University of Virginia Library

In sik a tempill of goddis Latyn kyng,
Amyd his faderis set ryall sytting,
Gart fech the Troianys to his presens heir,
And as thai entrit, and befor him wer,
With glaid semlant and vissage ful benyng
Thir wordis first to thame carpis the king:
“Say me, Troianys, quhat ȝe desire,” quod he,
“For weil we knaw ȝour lynage and cite,
And it is alsso cummyn to our erys
Ȝe set ȝour courss our se thir mony ȝeris;
Schaw for quhat causis, or quhat necessite,
Ȝour schippis our sa feill haw stremys of see
Beyn hiddir to this cost of Italy
Careit or dryve, or quhidder ȝour navy
Has errit by thar courss, and far gone will,
Or ȝit by forss of storm catchyt hiddertill,
As oft wil happin by the frawart tyde
To marynaris on fludys deip and wyde.
Gyf ȝe sik wyss within our ryver bankis
Be entyrt, or remanys with our thankis
In to our port and havynnys fast heir by,
Withdraw ȝou not, ne fle nocht that harbry;
Nor mysknaw not the condityons of ws
Latyn pepill and folk of Saturnus,
Onconstrenyt, not be law bund thartill,
Bot be our inclinatioun and fre will
Iust and equale, and but offencis ay,
Ar rewlit eftir the ald goddys way.
As twichyng eik ȝour discens and ofspryng,
Weil I ramembir that I haue hard sum thing;
Bot that is passyt, or now, sa mony ȝheris,
The fame almaste forȝet is and efferis;
Agit men of the cite Arunca,
With gret avant, forsuyth, thame hard I say,
Of this cuntre Schir Dardanus ybor
Throw out the sey socht far and ferthyrmor
Tyl Samo, fyrst, in Trace, the nerrest gait,
Quhilk Samothracia now to name is hait;
Syne socht he to the land of Phrygia,
And citeis set in the wod of Ida.
The goldyn palyce now with sternys brycht
Of hevyn in seyt riall withhaldys that wyght,
That vmquhile socht fra hyne of Tuscany,
And Corith cite, standis our cost hard by;
That now a god is clepit our all quhar,
And to thar numbir ekis hys altar.”
Thus said the kyng, and Ilioneus, but baid,
Onto hys wordys thus wyss answer maid:
“Maist ryall prynce, cummyn of hie parage
Of god Fawnus, nowdyr the seys rage
By forss of dyrk tempest has ws dryve
Onto ȝour realm, and tharat maid arryve,
Nor ȝit the laid stern from our courss bywauyt,
Nor strange cost of this regioun dissauyt.
Bot by assent common, and of fre will,
And set purposs, we socht this cite till,
As folkis flemyt fra thar natyve cuntre,
Vmquhile the maste souerane realm, trast me,
That evir the son from the far part of hevyn
With hys bemys ourschane, or man can nevin.
From Iupiter dyd our lynnage begyn,
And all the ofspring of Schir Dardanus kyn
Of Iupiter thar forfader can reioss;
Of Iovis stok in hyast gre most choiss
Our kyng discend, the strang Troiane Enee,
In message send ws heir to thy cite.
Quhou gret tempest of batale and debait
Our Troiane feildis wyd hass walkyt layt
By cruel Grekis hydduus confluens,
Quhat fatale bargane thar maid and defens,
Athir part knawys of the warldis twa,
That is to say, Europ and Asya,
And gif thar ony ferthir regioun be,
Diuidit be the streym and occiane see
Fra the ferm land, tharof thai haue hard tell,
And thai alsso, gif ony thar may dwell,
The sonnys myd cirkill remanys vnder,
Hait Torrida Ȝona, dry as ony tundir,
Quhilk is amyd the hevynnys situat
Amang four othir plagis temperate.
Fra that diluge eschape and feirful spait,
Careit throu feil large haw stremys wayt,
A litil sted or mansioun, we beseik,
Grant to our natyve kyndly goddis meik,
The bair sey cost, hurtand na mannys rycht,
With air and watir common to euery wight.
Na mar lak to ȝour realm sall we be,
Nor na repreif tharby to ȝour renowne
Be ws, nor nane other, sal nevir spreid;
Nor ȝit the thankis of sa frendful a deid
Sal ony tyme into obliuion slyde;
Nor Italy, with hir braid bundis and wide,
Sal nevir repent that scho the folk of Troy
Hess ressauyt, nor tharof thynk ennoy.
Be al Eneas destaneis I sweir,
Hys trasty faith, or rycht hand into weir
Sa valȝeand at onset and defens,
And by his lang wse and experiens
Of armys, quhilk he hes in batale hantit:
Ful mony pepil, victoryus, ondantit,
Desirit ws in frendschip and ally,
And tobe ionyt in thar senȝeory;
Nor lichtly not forthy our frendly proffer,
Quhilk of our fre will onrequirit we offir,
With wordis of request and of trety,
The takynnys in our handis born vp hye;
For oft the fatis of the goddis seir
Hass ws compellit by thar strang power
Onto ȝour landis and thir costis seik.
Schir Dardanus born of this cuntre eik
Desiris hiddir to return agane;
And with commandmentis strait, ful mony ane,
Appollo chargit ws to sper bedene
To Tybyr, flowand in the sey Tirrene,
And to the fontane and the strandis cleir
Of Munycus, the hallowit fresch ryver.
And forthir eik our prince hes to the sent
Of his ald fortoun bot a smal present,
The sobir levyngis reft from Troys fyre.
Into this cowp of gold Anchiss hys syre
At the altar was wont to sacrify;
And of the gret kyng Pryam, mast douchty,
This was the cheif dyademe our the laif,
With quham he crownyt sat and domys gaif;
Hys ceptre als, and eik his tyar hat,
Hallowit quharwith at sacrifice he sat;
And this was eik hys precius rob ryall,
By Troiane ladeis wrocht and brusyt all.”
Herand sic wordis of Ilioneus,
Ful stil his vissage haldis Latynus;
Hys syght onmovyt to the erd dyd he prent,
Witht eyn rollyng, and erys rycht attent.
The brusyt purpur movis hym na thing,
Nor Priamus ceptour sa sar steris the kyng,
As that he musys thochtfull gretumly
Apon his douchteris spousage and ally,
And in his mind gan cumpas oft infeir
His fader Fawnus responss and answer,
Thynkand this ilk Eneas semyt tobe
The self stranger, quham fatale destanee
Signyfeit tocum furth of ane vncouth sted,
Tobe his son in law, and forto led
Equale dignite with him in that ryng,
Ful of souerane vertu, quhais ofspring
By thar power suld ioys and occupy
The haill warld vndre thar senȝeory.
And at the last, efter ful lang musyng,
Witht ioyus cheir on this wyss said the kyng:
“The goddis ȝour begynnyng furthir and speid,
And thar pronosticatioun manifest in deid.
I grant thyne axyng, Troiane messynger,
And ȝour rewardis ressauys in thank, for heir
Ȝe be all hartlie welcum, trastis me:
So lang as levys Kyng Latyn in this cuntre,
The riches of mast plentuus fertil grund
Ȝe sal nocht want, that in this realm is fund,
Ne ȝit nane othir welth, weilfar and ioy
Quhilkis ȝe war wont to bruke and haue in Troy.
Bot, at the lest, ȝe causs ȝour prince Enee,
Gyf that so gretlie he desiris tobe
With ws confiderat intil allyance,
Or gif he langis, but langar discrepans,
Within our palice to entir befor othir,
And be clepit our companȝeoun or brother,
Dwel no langar, bot cum hidder in haist,
Ne skar not at his frendis face as a gaist.
For the mast part of our convene and band
To me salbe to twich ȝour kyngis hand.
And now agane ȝe sal, turnand ȝour went,
Bar to ȝour prince this my charge and commandment.
I haue a douchter quham responsis schaw
Furth of my faderis oratory law,
And mony feirful takynnys of the hevin
Be diuerss ways schawin, and fyry levin,
Wil not suffir at scho in wedlok be
Gevin ontil a man of our cuntre;
Bot all the spaymen declaris, by and by
Thar suld cum to remane in Italy,
Fra strange costis, tobe our son in law,
A douchty man, vnkouth and onknaw,
Quhilk, of his lynage and posterite,
Our name abufe the sternys sal vphie.
Gyf that my mynd can ocht ymagyn rycht,
I weyn that he suldbe the sammyn knycht,
And gladly wald, with al my hartis desire,
The werdys tharto callit that rial syre.”
This beand sayd, the kyng Latyn but faill
Gart cheiss of al his stedis furth the waill.
Thre hundreth mylk quhite horss and far had he,
Seysit and fed in stalwart stallis hie:
For euery Troiane per ordour thar the kyng
With purpour howsouris bad a cursur bring;
Thar brusyt trappuris and patrellis reddy bovne,
With goldin bruchis hang from thar brestis dovne;
Thar harnessing of gold rycht deirly dicht;
Thai runge the goldin mollettis burnyst bright.
Ontil Eneas als, thar prynce absent,
A ryal chair richly arrayit he sent,
With twa stern stedis tharin ȝok infeir,
Cummyn of the kynd of hevinly horssis wer,
At thar neyss thirlys the fyre fast sneryng owt;
Of the ilke stok and stude sprungyn, but dowt,
Quhilk Circes, crafty and engenyus,
And mar subtell than evir was Dedalus,
Be a quent way fra hir awin fader staw,
Makand his stedis byleip meris onknaw,
That by hir sle consait and wily mynd
Sik maner horss engendrit of bastard kynd.