University of Virginia Library

Wyth sik giftis Eneas messyngeris,
And of Kyng Latyn with ioyful answeris,
Returnys, montit hie on horss ilkane,
Of peax and concord bodword brocht agane.
Bot lo, the spouss of Iove, cruell Iuno,
The self tyme can return fro Arge tho
(The quhilk cuntre, of nobill brute and fame,
From Innachus the kyng has tak his name)
And has careit throu the ayr puyr,
Quhilk is hyr proper regioun. As scho fur
Down from the skyis, on far can do spy
Of the heland Pachynnus in Scycilly;
Beheld the Troiane navy stand on raw,
And Eneas blyth and glaid scho saw
Of the ioyus bodword onto him brocht,
That bissely, with all the haist he mocht,
Inforcis thar herbry and strenth to beld,
Than all assurit of this land and feld,
And thar schippis left desolate and waist.
In extasy scho stude, and mad almaist;
In suddand dolour smyttin wonder smert,
Can schak hir hed, with harmys at hir hart,
And of hir breist thir wordis warpis in hy:
“Och, kynd of pepill haitfull and onworthy!
For all the willis and the fatis Troiane
Bene to our mynd and destaneis euer agane.
Mycht thai nocht all haue bene slane in Troy feildis?
Mycht thai nocht all haue swelt thar vnder scheildis?
Ar thai nocht venquist and ourcum ilkane?
Quhat, may nocht thir presoneris agane betane?
Hess nocht Troy all infyrit ȝit thame brynt?
Na, all sic laubour is fornocht and tynt.
Haue thai nocht fund, forto eschape away,
Throw myd fyre and myd ostis, sovir way?
So trast I now at last my fors and mychtis
Lyis dolf and irkit be ȝon cative wightis:
Insaciate of haitrent, I rest in pess,
That was so bald afor, and nevir wald cess,
Quhen thai war chasyt of thar natyve land,
To sturt thame on the streme fra hand to hand,
And to persew tha flemyt vavengouris
Throw all seys, my self, ilk tyde and howris.
Agane Troianys consumyt ar be me
The strenth of all the hevynnys and the see.
Quhat proffittit me Syrtis, that sowkand sand,
Or ȝit Scilla, the swelch is ay rowtand?
Or quhat avalit Caribdis bisme huge?
Ar thai not stakit at rest, and weil luge
In the desirit sond of Tybris bay,
Assoverit of the sey, and hes na fray
Of me, ne of my malice and fant thocht?
The stern pepil Lapythos bryng to nocht,
And quyt distroy, mycht Mars for his offens.
Was it nocht eik grantit in recompens
To Dyan, by the fader of goddis ichone,
To wreke hir greif in ancyent Calidone?
Quhat falt maid the Lapythos or trespas,
Or Calidon, at sa sar punyst was?
Abuf myssour forsuyth thai chastyit war.
Bot I, the spouss of the gret Iupiter,
Quhilk sa onhappy al ways I mycht fynd
Thame til ennoy consait left nocht behynd,
Quhilk hes myself in propir person eik
Turnyt and writhit all wentis I couth seik,
Am now venquist be a man, this Ene.
Bot, gif my power nocht sufficient be
Or gret eneuch, quhy suld I dreid or spar
To purches help, forsuyth, atour alquhar?
Gif I may nocht the hevinly goddis inclyne
To my purposs, I sal seik forthir syne
To thame that far doun into Achiron dwell,
And sal commove that depast pyt of hell.
I put the cace, that I may nocht optene
From Latyn land thame to expel al clene,
Bot be the fatis immovabill destane,
Lavynya remanys spouss to Ene:
Ȝyt at lest may fall stop or delay
In sa gret materis for a ȝeir or twa,
And lefull is it eik of athir kyng
The retennew in batale down to dyng.
Lat the eldfar and mawch knyt vp frendschip
Be price of thar pepillis and falloschip.
With gret effusioun of the blude Troiane,
And sammyn of pepill Rutiliane,
Thou salbe saisyt, madyn, to dowry;
Bellona, goddes of batale, sal stand by,
Tobe convoyar of the mariage.
Nevir Heccuba, of Cisseus lynage,
Quhilk, bund with child, dremyt scho dyd furth bring
A gleid of fyre, or hait brand lycht byrnyng,
Was deliuer of sik flambis, but faill,
As thou salber, and fyris coniugale;
And forthir eik, this Venus proper birth,
And secund Paris, Ene, litill wirth,
Sal rayss and kyndill dedly flambe agane
Of hait fyre brondis amang the wallis Troiane.”
Fra this was said, with horribil mynd in haist
Doun to the erth scho socht, and the laith gaist
Furth of hir set and myrk dongeoun of hell
Scho dyd provoke, and callys with a ȝell
Ane of the sory furyus sisteris thre,
Alecto, quhilk causis all myschefe tobe,
And evir mar desiris of hir kynd
And hess full grene enprentit in hir mynd
The dedly batalis and the dolorus wer,
Stryfe and dissait, harm and discordis seir.
This fendlych hellys monstre Tartareane
Is hatit with hir other sisteris ilkane,
And Pluto eik, the fader of hellis see,
Reputtis that bysmyng belch haitfull to se:
Into samony grisly formys seir
Scho dois hir self translate, and of sik feir
Bene hir cruell schappis and vissage,
Sa fowle and laithly all hir personage,
That, for hir pilis, and in sted of hir hair,
Feil snakis springis our hir body alquhar.
Quhilk fury quent, of kynd sa peralus,
Iuno tystis to myscheif, sayand thus:
“Do to me, virgyn, dochtir of the dyrk nycht,
This a seruyce, thy proper wark be richt,
Do me this laubour, quhilk is thyne of det,
That our honouris and fame be nocht ourset,
Ne ȝit subdewit into sik a place
As with ȝone Troianys, standis voyd of grace:
Lat nevir Ene so prowdly to optene
The spousage of Latinus douchter schene,
And, by na way, lat nevir his feris weld
A fut braid of Italiane grond nor feld.
Thou can brethir of ane assent mony ȝeris
Aganyst other enarm in mortale weris;
Thou may ourturn with haitrent and with strife
The hail houshald, the man agane his wife;
Thou may skurgyng and strakis in lugyngis rayss,
And thou of frendis may mak mortale fays,
And dedly fyrbrondis kyndill in thak and rwys;
A thousand namys thou hass that na man luffis,
A thousand ways folkis to ennoy and schent.
Knok on thy brudy breist at myne entent;
Brek and cast doun thar concord maid of new;
Causys of stryfe and batale I wald thou sew;
Gar all the power, and euerilk stowt ȝongkeir,
First in thar myndis desire to move the weir,
Syne cry, and ask armys and batale all,
And rusch tharto forsely gret and small.”