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The ilk stound, of hys awyn fre volunte,
Iove callys Iuno, and thus carpys he:
“O thow my syster german and my feir,
My best beluffyt spowss, most leif and deir,
Thyne opynyon hass not dissauyt the,
As thou belevyt: now may thou not se
Quhow Venus doys susteyn and fortyfy
The Troiane rowtis and pyssans by and by?
Nane actyve handis, nor stowt myndis, I weyn,
Nor bodeys reddy all perrellys to sustene,
Haue thai, thou may se be experiens.”
Quhamto Iuno, with humyl reverens,
Answeryt: “My sweit and mast gudly husband,
Quharto lyst the renew my sorow at hand,
As cayrfull wight, that lykis nocht sic bourdis?
All efferd of thy fatal dreidfull wordis
I am bestad; bot war I now, I weyn,
Als strangly belovyt as I sum tyme haue bene—
Thocht ȝit, God wait, accordyt so tobe
Baith to myne honour and thy dignyte—
I say, war I beluffyt as I was ayr,
Thou Iove almyghty ryngand euermar
Suld not deny me sa sobyr a thyng,
Bot at I mycht withdraw, at my lykyng,
Furth of the feild Turnus, and hym save
Onto hys fader Dawnus, that our the lave
Belovyt hym, as rayson wald,” quod sche.
“Now sall he perysch, and now sal he de,
And sched hys gentyll blude sa pacient,
In grewss panys be Troianys tort and rent;
And netheless hys kyn origynall
Is renownyt of godly stok ryall,
Discendit of our seid and hevynly clan,
Fra god Pylumnus to rekkyn the ferd man;
And eik thow wait, full oft with large hand,
With mony oystis and ryght fair offerand,
Thy templys and thyne altaris chargit hass he,
In wirschyp of thy myghty maieste.”
The souerane kyng of hevyn imperiall
In few wordis maid answer thus at all:
“Gif thow askis a resput or delay,
Bot for a tyme or tyll a certane day,
Of thys evident deth of Turnus ȝyng,
Desyrand I suld grant the sik a thyng,
All thocht he mortale be rycht sone we knaw,
I leif the to remove hym and withdraw,
And from this instant perrellus hard fayt
Steill hym away, and gyde hym by the gait,
For so lang space ȝyt restis at will of me
To lenth hys lyfe, quhilk I the grant,” quod he.
“Bot gif sa beys, that vndre thy request
Mair hie pardon lurkis, I wald thow cest;
For gif thou wenys that all the victory
Of the batale, and chancis by and by,
May be reducyt and alterat clar agane,
A mysbyleve thou fosteris all invane.”
To quham Iuno on this wyss said wepyng:
“Quhat harm mycht fall, thocht be sum takyn or syng
Thow schew thy mynd, and grantit that,” quod sche,
“Quhilk be thy wordis of fatale destane
Now grunschis thou to geif or to conceid?
That is to say, quhat forss, thocht thou in deid
Waldyst appreif and ratyfy agane
That Turnus lyfe a lang tyme suld remane?
Bot now approchis to that innocent knycht
A feirfull end—he sal to ded be dicht,
Or than my sawys ar voyd of veryte.
And O, wald God at rathar sa suldbe
That I dissauyt war bot with fals dreid,
And at thou list, as thou has mycht in deid,
Thy fatale promyss and thy statutis strange
In bettir purposs to translait and change!”
Fra scho thir wordis had said, the ilk tyde
Dovn from the hevyn scho leyt hir selvyn slyde,
Befor hyr dryvand a tempestuus wynd,
And all abowt, befor and eik behynd,
Within a clowd of myst circulyt cleyn:
So throw the air bownyt furth this queyn
Towart the Troiane hostis in the planys,
And to the tentis socht of Lawrentanys.
Thys goddes than furth of ane boyss clowd
In lyknes of Ene dyd schaip and schrowd
A voyd figur, but strenth or curage bald,
The quhilk wondyrus monstre tobehald
With Troiane wapynnys and armour grathis sche,
With scheild and helm and tymbret set on hie,
Be semlant lyke Eneas godlyhed;
And tharto ekis scho in euery sted
Quent fenȝeit wordis, fant and contyrfait,
With voce, but mynd, or ony other consait;
And fenȝeis eik hys concernans and pacis
(Syklyke as that, thai say, in diuerss placis
The wraithis walkis of goistis that ar ded,
Or as the slepy dremys, fra sted to sted
Fleand in swevyn, makis illusionys,
Quhen mennys myndis oft in dravillyng gronys);
And all befor the forfront of the feild
Richt haltandly, as curageus vnder scheild,
Musturis this ymage, that with dartis keyn
Aggrevyt Turnus, and dyd hym chyde in teyn,
Prouocand hym to bargane and tyl ire.
And Turnus tho als hoyt as any fyre
Thys figur dyd invaid, and tharat he
In gret dispyte a quhirrand dart leyt fle;
Bot this ilk schaddo, as sum deill addred,
Turnyt abowt, and gaif the bak and fled.
Than Turnus, wenand Ene had tane the flycht,
And al awondryt of that selcouth syght,
Within hys mynd a vayn comfort kawch he,
And cryis lowd: “Quhydder fleys thou now, Ene?
Leif nevir, for schame, thus dissolait and waist
Thy new allyans promyst the in haist,
Of Lavynya the spousyng chalmyr at hand,
And all this ilk regioun and this land,
Quhilk thou sa far hass socht owt our the se:
My rycht hand sal the saysyng geif,” quod he.
With sik wordis he schowtand dyd persew,
And ay the glymmyrand brand baith schuke and schew,
Nathyng persavand quhou this myrth and blyss
Away quyte with the wynd bewavit is.
On cace thar stude a mekill schip that tyde,
Hyr wail ionyt til a schor rokis syde,
With plankis and with bryggis layd on land,
The entre reddy grathit weill thai fand;
In the quhilk schyp Osynyus kyng, I wyss,
Come laitly from the cite of Clusys.
Thydder went this wrath or schaddo of Ene,
That semyt, all abasyt, fast to fle,
And hyd hyr dern vndre hychis tharin.
Na slawar Turnus hastis hym to ryn,
That but delay he spedis to this schyp,
Ran owr the bryg, and inwith burd can skyp;
And scars was entrit in the forcastell,
Quhen Saturnys douchter saw hir tyme befell;
Than soyn the cabyll in sondir smytis sche,
And fra the schor draif the schip throu the see.
Bot Turnus absent thus that sammyn howr
Eneas seyrssys throw amyd the stowr,
And in hys renk quham euer be met lay ded;
Full mony a man he kyllit in that sted.
And tharwithall hys lycht and fenȝeit gost,
Fra tyme the schip was chargyt fra the cost,
No langar sekis hyrnys hir to hyde,
Bot flaw vp in the ayr the sammyn tyde,
And al dissoluyt into a dyrk clowd.
The meyn sesson, can forss of wyndis lowd
Turnus far furth amyd the deip sey dryve;
He dyd behald abowt hym tho belyve,
All ignorant quhat wyss this chance was wrocht,
And of hys lyfe salvyng na thyng he rocht;
With handis iunct vphevit towart hevyn,
Syk wordis he furth braid with drery stevyn:
“Almychty fader of the hevynnys hie,
Hass thou me reput on sic wyss tobe
Confusyt in this schame for myn offens?
And will I suffyr syk torment and pennans?
Quhidder am I dryve, and from quhens am I cumyn?
Quhat maner eschewyng or fleyng haue I nummyn?
In quhat estait sall I return agane?
Sall I evir se the wallys Lawrentane,
Or evir eft my tentis sall I se?
Quhat may ȝon ost of men now say of me,
Quhilkis my querrell and me followit to feild,
Quham now, allace, lo, feghtand vnder scheild
Ȝondir (schame to say the harm) sa wikkytly
Reddy to myschews deth beleft haue I?
Lo, I behald thame fleand paill and wan,
And heris the granyng of mony douchty man
In my defalt falland fey to grond.
Quhat sal I do, allace the wofull stond,
Or quhilk land (thocht a thousand tymys I stervit)
May swelly me sa deip as I haue servyt?
Bot, O ȝe wyndis, rathar haue mercy,
On rowkis and on craggis by and by
Do swak this schyp, sen heir na erth I se,
And haue of wrachit Turnus sum pyete,
Quhilk of hys fre will, stad in this maner,
Besekis ȝow with all hartly prayer;
Do warp my body on the schaldis onkend,
Far furth on Syrtys at the warldis end,
Quhar Rutilyanys me nevir fynd agane,
Sa that na fame nor rumour may remane
Eftir my deth of this schaymfull trespass.”
And, sayand thus, in mynd dyd he cumpass
Full mony chancis rolland to and fro,
Quhiddir gif he suld, for proper lak and wo,
Into this fury smyte hym with hys brand,
And thryst the bludy blaid in with hys hand
Throw owt hys rybbys and sched his hart blude,
Or than to swak hym self amyd the flude,
Swymmand to seik the nerrest costis bay,
In feild agane the Troianys to assay.
Athir way till assay thryss presyt hes he,
And thryss hym styntis Iuno, queyn mast hie,
Havand compassioun of this ȝong man bald,
And can asswage hys mynd, and hand withhald.
Furth held the schip, slydand owt our the fludis,
With prosper wynd and followand tyde sa gude is,
Quhill he is careit suyrly throw the see
Tyll Ardea, hys faderis auld cite.