University of Virginia Library

In the meyn sesson, the Troiane Ene
Begouth hys folkis from thar schippis hie
On bryggis and on plankis set on land:
Mony abaid the ebbyng of the sand,
Quhill the swarf fard wallys abak dyd draw,
Than in the schaldis dyd thai leip on raw;
And sum with ayris into coggis small
Etlyt to land. But tho amang thame all
The prynce Tarchon can the schor behald,
Thar as hym thocht suldbe na sandis schald,
Nor ȝit na land bryst lyppyrryng on the wallys,
Bot quhar the flude went styll, and calmyt all is
But stowr or bullyr, murmour or movyng;
Hys stevynnys thydder steryng gan the kyng,
And on this wyss hys ferys dyd exort:
“Now, O ȝe walyt flour of weir, at schort,
Bend vp ȝour ayris styth, and rayss ȝour schippys.
Haist owr the flude, bair to the schoyr with skyppys,
And with ȝour stelyt stevynnys, ane and all,
Thys ground onfrendly to ws and inimicall
Do scheir and cleif in sundyr lyke a stok,
Lat euery barge do prent hir self a dok:
Na forss I not in sik port by this meyn
To brek the schyp, sa we the land atteyn.”
Fra Tarchon had thir wordis said, but mair
Hys feris startis ilk man till ane ayr.
The stowrand famy bargis dyd rebound,
Inrowand fast towart the Latyn grond,
Quhyl that thar stammys tuke the bankis dry,
And thar kelys stak in the slyke fast by,
Bot ony harm or danger, euery one.
Bot sa tyd not onto thy schyp, Tarchon,
For in the schald scho stoppys, and dyd stand
Apon a dry chyngill or bed of sand,
A lang tyme all to schakyng with the flude,
Quhill fynaly, thar rokkand as scho stude,
To brystis scho, and ryvys all in sondyr,
Warpyt the men amyd the faym thar vndir;
The plankis, hechis and mony brokyn ayr,
That on the streym went flotand heir and thar,
Maid to thar landing gret impediment,
And slyddry glar so from wallys went
That oft thar feyt was smyttyn vp on loft;
Bot finaly, all drowkyt and forwrocht,
Thai salwyt war, and warpyt to the cost.
Than na delay of sleuth nor feir ne bost
With held Turnus, bot with hys haill armee
Aganyst Troianys by the cost of the see
He dyd array all sammyn in that stound.
The trumpettis blew thar bludy weirlyke sownd.
And fyrst, in syng of gud luk in the weris,
Ene the rowtis of the lauboreris,
Or rurall husbandis, invadis and ourset,
And hess the Latyn commonys haill doun bet,
By slauchter fyrst of thar chiftane, Theron,
Amang all otheris the biggast man of one,
Quhilk set apon Eneas or he wyst;
Bot he throw owt hys syde hys swerd hes thryst,
Persyt the stalwart platit scheild of steill,
And throw the schynand hawbrek euery deill;
The giltyn mailȝeis makis hym na sted,
For in the cost he tholys dynt of ded.
Syne smate he Lychas, and hym hess al to torn,
That of hys ded moderis waym was furth schorn,
And onto Phebus god was consecrait,
And was sa chancy in hys ȝong estait
That he the swerd eschapit by hys hap;
Bot not at this tyme so the dedis clap.
And not far thens this douchty Eneas
Kyllyt the dowr and stalwart Cysseas,
And put to deth the bustuus Gyas strang,
That with hys burdoun down haill rowtis dang:
Thar strenthy handis helpyt thame na thyng,
Nowder Hercules wapynnys nor armyng
Mycht thame defend, nor ȝit thar syre, that heght
Melampus, and companȝeon was in feght
To Hercules in hys sair iourneis feill,
Quhil he in erth was levand and in heill.
And lo, as Pharon cryis and dois rowst
With haltand wordis and with mekill woust,
Eneas threw a dart at hym that tyde,
Quhilk, as he gapyt, in hys mowth dyd glyde.
And thou also, the fey Greyk, Cydon,
Quhilk strangly luffyt thir ȝong childer ichone,
As thou the ȝyng Clytius dyd persew,
Quhais ȝallow berd begouth to spryng of new,
And was alhaill thy new lust and desyre,
Be the rycht hand of this ilk Troiane syre
Thar had bene maid end of thy amouris greyn,
And wrachitly had lyin ded, I weyn,
War not the brethir of the clan Phorcanys
Apon Eneas assemblit all atanys;
In numbyr sevyn thai war, and dartis sevin
Alsammyn thai kest, forcy as fyry levin,
Of quham sum dyd but harm or other deir
Stot from hys scheild, his hewmet or hed geir,
And sum, that wald haue hyt hys corpss in hy,
Venus hys haly moder choppyt by.
Than to the traist Achates said Ene:
“Reik me dartis and castyng speris,” quod he,
“That in the Grekis bodeis fixit stude,
Quhylum in Troys planys bedyit with blude,
And my rycht hand sall thraw thame so ilkane
On Rutulanys, that nane sal fle invane.”
A bustuus schaft with that he grippyt hass,
And incontrar hys aduersaris gan tayss
Quhilk flaw towartis Meonyus fast by;
Owt throw the scheild platit with steill in hy
Duschyt the dynt, and throw the corslettis glydis,
Gyrd throw the cost persyng baith the sydis.
Onto hym startis Alcanor, hys brothir,
To beir hym vp, quhen that he saw hym schuddir,
With hys rycht arm, bot throw hys gardy sone
The grundyn hed and bludy schaft ar done,
Furth haldand the self randoun as it went;
The ryght arm, from the schulder al to rent,
Apon the mankyt sennonys hyngis by,
As impotent, quyte lamyt, and dedly.
Than Numytor furth of hys brotheris corps
Ruggis the trunschon, and with all hys forss
It swakkis at Ene, bot he na mycht
Had till attane ne wond the nobill knycht;
Ȝyt with the dynt the gret Achates thee
He hurt and strenȝeit hass a litill wee.
With this come Clawsus, full of vassalage,
Confidand in hys ȝouth and florist age,
The Curytanys with hym brocht in the press,
And with a lang styf speir ane Dryopes
Smate in the halss, vnder the chyn, sa sair
That hym byreft was in the place rycht thar
Baith voce and spreit of lyfe, and that na wonder,
For hys nek bayn and throte war carf in sondir,
That doun he duschys with a felloun rerd,
Quhil that hys forret raschit on the erd,
And of hys mouth, a petuus thing to se,
The lopprit blude in ded thraw voydis he.
Thre otheris syne this ilk Clawsus hass slane,
Born into Trace of the clan Boryane;
And thre com fra the cite of Idas,
And other thre of cite Ismaras,
By diuerss chancis put he al to ded.
Alesus hym recontris in that sted,
And all the barnage com from Aurunca,
That auld cite; and thame followys alssua
To that melle the son of Neptunus,
That is to knaw, the worthy Mesapus,
Quhilk into horsman craft was maist expert.
Now presys this syde, and now ȝonderwart,
To reill abak and to expell in fyght
Thar aduersaris, and mak thame tak the flycht.
Thus by the cost Ausonya that tyde
Hard wolx the batale apon athir syde.
As thocht sum tyme amyd the large ayr
The contrar wyndys stryvys heir and thar,
With brethfull blastis in thar equale nychtis,
Nane lyst obey tyll other, all sa wight is,
Nowder thai amang thame self, nor ȝit the clowdis,
Ne ȝit the rageand seys, quhilkis sa lowd is;
So that the bargane lang standis in dowt,
Quha salbe victor, and quha vnderlowt,
Sa forcyly remanys the elementis
Contrary otheris to thar awin ententis—
Nane other wyss the Troiane hostis in feild,
And Latyn rowtis ȝokkit vnder scheild,
Metys in the melle: ionyt sammyn than
Thai fewtyr fut to fut, and man to man.