University of Virginia Library

Durand this quhile, in fatis marciall,
Meȝentyus movyt with ardour bellycall,
Be instigatioun of Iove in that neid,
Can to the batale in hys place succeid,
And the Troianys to invaid na thing sparis,
That semyt prowd as all the feild war tharis.
Than sammyn to recontyr hym atanys
Semlyt haill ostis of Hethrurianys,
And all assailȝeit Meȝentyus allon;
Aganyst a man thai rowtys euery one,
Inflambyt all in malyce, maid persutys,
And thik as haill schour at hym schaftis schutis.
Bot he, lyke to a ferm rowk, quhilk we se
Strekyt on lenth amyd the large see,
Sytuat aganys the rageand wyndis blast,
And brym wallys boldynnand wondyr fast,
From all that violens doys hym self defend,
And haill the forss sustenys to the end
Baith of the hevynnys and byr of seys rage,
Remanand onremovyt ferm in hys stage:
Als stern standis Meȝentyus in that stound.
And first he hes fellit and laid to the grond
Hebrus, the son of ane Dolycaon,
And hym besyde Latagus slew onon,
And Palmus eik, accustumat to fle:
Bot with a stane Latagus brytnyt he
Quhilk of a montane semyt a gret nuke,
With quham hym on the vissage he ourtuke;
And Palmus howgh sennonys smait in tway
Maid hym sa slaw he mycht nocht fle away;
Thar armour syne to Lawsus gevyn hess he
To weir on hys schuldris, and crovn on hie
Thar creistis set, the quhilk sa rychly schane.
He slew also Evantus a Troiane,
And Mynas syne he kyllys in the feild,
Quhilum to Parys companȝeoun and evin eild;
Quham on a nycht Theana, gude and fair,
To hys fader Amycus in Troy bair,
Quhen Heccuba, douchter of Cisseus,
Dremyt scho was gret, the story tellis thus,
With a fyre broynd, and the self samyn nycht
Was delyver of Parys, the fey knycht,
Quhilk in hys natyve cite maid hys end:
Bot thir feildis Lawrentan ombekend
Withhaldis now the body of Mynas.
So brym in stowr that stond Meȝentyus was,
Lyke to the strenthy sangler or the bor,
Quham hundis quest with mony quhryne and ror
Down dryvyng from the hightis maid discend,
Quhilk mony wyntyr tofor had hym defend
In Vesulus, the cauld montane hie,
That is ourheldyt with mony fyr tre;
Or than the bustuus swyne weil fed, that bredis
Amang the buskis rank of ryspe and redis,
Besyde the layk of Lawrens, mony ȝheris,
Quham that he is betrappyt fra his feris
Amyd the huntyng ralys and the nettis,
Standis at the bay, and vp his byrsys settis,
Grasland hys tuskis with astern fyry eyn,
With spaldis hard and harsk, awfull and teyn,
That nane of all the huntmen thar present
Hym to engreif hass strenth or hardyment,
Nor dar approchyng within hys byt neir,
Bot standand far on dreich with dart and speir,
Assoverit of hys reik, the beste assays,
With felloun schowtis, bustuus cryis, and brays.
Nane other wyss stud all the Tuscane rowt
This stalwart knycht Meȝentius abowt,
And, thocht thai iust cawss had of wreth and feyd,
Thar was nane of thame durst hym put to ded,
Nor curage had with drawyn swerd in hand
Hym till assaill, nor mach apon the land;
Bot with takillis and castyn dartis on far
Thai warp at hym, bot durst not ane cum nar,
And with huge clamour hym infestis that tyde;
He, onabasyt, abowt on euery syde
Behaldis, gyrnand full of proper teyn,
And with hys scheild choppyt by schaftis bedene.
Furth of the ancyent boundis of Coryt tho
Was cum a Greik, quhilk clepyt was Acro,
That fugityve into his lusty heyt
Had left hys spowsal trewth plicht oncompleit;
Quham as Meȝentius saw amyd the rowt
Hym grevand soir, as weriour stern and stowt,
And saw the plesand plomys set on hycht
Of hys tymrell, and eik the purpour brycht,
Quhilk of his trewthplycht lufe he bair in syng;
Than lyke a hungry lyon rumysyng,
Constrenyt by hys rageand empty maw,
The beistis dennys circuland all on raw,
Gif he on cace aspyis a swyft ra,
Or the ȝyng hart with spryngand tyndis twa,
Ioyful he bradis tharon dispytuusly,
With gapand gowle, and vprasys in hy
The lokkyrris lyand in his nek rowght,
And all the bestis bowellis thrymlys throwght,
Hurkylland thar on, quhar he remanyt and stude,
Hys gredy gammys bedyis with the red blude—
On the sammyn wyss, Meȝentyus rycht baldly
Mydwart hys fays rowt ruschit in hy;
Down smytis fey Acron amyd the ost,
That in the ded thraw, ȝaldand vp the gost,
Smate with hys helys the grond in maltalent,
And brokkyn schaftis with hys blude bysprent.
This ilk Meȝentius eik dedenȝeit nocht
To sla Orodes, quhilk than was onflocht,
That is to knaw, quhill frawart hym he went,
And reput na wyss, as by hys entent,
Syk ane fleand to wond into the bak,
Onawarnyst, quhen he na defens mycht mak,
Bot ran abowt and met hym in hys rayss;
Than athir man assemblit face for face.
Orodes mair of prattik was all owt,
Bot the tother in dedis of armys mair stowt,
That to the erth ourthrawyn he hess his feir,
And possand at hym with hys stalwart speir,
Apon hym set hys fut, and thus he said:
“O now my feris, beys blyth and glaid;
Lo, a gret party of this weir, but less,
Heir lyis at erd, the douchty Orodes.”
Hys feris sammyn rasyt vp a cry,
With ioyus sound in syng of victory,
And blew the pryss triumphall for his deth;
Bot this Orodes, ȝaldand vp the breth,
Onto Meȝentyus carpys thus on hie:
“Me onrevengit, thou sal nocht victour be,
For weill I wait that sone I salbe wrokyn,
Na, for all thy prowd wordis thou hass spokkyn,
Thow sall nocht lang endur into sik ioy;
Bot siclyke chancis and semblant ennoy
Abydis the, thocht thou be nevir sa bald,
Thys sammyn feild sall thy ded corps withhald.”
To quham Meȝentyus smyland said in teyn:
“Thou sall de first, quhat evyr to me forseyn
Or previdyt hass myghty Iove,” quod he,
“Quham fader of goddis and kyng of men cleip we.”
And sayand thus, the schaft the ilk thraw
Furth of hys wond and body dyd he draw.
Tho Orodes the hard rest doith oppress,
The cauld and irny slepe of dethys stress,
And vp the breth he ȝald onon rycht
With eyn closyt in evir lestand nycht.
Cedicus altotrynschit Alcathous,
And Sacrator to grund laid Hydaspus;
Rapo, ane Arcaid, hass Parthenyus slane,
And Orses, wondir byg of blude and bane;
And Mesapus kyllyt the stowt Clonyvs,
And Erycates with Lychaonyus;
The formast lyggand at the erd he ourraucht,
That by hys hedstrang horss a fall had cawcht,
And Lychaonyus eik, a fut man, he
Lyghtit on fut and slew in the melle.
Aganys hym than went a man of Arge,
Hait Lycyus, bodyn with speir and targe;
Bot by the way Valerus, gude in nedis,
Nocht inexpert in douchty eldris dedis,
Recontryt hym, and put hym to the ded;
Salyus a Troiane in that sammyn sted
Atronyus slew; and Nealces, expert
To schut the fleand arrow or castyng dart,
Quhilk invadis a man or he be war,
Slew Salyus with schot, beand on far.