University of Virginia Library

The Troianys, from thar forttress quhar thai stude
All thar deray beheld and vnderstude,
And baith with armour and with wapynnys brycht
The towr hedys thai stuffyt all that nyght,
And feill tymys in hasty effeir for dreid
The portis vissy thai, gyf ocht war neid,
And draw briggis befor the ȝettis vprasyt,
Iunct to the wallys, at thai suld nocht be trasyt;
And euery man stud reddy in hys geir
Enarmyt weill, and in his hand a speir.
Mnestheus stern and eik Serestus stowt
Ful bissy war to walk and go abowt,
Tyll ordinance forto put every thing,
For thame Eneas at his departyng
Had deput rewlaris to hys ȝong son deir,
And master capitanys of hys ost in weir,
Gyf so betyd ony aduersyte
Or aventour befor hys returne.
Ane haill legioun about the wallis large
Stude wachyng, bodyn with bow, speir and targe;
The danger was by cuttys sone decyde,
At euery corner quha, or quha, suld byde,
And euery man his curss abowt dyd sleip,
Quhill that his fallow had his ward to keip.
Nisus, Hirtacus son, that tyme was set,
As for hys stand, to byde and kepe the ȝet,
As he that was in armys bald and stowt,
Ane the maist valȝeant intill all that rowt,
Quham Ida hys moder, ane huntryce,
In falloschip send with Ene ful wyss;
To cast dartis nane sa expert as he,
Nor forto schoyt swyft arrowys half sa sle.
Euryalus, hys fallow, stude hym by,
Of all Eneas ost nane mair gudly,
Nor ȝit mar semly cled in Troiane armys,
Stowt, of hie curage, dredand for na harmys;
Hys florist ȝouth ravest hys vissage ȝyng,
Ȝit nevir schavyn, with pilis newly spryng.
To thir twa was a will in vnyte,
A lust, and mynd in vniformyte;
Sammyn thai ȝeid to mete, to rest or play,
And baith togidder in batale ruschit thai;
Now sammyn eik thai war in statioun set,
As baith in feir to kepe the common ȝet.
Nisus thus spekis: “O brothir myne Ewrylly,
Quhiddir gif the goddis, or sum spretis sylly,
Movys in our myndis this ardent thochtfull fyre,
Or gif that euery manis schrewit desyre
Be as his god and genyus in that place,
I wait nevir how it standis; bot this lang space
My mynd movys to me, heir as I stand,
Batale or sum gret thyng to tak on hand.
I knaw not to quhat purposs is it drest,
Bot be na way may I tak eyss nor rest.
Behaldis thou not so surly, but affray,
Ȝon Rutylianys thame haldis glaid and gay?
Thar fyris now begynnys schyne full schire,
Sowpyt in wyne and sleip baith man and syre
At quyet lugyng ȝondyr at thar will;
Queym silens haldis the large feildis still.
Considir this profundly, I the pray,
Quhat suld I dreid, quhat thynkis thou, now say.
Baith common pepill and the heris bald
To bryng agane Eneas ful fane thai wald;
Langyng ful sair efter hys hame cummyng,
And of hys mynd to haue sur wrytyng,
Thai all desyre sum attentik men be send.
Gyf, as I wald, thou had licens to wend,
Sen weill I knaw thy famus nobill dedis,
In sik a cace, me think, na ma thar nedis,
Vndre ȝon moyte the way fund weill I se
To hald onto the wallys of Pallante.”
Ewrialus, smyte with hie fervent desyre
Of new renown, quhilk brynt hym hait as fyre,
And half eschamyt of this bodword glaid,
Thus til hys best belovyt fallow said:
“Nisus broder, in souerane actis hie,
For ony causs, quhou may thou refuss me
With the to go in falloschip as feir?
Suld I the send allane in sik danger?
My fader, Opheltes, the quhilk all hys days
The weris hantit, nevir apon that ways
Instrukkit me, nor tawcht sik cowardy.
Was I not lernyt to hant chevalry
Amyd the Grekis brag, and Troiane weris?
Haue I me born with the, at thou afferis
Off my curage? The maist douchty Enee,
And of fortoun to the last extremyte,
Haue I not followyt, refusand na pyne?
Heir is, heir is, within this corps of myne,
A forcy spreit that doith this life dispyss,
Quhilk reputtis fair to wissyll, apon sik wyss,
With this honour thou thus pretendis to wyn,
This mortale stait and life that we bene in.”
Nisus ansueris: “Forsuyth, my broder dyng,
Of the, God wait, ȝit dred I nevir sic thing,
For so to think in faith onlefull wer.
So hail and feir mot salf me Iupiter,
And bryng me sowund agane with victory,
As euer ȝit sic consait of the had I.
To wytnes draw I that ilk god,” quod he,
“With frendly eyn quhilk dois ws heir and se,
And in my mynd first movit this consait.
Bot gif that so betyde, as weill ȝe wait
In sic aventouris thar bene dangeris seir,
Be hard fortoun or aventour of weir,
Or goddys dispositioun happin it fall,
My will was the to salue fra perrellis all:
Thy florist ȝouth is mair worthy to leif
Than forto put in danger of myscheif.
I wald alsso at hame sum frend haue had
That gif at I war takyn and hard stad,
Or fra me reft the lyfe, and sa with hald,
Quhilk my body or banys ranson wald,
And lay in grave eftir our Troiane gyss;
Or, gyf fortoun wald suffir on na wyss
My body mycht be brocht to beriall,
Than to hys frend the seruyce funeral
With obsequeis to do for corps absent,
And in my memor vp a tumbe to stent.
Ne wald I not alsso that I suld be
Causs or occasioun of sic duyll,” quod he,
“To thy maist reuthfull mother, trast and kynd,
Quhilk anerly of hir maist tender mynd,
From all the other matronys of our rowt,
Hess followyt the, hir luffyt child, abowt,
Ne for thy saik refusyt not the see
And gave na forss of Acestes cite.”
The tother tho hym ansuerit sone agane:
“My frend, for nocht thou says sik wordis vane,
Ingirand cacis ar of nane effek;
My first entent I list not change nor brek.
Haist ws,” quod he, and tharwithall baith twa
The nixt wach thai walknyt quhar thai lay,
Quhilk gat on fut and to thar rowmys went.
Eurialus, to fulfill hys entent,
With Nysus furth can hald hys way onon,
And to the prynce Ascanyus ar gone.