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Ascanyus this ilk tyme, as is said,
That wont was with his schot bot to invaid
The wild bestis, quhilkis cowth do not bot fle,
First heir in bargane leyt swyft arrowys fle,
And by hys handis slew strang Numanus,
That was to surname clepit Remulus,
Had laitly Turnus ȝyngast systir wed,
As for hys spowss, and brocht ontill hys bed.
This ilk Numanus Remulus in that sted
Befor the frontis of the batell ȝeyd,
Furth schawand mony diuerss sawys seir,
Baith ganand and onganand forto heir,
Rycht prowd and hely in his breist and hart
That newlyngis of the kynrik was a part
To him befall. His gret estait this wyss
Woustand he schew with clamour and lowd cryis:
“Aschame ȝe nocht, Phrigyanys that twyss taik is,
Tobe inclosyt amyd a fald of stakis,
And be assegit agane sa oft syss
With akyn spilis and dikis on sik wyss?
Schame ȝe not to prolong ȝour lyvis?” said he.
“Thir venquyst cowart wightis behald and se,
That dar our spousage into batale craif!
Quhat wild dotage so maid ȝour hedis raif?
Or quhat onthrifty god in sic foly
Hes ȝou bywavit heir till Italy?
Heir ar not the slaw weirmen Atrydes,
Nor the fenȝear of fair speche Vlixes.
Bot we, that bene a pepill derf and dour
Cumyn of kynd, as keyn men in a stour,
Our ȝoung childring, the first tyme born thai ar,
Onto the nixt rynnand flude we bair
To hardyn thar bodeis and to mak thame bald
With the chil frostis and the watyr cald.
Our childir ȝyng exercis bissely
Huntyng with hundis, hornys, schowt and cry,
Wild deir throw owt the woddis chaiss and mait.
To dant and reyn the horssis ayr and layt,
That is thar game and sport thai hant on raw,
Or with thar bowys schute, or dartis thraw.
Our ȝong spryngaldis may all laubouris endur,
Content of litill fuyde, I ȝou assur,
Of ȝouth thai be accustumat tobe skant,
The erd with plewch and harrowys forto dant,
Or than in batal bettis citeis down.
In euery age with irne graith ar we bown,
And passand by the plewys, for gad wandis,
Broddis the oxin with speris in our handis;
Nor ȝit the slaw nor febill onweldy age
May waik our spreit, nor mynyss our curage,
Nor of our strenth to altyr ocht or pair.
The steill helmys we thrist on hedis hair;
Best likis ws all tyme to rug and reif,
To dryve away the spreth, and thar on leif.
Ȝour pantit habittis dois of purpour schyne;
Ȝour hartis lykis best, so I dyvyne,
In idilness to rest abuf al thing,
To tak ȝour lust, and go in karellyng;
Ȝour cotys hess traland slevys our ȝour handis,
Ȝour foly hattis trappouris and brasyng bandis.
O verray Phrygiane wifis, dasyt wightis!
To call ȝou men of Troy that on rycht is;
Ȝe be onworthy to sa hie style to clame.
On Dyndyma top go, and walk at hame,
Quhar as the quhissill rendris soundis seir,
With tympanys, tawbronys, ȝe war wont to heir,
And boss schawmys of turnyt buschboun tre
That grew in Berecyntia montane hie,
Onto the moder of Ida dedicat,
Callys efter ȝou to danss, and nocht debait:
Ȝeld ȝou to men, and leif al ȝour armyng,
Rendir ȝour swerdis, and all wapynnys resyng.”
Ascanyus ȝyng, byrnand for proper teyn,
Sa gret owtrage of wordis mycht not sustene,
Herand sa hie avant of pompus pryde,
And sik dispyt blawyn owt apon hys syde.
Hys bow with horss sennonys bend hes he,
Tharin a takill set of sovir tre,
And tasand vp his armys far in twyn,
Thus onto Iove lawly dyd begyn
To mak hys first petitioun and prayer:
“Omnipotent hie Iupiter, me heir
Assist to this hardy commancement.
My self onto thy templis sal present
Solempnyt gyftis, maste gudly may be get,
And eik befor thyne altar sall I set
A ȝoung bullok of cullour quhite as snaw,
With goldin schakaris hys forhed arrait on raw;
The best salbe full tydy, tryg and wight,
With hed equale till hys moder on hycht,
Can all reddy with hornys fuyn and put,
And scrape or skattyr the soft sand with his fut.”
The fader of hevin exceppit hys prayer,
And, on that part quhar the lift was maist cler,
Towart the left hand maid a thundyrryng;
All sammyn soundyt the dedly bowys stryng.
Quhyrrand smertly furth flaw the takill tyte,
Quyte throw the hed the Remulus dyd smyte;
The grundyn steill outthrowch hys tympillys glaid.
“Hald on thy ways in haist,” Ascanyus said,
“Thy self to loif, knak now scornfully
With prowd wordis all at standis by.
Sik boydword heir the twyss takyn Troianys
Sendis for hansell to Rutylianys.”
Thus far spekis Ascanyus, and na mair.
Bot the Troianys rasyt a scry in the ayr
With rerd and clamour of blithnes, man and boy,
That to the starnys thar curage sprang for ioy,
Ascanyus extolland abuf the skyis.
And, as thai mak this ryot on sik wyss,
Down from the regioun of the hevin tho
The brycht curland haryt Appollo,
Apon a clowd sittand quhar he wald,
The ostis of Italianys can behald,
And eik new Troys cite, with cheir glaid
Till Iulus the victor thus he said:
“Eik and continew thy new vailȝeand dedis,
Thou ȝong child, for that is the way the ledis
Vp to the starnys and the hevynnys hie,
O thou verray goddis ofspring,” quod he,
“That sall engendir goddis of thy seyd.
In the, be verray resson and of neid,
All batalys, quhilkis by werd ar destinate
Agane Assaracus howss to move debait,
Salbe appasit, and to quyet brocht.
This litill town of Troy, that heir is wrocht,
May nocht withhald the in sik boundis lyte.”
And sayand thus, from the heich hevin als tyte
Discendis he, movand the hailsum ayr,
And to the child Ascanyus socht rycht thar;
Hys figur changit that tyme as he wald
In lykness of ane Butes, hayr and ald,
That pursevant tofor and squyer had be
To Troiane Anchyss, fader of Enee,
And trasty kepar of hys chalmyr dur;
Now had Ene committ to hym the cur
For tyll attend apon Ascanyus ȝyng.
Lyke to this ancyent Butes in al thyng
Furth steppys Phebus, baith in voce and hew,
With lokkis quhite and armour na thing new,
Rowsty, and with a felloun sound clattring,
And sic wordis spak to Iulus ȝyng,
That otherwyss is hayt Ascanyus,
With ardent mynd of bargane desyrus:
“Eneas verray douchty son and ayr,
It may suffice, the nedis do na mair,
Sen, thou onhurt, with thy schote in this sted
The strang Numanus thou hess dung to ded.
This first loving and eik hie renownee
The souerane Apollo grantys the,
Nor na disdene at the sal haue, suthly,
Tobe hys peregall intill archery.
Leif of, my child, and of sic batale cess;
Na mair at this tyme; draw the owt of press.”
On this wyss carpys the brycht Appollo,
And in the myddis of hys sermond tho
He vanyst far away, I wait neuer quhar,
Furth of this mortal sycht in the schire ayr.
The nobillys, and the Troiane capitanys trew,
Be thir takynnys the god Appollo knew,
And hard hys arrowys clatterand in hys cace.
Tharfor thai haue withdraw furth of that place
Ascanyus, at brycht Phebus mychty charge,
And wald no langar thoill hym go at large;
All thocht to feght he had desyre and ioy,
Hame to hys innys dyd thai hym convoy;
Syne to the bargane hess thame sped agane,
In oppyn perrellys, dangeris and all pane
Thar personys and thar lyvys for thar town
Offerand, and for defens maid thame bown.