University of Virginia Library

Bot quhen that Pallas at ane owtyr syde
Persavyt hys Arcad army that tyde
In sic a place had takyn land attanys,
Quhar as a burn had warpyt rowand stanys,
And buskis with the brays down had bet,
That thai war in sa hard myscheif ourset,
As men nocht vsyt forto go feght on fute,
And than, constrenyt, knew nane other buyt,
For scharpness of that sted, bot leif thar horss;
That weil persauyt he how that on forss
Thai gave the bak, and schupe to tak the flycht,
The Latynys followand thame in all thar mycht:
Than, quhile with prayer, now with wordis sowr,
Thar curage he enflambis to the stowr,
Quhilk maner havyngis, suyth as is the creid,
As vtir poynt remedy at sik a neid.
“My ferys,” say he, “quhidder do ȝe fle?
I ȝou beseik, be ȝour gret renowne,
And be ȝour forcy dedis done of ald,
And by ȝour pryncis fame, Evander bald,
And be the ostis and mony victoryss
That ȝe in weir and batale wan feill syss,
And be my gude beleif and hoyp, that now
With haill confidens restis fixt in ȝow,
As to atteyn onto my faderis glor,
To ondertak sik dedis done befor;
Do nevir, for schame, onto ȝour self that lak,
To lyppyn in speid of fute and gyf the bak.
With swerdys dynt behuffis ws, perfay,
Throw amyddis our ennemys red owr way.
Quhar ȝondir sop of men thikkis in a rowt,
Ȝondir is the passage quhar we moste wyn owt;
Ȝondir ȝour nobill cuntre wyl ȝe pass;
Ȝon way to wend exhortis ȝour duke Pallas.
Heir is na power of dyvynyte,
Nor goddis myght gaynstandyng ws,” quod he,
“Nane other bargane haue we in thir fyghtis
Bot agane dedly and with mortale wightis:
Alsmony mortale bodeis heir haue we,
And als feill handis to debait the melle.
Behaldis, quhou the sey with obstakill gret
Inclusys ws, and at our bak can bet;
On land is left ws heir na place to fle.
Quhat, wald ȝhe ryn to Troy owt throw the see?”
Thus said he, and furthwith, or he wald cess,
Amyd hys fays ruschit in the press,
Quhar as the rowtis thikast war in stowr.
And first of other, to hys fatale howr,
Hym metys Lagus, a Rutilyane,
Quham fyrst ourrollyt with a mekill stane,
Throw gyrd hys cost syne with a castyng dart,
Persyng hys rybbys throuch, at the ilk part
Quhar beyn the cupplyng of the ryg bone,
And the ilk schaft stak in hys corss onone.
Pallas it ioggillit, and furth drew in hy;
Quham ane Hysbon, standand neir tharby,
Wenyt to have kawcht, bot the gryp he falyt;
For as onwar he stowpyt, and devalyt
Wod wroth for wo of this myschewss ded
Of hys deir fallow, in the ilk sted
Pallas hym keppyt syk wyss on hys brand
That all the blaid, vp to the hylt and hand,
Amyd hys flaffand longis hyd hass he,
On sik maner that na man mycht it se.
Syne Pallas set apon Anchemolus
And Sthenelus, that of the kyng Rhetus
Prynce of Marrubyanys, ancyent pepill, beyn;
The quhilk Anchemolus was that ilk, I weyn,
Defowlyt hys faderis bed incestuusly,
And had forlayn hys awyn stepmoder by.
And ȝe alsso, stowt gemel brether twa,
Childir and sonnys onto hym Dawcya,
Tymber, I meyn, and thy brother Laryde,
Amyd the feild Rutiliane dyd abyde;
Ȝe war sa lyke in form and symylitude
Nane mycht decern betwix ȝou quhar ȝe stude
(Quhilk maner errour, or sik mysknawyng,
To fader and mother is oft plesand thyng.
Seand thar childer resembill ane lykness);
Bot at this tyme hass Pallas, as I gess,
Markyt ȝou swa with sic rud differens,
That by hys keill ȝe may be knaw fra thens.
For swa stud with the, Tymber, thou art ded,
Evandrus swerd hess swepyt of thy hed;
And thy rycht arm of smyttyn, O Laryd,
Amyd the feild lyis the besyde,
And half lyfless thi fyngyrris war sterand,
Within thy neif doys gryp and faik the brand.
Than schame and dolour, mydlit baith ourane,
Baldis the pepill Arcad eueryane
To the bargane aganyst thar ennemyss,
For Pallas wordis maid thar curage ryss,
And eik, for thai beheld befor thar eyn
Hys dowchty dedis, thai hym love and meyn.
For Pallas than throw gyrd Rhethus the kyng,
As he on cace glaid by on char fleyng:
Na mair space was of tary ne delay
That Ilus deth prolongit the ilk day;
For as agane the, Ilo, with fell feir
Pallas addressyt had a stalwart speir,
Rhetheus start in betwix, and cawch the dynt,
As he on cace was fleand ferss as flynt
From thy handis, the maist forcy Teutras,
And thy brother Tyres, that by the was:
Ourweltis Rethus in ded thrawys atanys,
And with hys helys smayt the Rutilian planys,
Tumlyt from hys hie cart chargit quhar he sat,
And on the grund rebundis with a sqwat.
And lyke as sum tyme in the symmyris drowth,
Quhen wyndis rysys of the north or sowth,
In seir placis the hyrd, at hys desire,
Amang the scroggy rammell settis the fyre;
Wlcanus hostis of brym flambys red
Spredand on breid, vpblesys euery sted;
Than he that set the kyndillyng glaid and gay
Behaldis quhou that the low doys mak deray,
Blesand and crakand with a nyce reuery—
Non other wyss, the Archadanys in hy
All sammyn socht in feild with all thar mycht,
And maid debait to help Pallas in fyght.
Bot tho Alesus, keyn into batale,
Thame to recontyr etlys, and assaill,
And gan hym self weil schrowd vnder his scheild,
Syn manfully ruschit amyd the feild,
Quhar that he slew ane Lacon, and Pheres,
And Demodocus eftir in the press
As hym Strymonyus by the gorget grippyt,
With hys brycht brand hys rycht hand he of quhyppyt;
And Thoas syne sa smayt apon the hed
With a gret stane, quhil myxt of blud all red
The harnys poplit furth on the brayn pan.
Thys ilk Alesus fader, as witty man,
Forto eschew hys sonnys fatys strang,
Hyd hym prevely the thik woddis amang;
Bot, fra the auld Alesus lay to de,
And ȝeldis vp the breth with wawland e,
The fatale systeris set to hand onon,
And can this ȝong Alesus so dispon,
That by Evandrus wapynnys, the ilk stownd,
He destinat was to caucht the dedis wond;
Towart quham Pallas bownyt hass ful sone,
And in hys renk on this wyss maid hys boyn:
“Now grant, thou god and fader Tyberyne,
Gude chance and forton to this hed of myne
The quhilk I tayss apon this castyng speir,
That it may throw Alesus body scheir;
And ȝon harness, cote armour and spulȝe brycht,
Quhilk now sa weirly schynys on ȝon knycht,
Sall hyng apon ane ayk fast by thi bra.”
The god hys askyn hard as he dyd pray,
For quhil Alesus onavisytly
Cled with hys scheild Imaonus, hym by,
That was to hym hys frend and fallow deir,
Hys breist stud nakyt, but armour or geir,
Quharin he Pallas dedly schaft ressauyt.
Bot Lawsus, wilfull hys syde to haue savyt,
As he that was a gret part of the ost,
And lyst not suffir, with sik feir na bost,
Or slauchter maid be Pallas and deray,
At his cumpanȝeis suld caucht mair affray,
Ruschit in the melle; and first in hys teyn
Slew Abas, that gret bargane dyd sustene.
The thikast sop or rowt of al the press,
Thar as maist tary was, or he wald cess,
Thys Lawsus alto sparpillyt and invadys:
Down bettyn war the barnage of Archadyss,
Down bettyn eik war the Hethruryanys,
And ȝhe also, feil bodeis of Troianys,
That war not put by Grekis to vtyrrans.
Than all the ostis semlyt with speir and lans,
The chiftanys all ionyt with hail poweris,
The hyndmast wardis swarmyt al yferis;
So thik in staill all marryt wolx the rowt,
Oneyss mycht ony turn hys hand abowt
To weild hys wapyn, or to schuyt a dart.
Full douchtely Pallas on the ta part
Inforcis hym to greif hys fays that tyde;
Lawsus resistis on that othir syde.
Thar agis was not far indifferent,
And of maist semly statur, quhar he went,
Thai war excellent of bewte baith tway;
Bot so it stude, at fortoun, walloway,
Wald nother suffir to hys realm resort.
And netheless to meyt sammyn at schort,
As into feild to preif thar hardyment,
The governour of hevyn omnipotent
Lyst na way thoill; for, belyve eftir this,
To athir of thame thar dedly fatys, I wyss,
To ane far grettar aduersar remanys,
As heir onon doys follow vnder anys.