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Ȝhe Musys now, sweit goddessis ychone,
Oppyn and oncloss ȝour mont of Helycon,
Reveil the secretis lyand in ȝour mycht,
Entone my sang, address my style at rycht,
To schaw quhat pyssance, ostis and army
At this tyme from the boundis of Tuscany
In falloschyp com with the prynce Ene,
And stuffyt schippys of weir set to the see.
Fyrst, Prynce Massycus cummys with hys rowt,
Into hys barge Tygrys, with stelyt snowt,
Sowchand throw owt the fludis quhar scho went,
A thowsand stowt ȝong men of hys talent
Vndir hym ledyng, for the batale bown,
From Clusyum com vmquhile, that nobill town,
And fra the Tuscane cite of Cosa;
Baith castyng dartis and flanys vsyt tha,
With arrow casys and other quavyrris lycht,
And mortal bowys buklyt for the fyght.
Sammyn furth salys Abas, and hym by
Hys barnage stud enarmyt rychly;
Hys weirlyke schip our the fludis ilkane
Of god Appolloys goldyn statw schane.
The rych cyte of Populonyas,
Hys natyve cuntre, quharof born he was,
Sax hundreth men of armys in wer expert
With hym hess send, and the ile in that part
Illua callyt, within the Tuscane see,
Sa rych of steill it may nocht wastyt be,
Thre hundreth eik hess send with hym to pass.
The thryd capitane, worthy Asylas,
Of goddis eik and men interpretur,
Of euery spayng craft that knew the cuyr,
Quhat the hart pypis and bestis entralys ment,
Quhat signyfeit the starnys, quhar thai went
Thar rycht cursis abufe the hevynnys hie,
And euery byrdis vocis weil knew he,
And quhat betaknyt, schynyng from the hevyn,
Thyr fyry blastis or this thundris levyn;
A thousand men assemlyt with hym ledis,
With awful speris and scharp grundyn hedis;
Quham the Hetruscane cite, Pysa gud,
Inhabyt first from Alpheus that flude,
Send tyll obey hym as thar capitane.
Syne followys Astur, the semlyast of ane,
Astur, maist sovyr horsman forto seik,
Of variant cullour was hys armour eik;
Thre hundreth walyt men with hym he led.
All of a will, furth to the batal sped
The folkis alhail dwelt in the cite sweit
Of Agelyn, otherwyss callyt Cerete,
And thai that dwellys in tha feldis, I wyss,
Endlang the bankis of flud Mynyonys,
Or intill ancyent Pyrgus town alssua,
Or inhabytis the cyte Grauyssa,
Ful contagius of tempest and grewss ayr.
Suld I the pretermyt, sen thou was thar,
I meyn the, Cygnus, of Lygurianys
The cheif ledar, amang other capitanys
Ane the maist forcy into batal sted?
Ne wil I not forȝet, suld I be ded,
The, strang Cupauus, with thy few menȝe,
Fra quhais tymbret rysys apon hie
The lusty swannys fedrame, brycht and scheyn
(The cryme and cawss of all ȝour woful teyn
Was luf and amouris), or pompus array
Schrowd in ȝour faderis connysans al to gay.
For, as thai tell, quhil dolorusly Cygnus
Maid hys complant amang the scroggy buss
Of poppill tre branschis lang and squar,
Quharin the twa systeris transformyt war,
And gan bewail Phaeton, hys best belovyt;
Quhil that he sang and playt, as hym behwyt,
The dolly tonys and lays lamentabill,
With sic regrate to comfort and astabill
Hys hevy amorus thochtis ennoyus,
In quhite canoss soft plumys ioyus
Became ourheld, in lyknes of a swan,
And led hys age na mar furth lyke a man,
Bot tuke hys flycht vp from the erd in hy
And with a swouchand voce socht in the sky.
Hys son, this tyde, havand hys falloschippys
Distribut equaly into syndry schippys,
Amang the navy and the flote at large,
With ayris rollys furth hys bustuus barge,
Clepyt Centaurus, and ithandly syne he
Dryvys throu fludis of the stormy see.
Byg of statur stude he lyke to feght,
Bostand the streme with ballast of huge weght,
And with hys lang and lusty ballyngar
Ourslydis the deip fludis in thar fair.
The nobill Ocnus from hys natyve land
A fair army assemlyt brocht at hand,
Son of god Tibris, the Tuscane ryver,
Beget apon Manthus the lady cleir,
That was baith nymphe and famus prophetes.
Thys Ocnus was the ilk man quhilk express
Of Mantua the cite dyd he wall,
And eftir hys said moderis name can call
Mantua, myghty of ald ancystry
And forfaderis. Bot hys geneology
Was not of ane kynrent cummyn all,
For that town had thre clannys principall,
And, vnder euery clan or trybe of tha,
War other sobyr famyllis twyss twa;
Mantua eik was cheif and principall hed
Till all thir pepill wonnyng in that sted,
Takand thar forss and hardyment ilkane
From the lynage and nobill blude Tuscane.
Meȝentius, throu hys auld tyrranny,
Furth of this cite aganyst hym in hy
Fyve hundreth men till armys maid do steir;
Quham Myncyus, the fresch rynnand ryver,
That from the lowch of Bennacus ischis down,
And is ourheldyt all with redis brovn,
Hess careit to the braid seys large
Within thar weirly schip and awfull barge.
Furth held the stowt and degest Aulestes,
Quhilk with gret strenth of rowaris in that press,
Rasyng thame on thar thoftis for the nanys,
The fludis smate with hundreth arys at anys,
Quhill that the fomy stowr of stremys le
Vpweltis from the braid palmys of tre.
The mekill howke hym bair was Tryton callyt,
For in hir forstam was the monstre stallyt,
With watry trumpe fleyand the fludis gray;
Quhar as scho salyt, men mycht se hym ay
With byrsy body porturyt, and vissage
All rowgh of harys, semyng of cullage
In mannys form fra hys cost to hys crown,
Bot from hys belly, and thens fordwart dovn,
The remanent straucht lyke a fyschis tayll,
In symylitud of huddon or a quhaill;
Vndre the breist of this ilk bysnyng thyng
The sey wallys bulrand makis murnyng.
Sa mony walyt capitanys, nobill men,
In help of New Troy, with schippys thryss ten,
Slydis throw the salt stremys of the see
With stelyt stevynnys and bowand bylge of tre.