The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun printed on parallel pages from the Cottonian and Wemyss mss., with the variants of the other texts: Edited with introduction, notes, and glossary by F. J. Amours |
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| XX. | CHAPTER XX. |
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 | CHAPTER XX. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun |  |
144
CHAPTER XX.
Off Nynus slauchter and his ending
And of þe bruttis begynnyng.
And of þe bruttis begynnyng.
Befor þat Ihesu Crist wes borne
To sauf mankynd þat wes forlorne,
Twa thousand haill and fyfty ȝere,
And twa ȝeris oure to rekin cleire,
Nynus, þe king of Assyry,
In lust of lordschip and fellony
Tuke vp armis to verray
Seire folkis þat about him lay.
All Assye throuch his cruelte
With weire and batall dantit he.
Fifty ȝeris his lif he led
And mekle of saikles blude he sched;
All þe landis of Sythy
And vthire nacionis þare sindry,
That vsit to lif bot sympill lif,
Withoutin batall, weire or strife,
And laith wes batall for to mufe,
Or in to weire þar pith to prufe.
Sic lif he lerit þaim to leid
That blude of men in slauch and weid
Thai vsit to drink mare commonly
Than mylk of scheip, or gait, or ky.
To vincuss folk he kennit sa fast
That he wes vincust at þe last.
To sauf mankynd þat wes forlorne,
Twa thousand haill and fyfty ȝere,
And twa ȝeris oure to rekin cleire,
Nynus, þe king of Assyry,
In lust of lordschip and fellony
Tuke vp armis to verray
Seire folkis þat about him lay.
All Assye throuch his cruelte
With weire and batall dantit he.
Fifty ȝeris his lif he led
And mekle of saikles blude he sched;
All þe landis of Sythy
And vthire nacionis þare sindry,
That vsit to lif bot sympill lif,
Withoutin batall, weire or strife,
And laith wes batall for to mufe,
Or in to weire þar pith to prufe.
Sic lif he lerit þaim to leid
That blude of men in slauch and weid
Thai vsit to drink mare commonly
Than mylk of scheip, or gait, or ky.
146
That he wes vincust at þe last.
Cam, þat callit was Ȝorestas,
And king of Bactrianus was,
And fyndare first of nygramansy,
Off wichecraft and of sossery,
First he supprisit with his mycht,
And slew him syne throuch forss in fecht.
It happinnit efter one a day,
As he about a cete lay
In till a sege as man of weire,
Assalȝeand it with his powere,
Sic assawtis þare he maid
That neire þe tovne he wonyn had;
Ane archere in ane cornere stude,
That wele beheld quhare Nynus ȝude.
This archere had in hand a bow,
Tharin he set a scharp arow
That to þe hukis vp he drew,
And with þat schot he Nynus slew.
And king of Bactrianus was,
And fyndare first of nygramansy,
Off wichecraft and of sossery,
First he supprisit with his mycht,
And slew him syne throuch forss in fecht.
It happinnit efter one a day,
As he about a cete lay
In till a sege as man of weire,
Assalȝeand it with his powere,
Sic assawtis þare he maid
That neire þe tovne he wonyn had;
Ane archere in ane cornere stude,
That wele beheld quhare Nynus ȝude.
This archere had in hand a bow,
Tharin he set a scharp arow
That to þe hukis vp he drew,
And with þat schot he Nynus slew.
Than Symyramys, þat wes his wif,
That led in liking all her lif,
In till hir chalmer þan sittand,
Hir haire in wymple arrayand,
Quhen þat scho herd of þis cace,
Supposs in hert scho sary wes,
The tane half of hir haire vnplet,
Scho gert plat on hir basnet
With oþer armyne gud and fyne,
And lap apone a coursoure syne,
And to þe toune, but mair abaid,
Arrayit with hir ost scho raid,
And gert þaim mak þare at assawt
Foroutin falȝeing or defalt,
Quhill þat scho wonyn had þe tovne,
And brocht it to confusioune.
Fra tyme hir lust stud halely
In slauchter and in lichory.
That led in liking all her lif,
In till hir chalmer þan sittand,
Hir haire in wymple arrayand,
Quhen þat scho herd of þis cace,
Supposs in hert scho sary wes,
The tane half of hir haire vnplet,
Scho gert plat on hir basnet
With oþer armyne gud and fyne,
And lap apone a coursoure syne,
148
Arrayit with hir ost scho raid,
And gert þaim mak þare at assawt
Foroutin falȝeing or defalt,
Quhill þat scho wonyn had þe tovne,
And brocht it to confusioune.
Fra tyme hir lust stud halely
In slauchter and in lichory.
Fourty ȝeris scho liffit sa,
And wayndit na mare for to sla
Him þat scho gert ly hir by
Than him þat wes hir innemy,
Quhat tyme þat hir liking stude,
And ȝarnyng had to se his blude.
Off chalmere play wes scho [neuer] sad,
For all þe copy þat scho had;
Scho gert oure all hir landis cry
And ordanit be statut semely
That all þat wald in liking lif,
And till all lustis þare bodyis gif,
Thai suld in all thingis be als fre
As it mycht likand to þaim be,
To sibrend haiffand na knawlage
Or but reuerens of mariage.
In all [OMITTED] scho pruffit man,
Supposs in forme scho wes woman.
All Ethiope scho wan but dout,
And maid it till hir vnderlout.
Scho past in Ynd in plane bataill,
Quhare nane befor hir durst assaill,
Na efter hir with force to ficht,
Bot Alexandere, þat with his mycht
Wan Meide and Perse and Ynde alsua,
And all þe landis of Asya.
Bot þis Ynde in till hir tyme wes were
To wyne þan efter hir befer,
For of nakyng weire without
Na within þai had na dout
Off invy, na cuvatiss,
Na falsheid þat þaim mycht suppriss.
Bot scho liffit in tyrandry,
Off gouernance scho wes happy,
And richt awysy ay in weire,
And couth weill se for hir effeire.
And wayndit na mare for to sla
Him þat scho gert ly hir by
Than him þat wes hir innemy,
Quhat tyme þat hir liking stude,
And ȝarnyng had to se his blude.
Off chalmere play wes scho [neuer] sad,
For all þe copy þat scho had;
Scho gert oure all hir landis cry
And ordanit be statut semely
That all þat wald in liking lif,
And till all lustis þare bodyis gif,
Thai suld in all thingis be als fre
As it mycht likand to þaim be,
To sibrend haiffand na knawlage
Or but reuerens of mariage.
In all [OMITTED] scho pruffit man,
Supposs in forme scho wes woman.
All Ethiope scho wan but dout,
And maid it till hir vnderlout.
Scho past in Ynd in plane bataill,
Quhare nane befor hir durst assaill,
150
Bot Alexandere, þat with his mycht
Wan Meide and Perse and Ynde alsua,
And all þe landis of Asya.
Bot þis Ynde in till hir tyme wes were
To wyne þan efter hir befer,
For of nakyng weire without
Na within þai had na dout
Off invy, na cuvatiss,
Na falsheid þat þaim mycht suppriss.
Bot scho liffit in tyrandry,
Off gouernance scho wes happy,
And richt awysy ay in weire,
And couth weill se for hir effeire.
Hir landis lyand hir about
Scho stuffit weill for alkin dout,
And gert þaim wele replenist be
With horss and nolt and vthir fee,
With wyne and walx, oyle and quhete;
And all tymes scho had copy grete
Off froyt þat grew on erd and tre;
Thareof scho had all tyme plente.
Scho gert men thraly set þare [cure]
Corne to wyne with þare culture;
And of Babilone baith toure and tovne
Scho maid þe reformatioun,
And gert gyrnall it perfitly
And battall it full prevely,
And drew in till it merchandiss,
To by and sell on sindry wiss,
And held in till it craftis seire,
That nedis not to be reknyt heire.
Amangis all vþeris commonely
Scho hir avne sone gert by hir ly;
Sua anis as scho come him till
Her fleschly lust for to fulfill,
Prevaly he gat a knyf,
With þat fra hire he reft þe lif.
Scho stuffit weill for alkin dout,
And gert þaim wele replenist be
With horss and nolt and vthir fee,
With wyne and walx, oyle and quhete;
And all tymes scho had copy grete
Off froyt þat grew on erd and tre;
Thareof scho had all tyme plente.
Scho gert men thraly set þare [cure]
Corne to wyne with þare culture;
And of Babilone baith toure and tovne
Scho maid þe reformatioun,
And gert gyrnall it perfitly
And battall it full prevely,
And drew in till it merchandiss,
152
And held in till it craftis seire,
That nedis not to be reknyt heire.
Amangis all vþeris commonely
Scho hir avne sone gert by hir ly;
Sua anis as scho come him till
Her fleschly lust for to fulfill,
Prevaly he gat a knyf,
With þat fra hire he reft þe lif.
All þus scho endit in to trespas;
Hir sone succedit Nynyas,
The sone and aire of Nynus king,
And had þat land in gouernyng;
And efter him of his lynag
Succedit to þat heretag
Xiiij. airis sindrely,
Be lyne discendand evinlily,
Befor þat lordschip wes vndone,
As ȝe may heire efter þis sone.
Hir sone succedit Nynyas,
The sone and aire of Nynus king,
And had þat land in gouernyng;
And efter him of his lynag
Succedit to þat heretag
Xiiij. airis sindrely,
Be lyne discendand evinlily,
Befor þat lordschip wes vndone,
As ȝe may heire efter þis sone.
This Nynus had a sone alsua,
Schire Dardane, lord of Frigia,
Fra quham maister Iohne Barbour,
That mekle couth of þis labour,
Translatit weill and propirly
Fra þis Dardane a genology
Till Robert Stewart oure secund king,
That Scotland had in gouernyng.
That paganys left in þare storiis
That is bot fable or fantasiis,
That Iubiter gat one Electra
Schire Dardane lord of Frigidia.
To tell ȝow mare of þat story
Wald as now do bot occupy
Tyme, and wald furthire nocht
Purposs þat suld till end be brocht.
Schire Dardane, lord of Frigia,
Fra quham maister Iohne Barbour,
That mekle couth of þis labour,
Translatit weill and propirly
Fra þis Dardane a genology
Till Robert Stewart oure secund king,
That Scotland had in gouernyng.
That paganys left in þare storiis
That is bot fable or fantasiis,
That Iubiter gat one Electra
Schire Dardane lord of Frigidia.
To tell ȝow mare of þat story
154
Tyme, and wald furthire nocht
Purposs þat suld till end be brocht.
| CHAPTER XX. The Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun | |