University of Virginia Library

Lo, Clausus eik, that douchty was and gude,
Discendit of the ancyent Sabinis blude,
A mekil rowt furth ledis to the weir,
As gret man worthy syk ane ost to steir;
Fra quham the clan and pepill Claudyane
Is cummyn our all the boundis Italiane,
Eftir that Rowme was gevin and maid fre
To the Sabynys, as thar proper cite.
Togiddir can assembill a huge rowt
That fra the cite Amatern flokkis owt;
The ancyent Sabynys hait Quyrites then,
And of Erety all the fensabill men,
Of Mystisca, quhilk now heicht Tribule,
Quhar growys of olyve treys gret plente;
All thai that dwellis in cite Momentyne,
Or rosy feildis besyde the laik Velyne,
Or on the scharp craggy rochis hie,
Quhilk for harsknes ar clepit Tetryce,
With hyngand hewys and mony a skowland bra;
Thidder held the cite of Casperia,
Thai that inhabittis Forolas that towne,
Or on the flude Hymella vp and downe;
All thai that drynkis of Tibir the ryver,
Or Fabarus that rynnys fresch and cleir;
And thai that wynnys in Nursya so cald,
And of Ortyne the navy gret and bald;
The Latyne pepill alsso, and all tha
Quhar the onhappy flude of Allya
Flowis throw the boundis and bedyis thar land.
Alss thik thai gadder, and flokkis fra hand to hand,
As evir the fomy bullerand wallis hie
Is seyn weltyr on the large Lybyane see,
Quhen the stormy Orion hys hed schrowdis
In wyntir vnder the blake watry clowdis;
Or how feil eichyrris of corn thik growyng,
With the new sonnys heit byrsillit, doys hyng
On Hermy feildis in the symmyr tyde,
Or in the ȝallow corn flattis of Lyde—
Alsmony scheildis clattris and targatis,
That for dynnyng of thar feyt all the gatis,
For stamping stedis, and for trumpys blast,
The grond wolx all affrayt and agast.
The ennemy to Troiane name onon,
The bastard son of Kyng Agamenon,
Hait Halesus, can with ferss mud acwart
Adioyn hys horss forto draw his cart,
And, in the aid of Turnus and supple,
A thousand ferss folkis assemlyt he:
Thay quhilkis with rakis ourturnys euery bra
Fertyll of wynys in the mont Massica;
And thame alsso dwelland in hillys he,
Send from the ald faderis of Arunca cite;
And thai that dwellis hard on the sey bray
Besyde the cite of Sydycina,
Or come fra Cales into Champany,
With all tha pepillis into cumpany
Inhabitant the schauld flude Wlturnus,
And frawart folkis, hait Saticulus,
Togiddir eik with the haill multitude
Of Oscores, that pepill stern and rude.
Thyr bair in feild, of wapynnys in the stedis,
Round casting dartis, or macis with pikit hedis,
Quhilk in thar leid is clepit ane “aclyd”;
And, so it mycht the mair suyrly abyde,
Onto thar armis is knyt with a tewch stryng,
Quharwith thai do it at thar fays slyng.
A ballen pavys coverys thar left sydis,
Maid of hart skynnys and thik oxin hydis;
And crukyt swerdis, bowand as a syth,
Thai bair at hand reddy to draw ful swith.
Nor thow, Oebalus, onreknyt sal nocht wend
By our metyr, but lovyng and commend,
Quham Kyng Telon engendrit, as thai say,
On Sabetrydes, the lusty nymphe or may,
That tyme quhen he ryngnyt as lord and kyng
Our Capreas ilys, and in governyng
Led the pepill hait Theleboes bald;
Or than, far step in age was he and ald.
Bot hys son, this Oebalus, in his entent
Of his faderis boundis stud nocht content,
That lang afor to his obeysans he
Subdewit had the pepill Sarraste,
And all the large feildis, bonk and buss,
Quhilk ar bedyit with the ryver Sarnus;
Thai that occupyit Rufa and Batulane,
In Champany rich and strang townys twane;
The planys eik and sulȝe of Celene,
Quhilk dedicat ar onto Iuno quene;
And thai behaldis the weirly wallit cite
Of Nola, witht his stalwart towris he,
Quhar gret plente of apillis orrange growis;
Quhilk pepill in thar weirfar had na bowis,
Bot war accustumit forto thraw oft syss
The castyng speris on the Duchmenis gyss;
Quhais hed ger war of ful sobir extent,
Maid of the cork or bark fra treis rent;
Bukclaris thai bair, with boyss or plait of steill,
And schynand swerdis of mettal burnyst weill.
Thai pepill eik that clepit beyn Nursanys,
Quhilkis in the strait and hie montanys remanys,
Send to the feld ane chiftane of defens,
Of worthy fame, the renownyt Vfens;
Happy in armys and redowtit was he,
Bustuus abuf al otheris his menȝe,
The folkis clepit of Equicola,
That hard furrys had telit mony a da,
And all enarmyt laubour thai thar land;
Thai hant ful oft huntyng in woddis at hand;
Evir lykis thame to cach and dryve away
The recent spreith and fresch and callour pray,
And on spulȝe to leif and on rapyne.
Onto this batale bownys the preste dyvyne,
Vmbro to name, the strenthyast a man
Of all the pepill in Marrubya clan,
Send fra the kyng Archippus with his feris,
As thar chiftane and rewlar in the weris,
Hys helm arrayt with a garland schene
Plet of the happy olyve branschis grene.
All kynd of eddir and hissand serpent fell
With incantatioun he couth gar ryfe and swell,
Or cast apon thame sleping with his sang,
And, with his charmys and his herbis strang,
Thar wraith and wenom couth he dant and mess,
And heill thar stangyng, and sik hurtis eyss.
Bot he couth fynd no curis nor remede
To salf hym from the Troiane speris hed:
Hys slepy charmys had no forss nor mycht,
Ne herbis gadderit on Marsys montis hycht,
To help thai hurtis he caucht in the melle.
O soverane preist, quhat reuth was it of the!
For the the woddis wepyt of Angytus,
The cristal strandis murnyt of Fuscynus,
The bewalit cleir lakis and spryng wellis,
Nymphis, virgynys, matronys and damysellis.
Furth to the batale eik held Virbyus,
The son mast semly of Hippolitus;
Hys cheif maternal cite, ful of mycht,
Aricya, furth sent this worthy knycht;
In schawis schene, endlang the watir bra
Of flud Hymetes, by Agerya
That nymphe he fosterit was ful tenderly,
Quhar as of manswete Diane fast tharby
The altar, eith fortyl apless, vpstandis,
Oft ful of sacrifice and fat offerandis.
For mony haldis opinion, sayand thus
Be common voce and fame, Hippolitus,
Efter that he slane was and to ded dycht
By falss dissait of his stepmoderis slycht,
And had eik sufferit by his blude and breth
The cruel panys of his faderis wreth,
As tobe harlit with horss that caucht affray
And skeichit at a merswyne by thir way;
Ȝit nevir the less, for the luf of Dian,
He was restorit to this ilk lyfe agane,
And come to dwell vndir our hevin and ayr,
That heir abuf contenys thir starnys fair;
Quhilk cuyr was done by Asculapyus sle,
Throw the mychtis of the royss Pyone.
Than Iupiter almychty fader hie,
Havand disdene ony mortal suld be
Rasyt to lyfe, or over warldis lyght,
From the dyrknes of neddir hellis nycht,
The fyndar of this crafty medycyne,
Quhilk was byget be the god Appollyne,
That is to knaw, this Asculapyus,
With thunderis dynt bath fell and dangerus
Vnder the erth smate dovn, forto remane
In hellis ground and watir Stigiane.
Bot than the thrynfald Diane ful of blyss
In secret place Hippolitus with this
Hyd, and betaucht Agerya the may
Tobe kepit in the ilk forest gay,
Quhar, him allane, in woddis of Italy
Hys lyfe he led onknaw of ony wy,
And quhar he, first was hait Hippollitus,
Changit his name, yclepit Vyrbyus.
And, be this self resson ȝit alsso,
From the tempill of Dian euermo
Thir horny hovit horsis bene debarrit,
For sa mekil as thai at the sey monstreis skarrit,
And brak the cart throw thar ondantit mycht,
And furth swakkit Hippolitus, gentil knycht.
Ȝit netheless, hys son, this Virbyus,
The ardent stedis fers and chevalrus
Throw owt the plane feild dryvis al in feir,
And furth hurlis his chariot to the weir.