University of Virginia Library

The meyn sesson thys Anchises, the prynce,
Intill a wondir grene vaill full of fence
Sawlys inclusit, quhilkis war forto wend
To myddil erd and thare in bodeis ascend,
Can rekkyn, and behald attentfully
Hail the nowmyr of hys geneologye,
His tendir nevoys and posterite,
Thare fatis, and thare fortonys euery gre,
Thare conditions, thare strenth and hardyment.
And sone as he persavys quhar that went
Forganyst him, cumand throu gresy sward,
Hys derrest son Ene with hasty fard,
Baith his handys ioyfull furthstracht he than;
The teris trynglyng our his chekis ran,
And fra his mouth slydis thir wordis myld:
“Thou art cummyn at last, my deir child!
Thy gret piete, and kyndnes weil expert
Onto thy fader, causyt the and gart
This hard vayage venquyss and ourset!
Quhat, is it grantit me? Ha, sall I get
A verray sight, luffit son, of thy face?
And grantit ws to carp or talk a space,
To heir and render frendly wordis knaw?
Within my mynd ymagynyt I on raw
Swa suld betyde, and weil belevit I
Thou was tocum, and the tyme by and by
I calculit and comptit quhen that suld be,
And my consait hes nocht dissauyt me.
O God, throu quhou feill landis braid and large,
Quhou mony seys ourcareit in thy barge,
Efter quhou feil dangeris with storm oft schaik,
I now ressaue the heir, deir son, allaik!
Quhou gretlie dred I of Lybie that ryng
Suld the haue hyndrit, and harmyt in sum thing!”
Eneas answeris: “Fader, thy drery gost,
Sa oft apperand, maid me seik this cost:
In Tyrrhean sey abydis our navy.
Grant me, fader, now grant me by and by,
We athir may with other handis schaik—
Fra myne embrasyng withdraw the nocht, allaik!”
And sayand thys, tendyrly wepit he,
Baithyng hys face in terys gret plente.
On this wyss talkyng, or thar wordis sessit,
With hys lang armys thryss Eneas pressit
About hys halss hym forto haue belappit,
And thryss, invane, hys handys togidder clappit:
The figur fled as lyght wynd, or son beym,
Or mast lykly a waverand sleip or dreym.
Duryng this tyme Eneas gan aduert
Within a vail fer thens closyt a part,
Quhare stude a wod with swouchand bewys schene,
The flude Lythee flowand throu the fair grene;
About the quhilk pepill onnowmerabill
And silly sawlys fleys fast, but fabill,
Quhil all the feildis of thare dyn resoundis—
Lyke as, in medowys and fresch florist boundis,
The bissy beys in schene symmeris tyde,
On diuerss colorit flouris skalit wide,
Flokkis about the blomyt lylleis quhite,
And other fragrant blosummys redymyt.
Mysknawyng quhat this ment, Eneas wight
Becam abasit of the soddane syght,
And can inquir the causys of this cace,
Quhat war tha fludys far befor hys face,
Or quhat bene tha men in syk numbyr swa
With so gret fard flokkit to athir bra.
Tho quod hys fader Anchises: “All ȝon be
Thai sawlys quhamto, by the fatis hie,
Bene other bodeis eftir this yschape,
Quhilk drynkis ȝondir, or thai may eskape,
At ȝone ryver and the flude Lythee,
The sikkyr watir but curis, trastis me,
Quharby oblyvyus becum thai als tyte,
Forȝetting pane bipast and langsum syte.
Forsuyth, I purpos furthwith to declare,
And schaw befor thy face now standand thar,
The sawlys all, and numbyr in thy presens,
Quhilkis ar tocum of my stok and discens;
So that the mair glaidly with me tharby
Thou may reioss to haue fund Italy.”
“O fader,” quod Eneas, “quhidder or nay
Is that tobe belevyt at ȝhe say,
That souerane saulys from this place sall wend,
Onto the warld abufe or erd ascend?
Quhy may thai nocht in this swete stede remane,
Bot sal return in slaw bodeis agane?
Quhat cursyt covatyce causith wrachit wightis
So to desyre our life and drery lightis?”
“I sal the schaw forsuyth the causs,” quod he,
“My derrest son, and sal no wyss hald the
Thochtfull in mynde, ne doutsum by na way.”
Tharwith Anchises baith hys eyn twa
Gan lyftyng vp, and towart hewyn behald,
And euery thing per ordour thus he tald.