University of Virginia Library

At last Mnestheus and strang Serestus,
The Troiane capitanys, herand quhow that thus
Thar pepill slane war doun, dyd convene;
Thar feris fleand pail and wan haue thai sene,
And thar cheif ennemy closyt in thar wallys.
Mnestheus on thame clepys thus and callys:
“Quhar ettill ȝhe to fra hyne? Quhidder wald ȝhe fle?
Quhar other wallys seik ȝhe, or cite?
Quhat haue ȝe other strenth or forteress?
O citesanys, behaldis heir express
Nane bot a man standand ȝou aganys,
Closyt within ȝour dykis and wallys of stanys,
Onrevengit, sa gret occisioun
And huge slauchter sal mak within ȝour tovn,
Or sa feill valȝeand ȝyng capitanys kend,
Onresistit, thus down to hell sall send!
O maste onworthy cowartis, ful of slewth,
Of ȝour onsilly cuntre haue ȝhe na rewth,
Nor piete of ȝour ancyent goddis kynd?
Think ȝhe na lak and schame into ȝour mynd,
To do sa gret owtrage to strang Enee,
In hys absens thus catyfly to fle?”
The Troianys by sik wordis as he said
In curage grew, and fermly all abaid,
Abowt thar fa man flokkand in a rowt.
Turnus a litil, thocht he was stern and stowt,
Begouth frawart the bargane to withdraw,
And sattil towartis the ryveris syde a law,
Ay peyss and peyss, to that part of the tovn,
Was closyt with the ryver, rynnand dovn.
Troianys, that seand, the mar apertly
Assalȝeit hym with mony schowt and cry,
And thikkyt fast abowt hym inveroin.
As quhen abowt the awfull wild lyoun,
With thar invasibill wapynnys scharp and squar,
Ane multitude of men bilappyt war,
And he full fers, with thrawin wlt, in the start,
Seand the scharp poyntis, recullys bakwart,
Bot forto gif the bak and fle away
Nowder hys greif nor curage suffir may;
And, thocht he wald, for all hys mekill mycht,
Agane samony men and wapynnys brycht
To press fordwart may he cum na speid.
Nane other wyss Turnus, at sik a neid,
Steppys abak with huly payss full still,
Hys mynd scaldand in greif and egir will;
And forthir eik amyd hys fays he
Twyss ruschit in, and schuddrit the melle;
And twyss also that onrebutit knycht
Endlang the wallys put thame to the flycht.
Bot al togidder, intyll ane convyne,
Apon hym haill the town assemlyt syne,
Nor Saturnus get, Iuno, in that fyght
Agane thame durst him minster strenth nor mycht;
For Iupiter had from the hevynnys fair
Send dovn Iris, quhilk duellis in the ayr,
Onto hys spouss and sister thar at hand
Ful scharp chargis bryngis and command,
Less than Turnus, quhou evir the chance befallis,
Withdrew hym fra the fatale Troiane wallys;
Quharthrow this valȝeand campioun ȝong and keyn
Nowder with his scheild sa mekil mycht sustene,
Nor sic defens mak with his hand, as ayr.
With dartis at him swakkit heir and thar
On sik wyss is he quhelmyt and confundyt,
That euer in ane hys boss helm rang and soundyt,
Clynkand abowt hys halfheddis with a dyn;
Hys sovir armour, strang and na thyng thyn,
Is brokkyn and byrsyt with feill stonys cast;
So thik war dyntis, and strakis smyt so fast,
That of his helm down bettyn war the crestis;
Sa sair the bosys of hys target prest is,
Hys scheild na langar mycht sik rowtis sustene;
The Troianys, with this Mnestheus, in thar teyn
Dowblys thar dyntis at hym with speris cast,
As it had bene the hydduus thundris blast.
Our all hys body furth ȝet the swait thik,
Lyke to the trynland blak stremys of pyk;
Ne gat he laser anys hys aynd to draw—
The febillit brath ful fast can beit and blaw
Amyd hys wery breist and lymmys lasch.
Than at the last, al suddanly, with a plasch,
Harnes and al togiddir, quhar he stude,
Him self he swakkis and lap into the flude.
With giltyn stremys hym keppyt the ryver,
And bar hym vp abuf hys wallis cleir,
Syne blithly careit to hys feris bedene;
All blude and slauchter away was weschyn clene. &c