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Ȝhe Musys now, sweit goddessis ichone,
Oppyn and onschet ȝour mont of Helycone,
Reveil the secretis lyand in ȝour myght,
Addres my stile, and steir my pen go rycht,
Entone my sang, and til endyte me leir
Quhat kyngis dyd remufe furth to this weir,
Quhat rowtis followit euery prynce in feild,
With ostis braid that dyd the plane ourheld,
With quhat maner of valȝeand men sik ways
The happy grund Ital flurist tha days,
With quhatkyn armys it enflambit schane:
Furthschaw thir ancyent secretis euery ane.
Ȝhe blissyt wightis forsuyth ramembris weill
All sic thingis, and, quhar ȝou list, may reveill,
Thocht scarsly, for the process of lang ȝeris,
Be smal rumour tharof cum tyl our erys.
First, from the land and costis hait Tyrreyn,
Onto the batale bownys stern and keyn
Meȝentius the kyng, that in hys day
Contempnar clepit was of the goddis ay.
The gydar of hys army and hys rowt
Was hys son Lawsus, valȝeant and stowt,
Abuf all other the maste semly wight,
Except the person of Turnus the gentil knycht,
Quhilk was the flour of all the Lawrenteis.
This Lawsus was weil taucht at all degreis
To dant gret horss, and as hym list arrest,
Hunt and doun bet the deir and ilk wild best.
A thousand men he led of hys convyne
From Corete the cite Agilyne.
Worthy he was to rewle a gret empyre,
And tobe cummyn of sum mar happy syre
Than of Meȝentyus, banyst and indyng,
Bot to haue beyn sum emperouris son or kyng.
The lusty Aventynus nixt in press
Hym followis, the son of worthy Hercules.
Throu gresy planys hys char with palm ryall
Was rollit furth by horss victoriall,
Quhilk, in hys musteris, schew he in the feild
Hys faderis takynnys merkit in his scheld,
Ane hundreth eddris and other snakis in sete
Lynkit abowt of Larn the serpent gret;
Quhom the nun Rhea and woman dyvyne
In the dern wod of the mont Aventyne
Bair and brocht furth onto this warldis lycht.
Ful prevely, onknaw of ony wight,
The woman mydlit with the god went bond,
Eftir this ilk Hercules had brocht to grond
And venquyst Gereon with prowd bodeis thre,
Syne in the feild besyde Lawrent cite
Was entrit as hym lyst to tak his rest,
Hys Spanȝe oxin, quhom hym likit best,
Dyd bathing and refresch, to mak thame clene,
In Ital strandis at the cost Tyrrhene.
This Aventinus followis in thir werys,
Bair in his handis lans stafis and burrel speris
And dangerus facheonys into staffis of tre;
With round stok swerdis faucht thai in melle,
With poyntalis, or with stokis Sabellyne.
Thar capitane, this ilke strang Aventyne,
Walkis on fut, hys body wymplit in
A felloun bustuus and gret lyon skyn,
Terribill and roucht, with taty lokkyrrand haris;
The quhite tuskis, the hed and clowis thar is:
And on sik wyss, grym and awfull to se,
Within the kingis gret palyce entris he,
Our his schuldris hyngand, as said is plane,
His faderis talbart cote Herculeane.
Twa brederyng to this batale bownys syne,
Furth of the wallit cite Tiburtyne,
Ledyng thai pepill namyt, ane and other,
Fra Tiburtus, that was thar eldar brother;
And thai war clepit, the tane Catillus,
And tother Coras, strang and curageus,
Stowt ȝyng men, Grekis born of Arge bath twane.
Befor the formast ostis in the plane
Amyd a buss of speris in raid thai,
Generit of the clowd lyke to Centaures tway,
Quhen, fra the montane top of Homolane,
Or snawy Otryn hill, downe to the plane,
With felloun fard and swift curss he and he
Can do discend, levand the holtis hie;
The large wod makis placis to thar went,
Buskis withdrawys, and branchis al to rent
Gan rattillyng and resound of thar deray,
To red thar renk, and romys thame the way.
Nor Ceculus was not absent, trast me,
The foundar of the cite Preneste,
Quham all eyldis reputis and schawis ws
Engendrit was by the god Vlcanus,
And by the fyre syd fund, a ȝyng fundlyng,
Our landwart bestis syne wolx lord and kyng.
A hail legioun in a rowt followis hym
Of wild wod men, quhilk doys thir catel ȝym;
All thai pepill on breid, baith he and he,
That inhabitis the heich tovn Preneste,
And thai that occupyit the feildis alsso
Of Gabyne, quhilkis ar dedicat to Iuno;
And thai that duellis langis the chil ryver
Of Anyene, and thai alsso infeir
Amang the dewy strandis and craggis remanys
Of Hernyca, in the Sabyne montanys;
And thai alsso that bred and fosterit be
In boundis of rich Anagnya cite;
And eik thai pepill dwelling fair and bene
In Champanȝe, on the flude Amasene.
Amangis al thir pepill na brycht armyng
Mycht thou heir sovnd, nor scheild our schulder hyng,
Or cartis clattir, bot of thame the maste part
To schut or cast war perfite in the art,
With leyd pellokis from engynys or staf slyng
By dyntis bla thar famen doun to dyng;
Sum dowbill dartis castyng in handis buyr,
And for defens, to keip thar hedis suyr,
A ȝallow hat woir of a wolfis skyn,
For thai waldbe lyght bodyn ay to ryn.
Thar left fut and all that leg was bair;
Ane rowch ryllyng of raw hide and of hair
The tother fut coverit weil and knyt.
Neptunus son list tho na langar syt,
Hait Mesapus, bot bownys furth to gang;
Dantar he was of stedis wild and strang,
Quham na man with steil wapyn forgit brycht,
Nor byrnand fyre, onto his ded mycht dycht.
Now hastely in armys callys he
The rowtis of hys pepill and menȝe,
Quhilkis lang tofor dysvsit had the weir
With curage dolf that idill lay thar geir;
Thar swerdis now and burnyst glavys gray
He maid thame furth bedraw and oft assay.
With hym thai folk in falloschip led he
That inhabitis Fascenyum the cite;
And the iust pepill, clepit Falyscy;
And thame that duellis in Saracte fast by,
A strang cite, and hie situat,
Onto the god Appollo dedicat;
And thai that in Flavynya feildis dwell,
Or that wonnys besyde the layk or well
Of Cymynyk, vndre the montane bra,
Or ȝit amang the schawys of Capua—
In gudly ordour went thai and array,
And of thar kyng sang bellettis by the way.
Syk wyss as sum tyme in the skyis hie
Throw the moste ayr doys snaw quhite swannys fle,
Quhen thai fra pastur or fedyng dois resort
To seik thar solace, and on thar gyss to sport;
Weill soundyng wriblys throw thar throtis lang
Swouchyng makis in maner of a sang,
That of thar bruyt resoundis the ryveir,
And all the laik of Asya fer and neir—
So, in like wyss, on far was nane mycht ken
That rowt had bene ane ost of armyt men,
Bot of the swouchand swannys suld he wene
A sop fleand in the ayr thai had bene,
Quhilk chasyt, or affrayt, iolely
Socht crowpyng to the costis syde fast by.