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On breid or this was warp and maid patent
The hevynly hald of God omnipotent.
The kyng of men and fader of goddis all
Ane consale or a sessioun maid do call,
Amang the spretis abufe and goddis gret,
Within hys sterrit hevyn and mylky set:
Quharfra, amyd hys trone sittand full hie,
Our all the erd he mycht behald and se
The Troianys castellys and the pepill Latyne.
Down sat the goddis in thar segis dyvyne,
The faldyn ȝettis baith vp warpyt braid.
First Iove hym self begouth, and thus he said:
“O hevynly wightis, of gret power and mycht,
Quhou is betyd ȝour myndis bene sa lycht,
That ȝour decreit fatale and sentens hie
Retretit thus and turnyt bakwartis suldbe?
Or quhy with frawart myndis now of layt
Aganys ȝour ressonabill oraclys ȝe debait?
My will was not at the Italianys
In batale suld concur contrar Troianys.
Quhat maner discord be this at we se,
Express agane our inhibitioun?” said he,
“Quhat dreid or reuerens thame, or thame, hess movyt
To ryn till armys, and rasys weir controvit?
Or hes sic wyss persuadyt to bargane,
With bludy wapynnys rent, and mony slane?
Haist not the sesson to provoke nor prevene;
Of batale cum sal detfull tyme bedene,
Heirefter, quhen the ferss burgh of Cartage
To Romys boundis, in thar feirfull rage,
Ane huge myscheif and gret qualm send sall,
And thyrll the hie montanys lyke a wall:
Than war iust tyme in wreth to mak debait,
Than war the tyme to rug and reif thus gait.
Now of sic thingis leif and desist; with me
Glaidly do makis frendly amyte.”
A few wordis on this wyss Iupiter said,
Bot not in quhoyn wordis him answer maid
The fresch goldyn Venus: “O thou,” quod sche,
“Fader of all, O eternal powste,
Regnand abufe all men, and goddis eik,
To the I cum, the rewthfully beseik,
Sen thar nane other maieste bene ne glor
That in sik neid may help ws to implor.
Thow seys quhou, with bost and felloun feir,
The Rutilianys makis gret derray and steir,
And quhou Turnus, pransand on semly stedis,
Throw owt the ostis rydis in steill wedis,
And quhou orpyt and prowdly ruschis he
Amyd Troianys, be fawour of Mars,” quod sche,
“The strenth of wallys, nor the portis schet,
May nocht salf Troianys; lo, within the ȝet,
Amyd the closs muralȝeis and paill
And dowbill dikis, quhou thai thame assaill,
Quhill the fowceis of blude rynnys on spait;
Eneas absent of this na thing wait.
Quhidder gif that thou list suffir neuermar
Thar sege scalit, nor thame fre of dangar?
Behald agane abowt New Troys wall,
Ȝit bot begyn to byg, and not closs all,
Quhou inverioin musteris thar ennemyiss;
Ane other ost and sege abowt thame lyis,
And newly, lo, Tedeus son, not far
From Arpos cite into Calabar,
To wery Troianys movis, Diomed.
I feill agane my wondis newly bleid,
And I, thy blude, thi get and douchter schene,
Ȝit mortale wapynnys mon thoil eik and sustene!
Gyf the Troianys, but thy benevolens,
Or repungnant to thy magnificens,
Hess socht onto the cost of Italy,
Lat thame be punyst and thar cryme aby,
And I sall suythly stand content for me,
Thou mak thame na kynd help nor ȝit supple.
Bot gif thai followit haue for thar behufe
Sa feill responsis of the goddis abufe,
With syndry admonitions, charge and redis
Of the infernal wightis and spretis that ded is,
Than wald I knaw the causs or resson quhy
That ony mycht pervert or ȝit bewry
Thy commandmentis? How, or quharfor, may thai
New fatys mak and the ald do away?
Quhat nedis to reherss, quhou on the cost
Of Scycilly thar schippis brynt war lost?
Or quharto suld I dwel, to schaw ȝou thus,
Quhou be the god of tempest, Eolus,
The rageand wyndis send war our alquhar,
Or Iris catchit throw clowdis of the ayr?
Now movyt eyk bene fendlych wightis affrayt:
Befor, only that chance was onassayt,
Bot now Alecto newly is furth sent
Into the ovir warld, that fell torment,
With Bacchus fury enragit by and by,
Walkand throu all citeis of Italy.
Na thyng I pauss on the empyre,” quod sche,
“All thocht we hoip had at sic thing suld be,
Quhen fortoun schew tharof sum apperans:
Lat thame be victour quham thou lyst avans.
And gif na realm in this warld remanys,
Quhom thy stern spouss list geif to the Troianys,
I the beseik of Troy by the rewyne,
By that subuersioun rekand, and huge pyne,
Suffyr that ȝyng Ascanyus mot be
Salf fra all wapynnys, and of perrell fre;
And, at the lest, in this ilk mortall stryve
Suffir thy nevo to remane alyve.
As for Ene, forsuyth, I mak na cair:
Thoill hym in onkowth stremys, as he was ayr,
Be dryve and warpyt euery sey abowt,
To follow furth in danger and in dowt
Quhat curss and went at fortoun lyst hym sent;
Most it pless the fader omnipotent
That I may bot defend ȝon litill page,
And hym withdraw from this ferss weris rage.
I haue in Cipyr the cite Amathus,
And the hie standand burgh that hayt Paphus,
And eik the ille yclepyt Cythera,
The hallowyt hald als of Idalya,
Quhar, rendryt vp all armys in that stede,
Duryng hys age he sobir lyfe may led.
And command eik with gret forss and mastry
The burgh of Cartage down thryng Italy;
Fra thyne sall na thyng resist nor gaynstand
Contrar citeis of Tyre or Affrik land.
Quhat proffit hass it done, or avantage,
Of Troys batale to haue eschape the rage,
And throw amyd the Grekis fyrys eik
Haue fled away, and throw the sey haue seik,
Sa feill dangeris bywent and ourdryve
Our streym and landis; gyf that thus belyve
Troianys hes socht till Itaill, to vpset
New Troys wallys, tobe agane doun bet?
Had not bene bettir thame in thar natyve hauld
Have syttyn still amang the assys cauld,
And lattyr isillys of thar kynd cuntre,
Or barrand soyll quhar Troy was wont tobe,
Than thus, fra ded to ded, from payn to payn,
Be catchit on, and euery day be slane?
Restor, I pray the, to thai wrachit wightis
Xanthus and Symoes, fludis quhilk of rychtis
Was wont tobe thar propyr herytage.
O fader, suffir the fey Troiane barnage
To seik agane quhat hard myschance befallys
To Troy or Ilyon with thar brokyn wallys.”