furth from his feirs beset on euerie syd,
Quhilk finds him self at strait and heitlie bled,
Bends vp his birss And vill the bargan byd,
So fers ferragus fumyng at that tyd
Claife all aschunder quhair his glawe did lycht;
He ryfs, he breaks, And percis to the hyd
The nails and mailȝeis forgit fyn and brycht.
Bot as ane tour maist vicht and suirlie pycht,
That byds the brasche, And may not branglit bie,
Als strong and stabill vas the Paladein knycht,
Or lyk ane rock firm situat in the sie,
Sustening stres of stormie stouris hie,
Not caring force of wattrie bowdin Iaws;
So he resists, And strak als egarlie
As quhan seuerest thuds of Boreas blaws
On flurist flours And all thair blossoms maws.
So hakkit heir hard hammerit harneis flew,
Quhair dintis dour of Durandal he draws,
Sic schairing schairpe strong steile soone sparplit schew.
Great vonder vas thair vraithe so vod to wew,
Bot Sacripant in this myd tym addrest
To schers his maistres as ane luifer trew,
Tham leifing both in maner thus molest,
So that alon fair Angelique did rest
Than present thair this spectacle to spy,
Vnseine in sort as I haif els exprest.
And farder ȝit desyrus for to try
Quhat thay vold do gif that the helm tham by
Var from thair sycht conwoyit in this cace,
Sen ether vther for it did defy,
In sport scho thocht to tak it for ane space.
Heirvith possest ane quhyle in to that place
Abaising on thair boldnes did scho byd,
Syn from tham both reuerting thence hir face
But saying vord vith diligence did ryd,
Supposing alwayis so for to prouyd
That Roland sould againe his helm resawe.
The knychtis keine so plinist var vith pryd,
And in sic raidge and rancor restles strawe,
That far thairfra thair luife haid done tham lawe
Or thay did miss the foirsaid helmet fyn.
ferragus first for it began to crawe,
And start abak, Saying, “our tym ve tyn,
Sen that the guerdon for the quhilk ve pyn
The vther knycht be slycht hes taine away.
He being past, quhat gains the victor syn?
O Subtelie hes he delt vith vs tuay.”
The Comte for vraith haid not ane vord to say,
Quhan on the brainche he did his eis erect,
Bot vith The spangard tuik the radie vay
To chace the knycht Quhom thay did both suspect.
It langsum var to schaw ȝow in effect
Quhow thay at last dissouering fordwart sped:
The Comte he chancit on the trasse derect
Quhilk The Circassian vith his horse haid tred:
The ladeis vent againe ferragus fred,
Quhill he approtchit quhair scho did repois,
At ane fair fontan cleir And cumlie cled
Vith holsum herbs and flurist flours formois.
The Sarrasein than raueist did reiois,
Hir till obteine he sped at vtter mycht,
Bot but delay the ring scho did vpclois
In till hir mouth And wanist from his sycht.
Departing thair scho loist the armet brycht,
Quhilk, schersing hir, ferragus did obteine,
And buir it ay quhill that the paladein knycht
Reft it againe, And slew This pagan keine.
O vofull vandrit now this ladie scheine,
That so haid loist the helm, for haist to flie.
Scho sayis, “helas, I vtherwayis did meine
Than meed this meschant spangard speid to me.
I onlie tuik it till mak tham aggrie,
And to record my dewetie expres
In randring it vnto The Comte als frie
As ofbefoir he did the sam posses.”
Lamenting so Scho did hir Iournay dres
Derectlie to the Orient againe
Alon but gyd, And plainlie dois profes
In vontit sort to beir luife at disdaine.