University of Virginia Library

In the meyn quhile, as this other army
Thus at the sege gan in the feildis ly,
From Lawrentum, Kyng Latinus cite,
War horsmen sent to Turnus, forto se
Quhat he plesyt, and the kyngis entent
Tyll hym to schaw; thre hundreth men furth went
With scheild on schuldir vndre capitane Volscens,
And be this cummyn war to the distens
Neir to thar ost, and, as the cace dyd fall,
Thai held fast vnder this new cite wall.
Quhar as on far towart the left hand thai
Turnand thar curss bakwart persauyt tway
(For the brycht helm in twynkland starny nycht
Mythis Eurilly with bemys schynand lycht,
Quhilk he, onwar, persauyt nocht, allace!),
And as thai scars war thus aspyit on cace,
Volscens the capitane, from amyd his rowt,
Said, “Stand, fallowis,” and cryis with a schowt,
“Quhat is the causs of ȝour cummyng,” said he,
“That rydis thus enarmyt? Quhat ȝe be,
And quhidder ar ȝe bown, ȝe schaw ws plane.”
The tother twa maid nane ansuer agane,
Bot in the woddis hyis at the flicht,
Assurit gretly in dirknes of the nycht.
The horsmen than prekis, and fast furth sprentis
To weil beknawin pethis, and turnys wentis
Baith heir and thar; sone ombeset haue thai
The owtgatis all, thai suld nocht wyn away.
The wod was large, and rowch of buskis ronk,
And of the blak ayk schaddowis dym and donk,
Of breris ful, and thyk thorn ronnys stent—
Scarsly a strait rod or dern narow went
Tharin mycht fundyn be that men mycht pass,
Quharthrou Eurialus gretly cummyrrit was;
Quhat for myrknes, thik buskis, branch and breir,
And weght also of the new spulȝeit geir,
Tharto the hasty onset and affray
Maid hym gang will in the onknawin way.
Nysus wes went, and by this chapyt cleir
Hys ennemys, onwar quhar was hys feir:
And as he stude at that sted, efter syne
From Alba cite clepit was Albyne,
Quhar, for the tyme, this forsaid Latyn kyng
Hys horss at pastour held in stabillyng,
He blent abowt to se hys frend so deir,
Bot all for nocht, thar was na man hym neir.
“Ewrill,” quod he, “allace onhappely
In quhat part of this land the left haue I?
Or quhar sall I the seik? O wailaway!”
Tharwith this ilk wilsum perplexit way
Bakwart he held, euery futstep agane,
Throw the dern wod dissaitfull and onplane;
Quhil, at the last, amang rank buskis he
Errit by the way, becauss becaus he mycht nocht se.
The horss stampyng and the dyn he heris,
The wordis and the takynnys come to his erys
Of thame quhilk at persewit hym at the bak.
A lytil space efter tent gan he tak,
And hard a scry; harknand quhat that suld be,
Eurilly takyn in handys dyd he se,
Quham the dissaitfull onbekend dern way,
The myrk nycht, and the hasty dowtsum fray,
Betrasyt had, that all the mekill rowt,
Or he was war, hym lowkyt rownd about.
Full gret debait he maid, as that he mocht;
Ourset he was, defens was all for nocht.
Quhat mycht than silly Nysus do or say?
Be quhat forss or wapynnys dar he assay
Forto deliuer hys tendir cousyng deir?
Suld he or not aventour hym self heir,
And rusch amyd hys ennemys in that sted,
To procur in haist by wondis ane honest ded?
Vprasys he onon hys arm bakwart
To thraw a gevillyng or a castyng dart,
And, lukand vpwart towart the cleir moyn,
With afald voce thus wyss he maid hys boyn:
“O Latonya, goddes of mekill myght,
Mastres of woddis, bewte of sternys brycht,
Be thou present, and send me thy supple,
Address my wark, be directrix,” said he:
“Gif euer that Hirtacus, my fader deir,
Offrit for me sum gift at thy alter;
Or gif that I of my huntyng and pray
Ekyt thy honour ony maner way,
Or, at thy standart knoppit post of tre,
Thy haly tempillys rufe, or bawkis hie,
Gif evir I hung or fixit ony thyng,
Wild bestis hed, wapynnys or armyng;
Thoil me to trubbill this gret rowt of men,
Do dress my dartis in this wilsum den,
So that my schote and myssour may go rycht
Throu the dyrk ayr and silens of the nycht.”
Thus sayand, with al forss of hys body
The grundyn dart he leyt do glyde in hy.
The fleand schaft the nycht schaddoys devydis,
And rycht forgane him on the tother sydis
It smate Sulmonys scheild, hang on his bak,
Quharin the querral al in schuldir brak;
Bot with the dynt the rynde is revyn swa,
Hys hart pipis the scharp hed persyt in twa.
Down duschis he in ded thraw all forlost,
The warm blude furth bokkand of his cost,
And for the cald of deth hys lungis lap,
With sobbys deip blawys with mony clap.
Hys ferys lukis about on euery syde,
To se quharfra the grundyn dart dyd glyde.
Bot lo, as thai thus wondrit in effray,
Thys ilk Nysus, worthin provd and gay,
And baldar of this chance swa with hym gone,
Ane other takill assayt he onon,
And with a sownd smate Tagus, but remede,
Throu athir part or tymplis of his hed;
In the harn pan the schaft he hes affixt,
Quhil blude and brane al togidder mixt.
The felloun capitane, Volscens, neir wod wendis,
Seand na man quhamof to get amendis;
He mycht do stanche his ire, and syth his thocht,
For quha that threw the dartis saw he nocht.
“Thou, not the less,” quod he, “that standis by,
With thy hait blude for baith twa sal aby
The pane for this myscheif.” And with that word,
He ran apon Euryll with drawyn sword.
Than Nisus, dredand for his fallow kynd,
Begouth to cry, all wod and owt of mynd,
Nor na langar in dern hym hyde he mycht,
Nor of his frend behald sa reuthfull syght:
“Me, me, ȝe sla; lo, I am heir,” he said,
“That dyd the dede; turn hidder in me ȝour blaid
And swerdis all, O ȝe Rutilyanys!
All be my slycht now ȝour feris slane is;
That silly innocent creatour so ȝyng
Myght, nor ȝit durst, on hand tak sic a thing—
Be hevynnys he, and all the starnys, I swer,
That ws behaldis with thar bemys cleir.”
Sik wordis said he, for on sic maner,
And sa strangly, his frend and fallow deir,
That sa myschancy was, belovit he,
That rather for hys life him self list de.
Bot thar was na remedy nor abaid:
The swerd, wightly stokit, or than was glaid
Throu owt hys cost—allace, the harmys smart!
That mylk quhite breist is persyt to the hart.
Down ded ruschit Eurialus ryght thar.
The blude bruschand outour his body fair,
And on hys elbok lenand a litill on wry,
Hys hed and hals bowys hevely—
Lyke as the purpour flour in fur or sewch,
Hys stalk in two smyt newly with the pleuch,
Dwynys away, as it doith faid or de;
Or as the chesbo hedis oft we se
Bow down thar knoppis, sowpit on thar grane,
Quhen thai be chargyt with the hevy rane.
Bot Nysus than ruschit amyd the rowt,
Amangis thame all sekand Volscens the stowt,
And on Volscens alanerly arestis,
Thocht rownd about with ennemys he prest is,
Quhilk heir and thar onon at euery syde
Hym ombeset with warkand woundis wyde.
Bot netheless thame stowtly he assalit,
Not amovit, as na thing him had alit,
And euer his schynand swerd about him swang,
Quhil at the last in Volscens mouth he thrang,
As he, forgane him standand, cryit and gapit.
Allace, quhat reuth was it he not eschapit!
For he deand bereft his fa the life;
Stekit and hurt sa oft with speir and knyfe,
Fell down abuf his frendis ded body,
Quhar best him likit ded to rest and ly.
O happy baith, O fortunat and dyng!
Gif myne endyt or stile may ony thing,
Nevir day nor process of tyme sal betyde,
That ȝour renown sal owt of memor slyde,
Quhil the famyl and ofspring of Enee
The stane immovabill of the Capitolie
Inhabitis, and sa lang as Romanys bald
The monarchy of the empyre sal hald.
The schamful victouris, thir Rutilyanys,
The pray and spreth, and other geir that ganys,
Ioysyng but obstakil, Volscens ded body
Onto the tentis wepand bair in hy.
And na less murnyng hard thai in that sted
For Rhamnetes, fund hedless, pail and ded,
Togiddir with samony capitanys,
And gret herys, so wrachitly as slane is,
Serranus ȝyng, and the gentill Numa,
And nobill corpsis brytnyt mony ma.
Gret press flokkit to se the bodeis schent,
Sum men ȝit throwand half ded on the bent;
Of recent slauchter and the hait effray
The feld abowt all warmyt quhar thai lay,
That all with spait was blandyt and on flude
In bullyrrand stremys of the fomy blude.
The spulȝe led away was knaw full rycht,
Mesapus rich hewmet schynand brycht,
The goldin gyrdill, and trappouris prowdly wrocht,
With mekill swete and labour agane brocht.