University of Virginia Library

Calliope, and O ȝe musys all,
Inspire me til endyte! On ȝou I call
To schaw quhat slauchter and occisioun,
Quhou feill corpsis thar war brytnyt doun
By Turnus wapynnys and hys dartis fell,
Quham euery man kyllit and send to hell:
Help and assist to revolue heir with me
The extreme dangeris of that gret melle.
Ȝhe blissyt wightis, forsuyth, ramembris weill
Sik thyngis, and quhar ȝou lyst may reveill.
Thar stude a towr of tre, huge of hycht,
With batellyng and kyrnellys all at ryght,
Set in ane neidfull place neir by the ȝet,
Quham to assailȝe, ourcum and down bet,
With hail pyssance all the Italianys
At vtir power ombeset atanys;
And by the contrar, on the tother syde
Alkynd defencis can Troianys provyde,
Threw stanys down, and sillys heir and thar,
At euery part or oppyn fenystar
The grundyn dartis leyt down fle thikfald.
Turnus the prynce, at was baith darf and bald,
Ane byrnand bleiss leyt at the fortress glyde,
And festynnyt the fyre hard to the towris syde,
Quhilk with the wyndis blast, thar as it stak,
Vpblesyt in the burdis and the thak,
And spreddis wide amangis the gestis gret;
The byrnand low consumyt all throu hete.
Within thai schuddrit for the fell effray,
Bot all for nocht to press to wyn away;
Na laser was the danger to eschape,
For as thai ran abak, and can thame schaip
Fortill withdraw towart the tother syde
Quhar as the fyre was not ȝit ourglyde,
And hurlyt all togydder in a hepe,
Tho with thar swechtis, as thai reill and leipe,
The byrnand towr down rollys with a rusche,
Quhill all the hevynnys dyndlyt of the dusch.
Down weltis the men half ded with brokyn banys,
The huge heip thame followit all atanys,
On thar awyn wapynnys stikkand he and he,
Sum stekit throu the cost with spilys of tre
Lay gaspand, of thame all that scarsly tway,
Ane Helenor and Lycus, gat away;
Of quhom the formest, this ilk Helenor,
Now in hys florist ȝouth, was get and bor
Betwix Meonyus kyng, in prevyte,
And Lycynya the boynd wench wondir sle,
Quhilk hym to Troy had send that hendyr ȝer,
Onkend, in armour forbodyn for wer;
Delyver he was with drawin swerd in hand
And quhite target, onsemly and evill farrand.
Thys Helenor, seand hym self in dowt
Amyd thousandis enarmyt of Latyn rowt,
Behaldand graithly apon athir hand
Arrayt ostis of Latyn pepill stand;
Lyke the wild ragyt best, quham huntaris stowt
Hess ombeset with thyk range all abowt,
Seand be na meyn that scho mycht evaid,
Apon the wapynnys rynnys with a braid,
Slyppis hir self, and with gret forss hir beris
Apon the pantis of the huntyng speris—
Nane othir wyss, this ilk ȝong Helenor,
Thus ombeset behynd and als befor,
Amyd hys fays ruschys reddy to de,
Quhar thikkast was the press thar etlys he,
Quhilkis, but abaid, alssone hess hym slane
As spark of gleid wald in the sey remane.
Bot Lycus, spedyar far on fut than he,
Throw owt the ostis and armyt men can fle,
And to the wallys wan, and vp on hyght
Enforcis hym to clym with all hys mycht
And forto grip sum of hys feris handis;
Quham Turnus, lanssand lychtly our the landis,
With speir in hand persewys forto spill,
And quhen he hess ourtane him at his will,
Thus dyd hym chyde: “O catyve wytless knaip,
Quhat, wenyt thou our handis to eschaip?”
And tharwith drew hym doun, quhar he dyd hyng,
And of the wal a gret part with hym bryng—
Lyke as the egill, Iovis squyer, straucht
Within hys bowand clukis had vp clawcht
A ȝong cygnet, or quhit swan, or a hair,
Tharwith resursyng heich vp in the ayr;
Or as a ravanus bludy wolf throu slycht
Hyntis in hys gowl, furth of the fald be nycht,
The litill tendyr kyd, or the ȝong lam,
With feill bletingis socht by the gait, hir dame.
Rutilianys for ioy than rasyt a schowt,
And fast invadys the cite all abowt;
With hepys of erd the fowsy do thai fyll;
Sum otheris presyt with schydis and mony a syl
The fyre blesys abowt the ruf to slyng.
Bot Ilioneus that tyme dyd doun dyng
With a gret quhyn, or roch of cragy stone,
Ane Lucetyus, and brak hys nek bone,
As that he dyd approche towartis the ȝet,
The hait flammys of fyre tharin to set.
Liger a Troiane from the wall also
Doun bet a Rutiliane hait Emathio.
A Phrigiane eik, Asylas, stern and stowt,
All tofruschit Choryneus withowt,
Quhilk was in dartis castyng wonder sle;
On far to schute scharp flanys and lat fle
Nane mar expert than this Emathio.
Ceneus ourquhelmyt Ortygius also;
And this Ceneus, quhilk than gat the mastry,
Belyve Turnus with a dart ded gart ly;
And down dyngis alsso this ilk Turnus
Ithis, Clonyus, and eik Dioxippus,
Promulus als, and bustuus Sagaras,
And syne the huge byg Troiane, hait Idas,
Standand forto defend the towris hie.
Capys, a Troiane, bet doun Pryverne,
Quham Themyllas with a scharp casting dart
Had newly hurt and wondyt in sum part;
And he hys hand plat to the wound in hy,
Hys scheild besyde hym swakkand fulychly,
So that the fedderit arrow furth dyd glyde,
And nalyt hys hand plat to the left syde;
The schaft and hed remanyt in hys cost,
Be dedly wound the lyfe thus hes he lost.
Arcens, Arcentis son, stude on the wall,
In brycht armour ful semly schynand all,
Hys mantill of the purpour Iberyne,
With nedill wark brusyt rych and fyne,
Of vissage was he plesand forto se;
Hys fader Arcens send him with Enee;
Fostyrrit he was and vpbrocht tendirly
Within hys moderis hallowyt schaw, fast by
The flude Symethus into Sycill land,
Quhar as the plentuus fat altar dyd stand
Of the placabill goddis, Palycy hecht.
Ane gret staf slung byrrand with felloun weght
Hynt Meȝentius, hys scheild syne by hym lays,
The stryngis thryss abowt hys hed assays,
And this ilk Arcens standyng hym forgane
Hes smertly with a ledyn pellok slane;
Hys harn pan and forhed al to claif,
Quhil at the led in sondir brak and raif,
That he ourtumlys speldit on the sand.
Thus gret slauchtir was maid fra hand to hand.