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Apon the erth the othir bestis all,
Thar bissy thochtis sessyng, gret and small,
Ful sownd on sleip dyd cawcht thar rest be kynd,
All irksum laubour forȝet owt of mynd;
Bot the cheif ledaris of the Troiane rowt,
And flowr of fensabill ȝyng men stern and stowt,
In the meyn tyme sat at wyss consell
For common weill and materis hie befell,
Consideryng wisly quhat ado thar was,
Or quha suld message beir to Eneas;
Amyddis thar tentis, in feild quhar thai stand,
With scheildis schrowd, apon thar speris lenand.
Tho Nysus and Eurialus, baith twane
Glaid of this cast, seand thair tyme maste gane,
Besocht thai mycht be admittit to say
A gret mater of weght, quhais delay
Mycht harm gret deill, and eik be thar avyss
Thar erand was worth audiens and of price.
Ascanyus first, seand thar hasty way,
Admittit thar desire, and bad thame say.
Than this Nisus, Hirtacus son, thus said:
“Gentill Troianys, with equal myndis glaid
Ressaue my wordis, for this thing,” quod he,
“Quhilk I ȝow tell may nocht considerit be
With sik as ws, nor men sa ȝong of ȝheris,
Bot to ȝour wisdomys till avyss efferis.
The Rutilianys, ourset with sleip and wyne,
Lyggis sowpit, fordoverit, drunk as swyne:
To set apon thame, and await with skaith,
The place surly we haue espyit baith,
Quhilk reddy may ful esely be get
In ȝondir forkyt way, strekis fra the ȝet
Down to the seys cost the nerrest went,
Quhar the fyris fast falȝeis, neir owt brynt,
So that the blak reik dyrknyss all the air.
Gif that ȝe suffir wald, as I said ayr,
That we mycht vse this oportunyte
Quhilk fortoun hass ws grant, sone suld ȝe se
Eneas socht by ws at Pallantyne,
And hyddir brocht in schort quhile efter syne,
With ryche spulȝe, and mekill slauchter maid.
We knaw the way thidder full weill,” he said,
“And all the watyr of Tibyr vp and down;
In dyrk valeys oft we saw the town,
As we by custum oft the huntyng hantit.”
Agit Alethes, that na wisdome wantit,
Bot baith was rype in consale and in ȝheris,
Onto thir wordis digestly maid ansueris:
“O kyndly goddis of our natyve landis,
Vndre quhais myghtis all tyme Troy vpstandis,
All thocht the weill tharof in dowt remanys,
Ȝit list ȝou not distroy all the Troianys,
Ne thame so clene defait aluterly,
Sen sa stowt myndis as we heir aspy
And sa bald reddy breistis gevin haue ȝhe
To thir ȝongkeris.” And sayand thus, can he
The rycht handis and schuldris of baith embrace,
With terys tryncland our his chekis and face.
“O manly knyghtis, quhat reward condyng
May ganandly be geif for syk a thyng,
Forsuyth I can nocht in my mynd devyss;
Bot ȝour maist cheif ganȝeld and gyft to pryss
The gret goddis mot rendyr ȝou,” said he,
“And ȝour awin vertu mot be renowne;
The remanent onone ȝe sall ressaue,
Sa that na wyss ȝe sal ȝour medis crave,
By the handys of reuthfull Eneas;
Or, gif he sone from this lyfe happynnys pass,
Ascanyus, quhilk as ȝit is bot page,
Ȝong and fordward into hys hailsum age,
Sall render ȝour desert, I tak on hand,
And sik thankis, quhil that he is levand,
Sal nevir be forȝet nor do away.”
The sammyn word onon, as he dyd say,
Furth of hys mowth Ascanyus hes hynt:
“I hecht forsuyth that deid sall nevir be tynt,
For all my weil alanerly doys hyng
Apon my faderis prosper hame cummyng.
Nysus,” said he, “I ȝou pray and beseik,
Be our Penates, kyndly goddis meik,
And be Assaracus goddis domesticall,
Quham ȝe the cheif stok of our kynrent call,
And be the secret closettis or entre
Of the venerabill auld canus Veste,
Bryng hame my fader sone, I ȝou exort:
All that perteynyng is to me, at schort,
Baith twychand consale and commandment,
Or aventouris of fortoun, in ȝour entent,
In ȝour willys, I put all haill,” quod he,
“Bryng hame my fader that I may hym se,
For had we hym ressauyt, I dar say,
Is no thing suld ennoy ws nor effray.
Twa siluer cowpys, wrocht rycht curyusly
With figuris grave, and punsyt ymagery,
I sall ȝou geif (the quhilk my fader wan
Quhen conquest was the cite Arisban),
Twa charis rych, or trestis quently fold,
And twa gret talentis of the fynast gold,
And eik the crafty ancyent flacconys two
Quhilkis to me gave the Sydoness Dido.
And gyf, certis, as victouris ws betydis
To conquyss Ital, as the fatys provydis,
Tharin to bruke the crown and ceptre wand,
And to distribut the pray, as lord of land—
Beheld ȝe nocht quhat kyn a cursour wycht,
Quhou prowd armour, weil gilt and burnyst brycht,
That Turnus bair this ȝister nyght?” quod he.
“The sammyn scheld, and helm with crestis thre
Semyng of fyre all rede, and the ilk steid,
Fra this sammyn hour, Nysus, salbe thy meid;
I sall thame sort fra all the remanent.
And forthir eik my fader, of hys ascent,
Twelf chosyn matronys sall ȝou geif all fre,
To be ȝour sclavys in captiuite,
With all thar childryng and thar hail ofspryng,
Thar moblys, catal, rentis and armyng;
And eik that feild and pryncipal peyss of land
Quhilk Kyng Latinus hess now in hys hand.
And O thou wirschipfull ȝong child, quhais age
Is to my ȝouthed in the nerrest stage,
With all my hart I the ressaue evin heir,
In all cacis as tendir fallow and feir.
But the, na glorius act in my materis
Salbe exercyt, nother in paix nor weris:
In euery thing, baith into word and deid,
The maist trast salbe geif the for thy meid.”
Ewrialus maid this answer for hys syde:
“That day sal neuer cum, nor tyme betyde,
For my defalt onworthy sall I be
Fortyll attene sa souerane dignyte.
Lat fortoun send ws gude luk, gif scho lest,
Or mysaventour, I sal do my best—
Lo, this is all, na mair I may promyt.
Bot, abuf all thingis, a gift grant me ȝit,
That I beseik the oft and monyfald:
Ane moder, cummyn of Priamus blude of ald,
Within this town I haue, quhilk silly wyfe,
Me forto follow not comptand hir lyfe,
The realm of Troy mycht not withhald,” said he,
“Nor ȝit in Sycyll Acestes fair cite.
Now hir I leif onhalsyt as I ryde,
Of this danger, quhat so evir betyde,
All ignorant and wait no thyng, puyr wight;
To wytnes draw I heir this ilk gude nycht,
And thy rycht hand, my lord and prynce maste hie,
The wepand teris may I not suffir nor se
Of my deir moder, nor that rewthfull syght.
Bot I beseik thy gentyll hart of ryght
Forto comfort that cayrfull creatur;
That desolat wight to succur schaw thi cuyr.
Grant this a thyng, and suffir that of the
This a gude hop I bair of town with me;
And far the baldar, quhat so fortoun send,
Ontill all dangeris glaidly sall I wend.”
The Troianys all for reuth, at speke hym heris,
Smyte with compassioun, brastis furth of terys,
With tender hartis menand Ewrialus.
Bot principaly lusty Ascanyvs,
The ymage of hys faderly piete
Prent in hys mynde, hym strenys swa that he
Wepand answerd, and said: “My brother deir,
I promyss all thou desiris, out of weir,
For thy commancement and stowt begynnyng
Is sa douchty I may the nyte na thyng.
Forsuyth this woman, quhat so evir scho be,
Fra thyne fordwart sal moder be to me,
Wantyng na mar of my moder in plane
Alanerly bot Creusa, hyr name;
And thus of sik a byrth na litill blyss
Sall hyr betyde, quhou evir efter this
The chans turnys, owder to weill or wo.
Be this ilk hed I swer to the also,
By quhilk my fader wont was forto swer,
All that I haue onto the promyst heir
Gyf thou returnys in prosperyte,
Failȝeand tharof, as Iove defend swa be,
To thy moder and onto thy kynred
Sall fully bene obseruyt, in thy sted.”
Thus sayd he wepand, and tharwith alssua
Hys gyltyn swerd he hynt his schuldris fra,
Quham wonder craftely in the land of Creyt
Lycaon forgyt had, and wrocht it meyt
Within a burnyst scheith of evor bone;
Thame baith togiddir he gaue Ewrill onone.
Syne Mnestheus a bustuus lyon skyn,
That rowch and weirlyke tawbart na thing thyn,
To Nysus gave; and the traste Alethys
With hym hes helmys cosyt, and gaue hym hys.