University of Virginia Library

Be this war cum fra Kyng Latynys cyte
Ambassatouris, with branch of olyve tre,
Besekand favouris and benevolens;
That he wald suffir tobe careyt from thens
Tha corpsys ded, quhilkis on the feldis broun
Lay strowyt heir and thar, with swerd bet down,
And thame restor agane of hys gentre,
To suffyr thame begravyn fortobe;
Assuryng hym, thar mycht be led na weir
On venquyst folkis, that lyfless mycht not steir,
And prayt spair thar pepill at syk myschans,
Quhylum clepyt hys frendis and acquentans.
Quhen that Eneas, heynd, curtass and gud,
Thar peticioun sa ressonabill vndirstud,
As man that was fulfillyt of bonte,
Thar hail desyre full glaidly grantit he,
And forthir eik onto thame thus he said:
“O Latyn folkis, quhat mysfortoun onglaid
Hass ȝou involuyt in sa onhappy weir
That ȝhe chayss ws away, ȝour frendis deir?
Desyre ȝhe paix bot for thame that bene lost
By marcyall fayt, and slane into this ost?
And I, forsuyth, tyll all that levand be
Wald glaidly grant the sammyn, I say for me.
Neuer hyddyr had I cummyn, wer not, perfay,
Into this sted the fatys hecht for ay
Our restyng place providit and herbry;
Ne na weirfar with ȝour pepill led I.
Bot ȝour kyng hass our confiderans vpgeif,
And rather hess settyn all hys beleif
On Turnus vassalage and his hie prowes;
Thocht mor equale and ganand war, I gess,
To this Turnus, the brekar of our paix,
Till aventour hym self to de in press.
Gif he pretendis in batale with a brand
To end the weir, or Troianys of this land
Forto expell, heir semyt hym vnder scheild
With wapynnys to recontre me in feild,
That nane bot ane of ws war left levand,
Quhais lyfe God lyst withhald, or hys rycht hand.
Now haldis on, and all the lyfless banys
And corpsis of ȝour wofull citeȝanys
Do byrn and bery efter ȝour awyn gyss,”
Says Eneas, the Troiane war and wyss.
Than of hys speche so awondrit war thai,
Kepit thar silens, and wist nocht quhat to say;
And athir towartis otheris turnys, but mayr,
And can behald his fallow in a stair.
The eldast man amang thame, finaly,
Clepyt Drances, that had full gret envy
At ȝyng Turnus, all way to hym infest
For ald malyce or of cryme manyfest,
Begouth to speke and ansuer thus agane:
“O huge gret is thy fame, thou duke Troiane,
Bot far grettar all owt we may aspy
Thy dedis of armys and thy chevalry;
With quhat lovyngis equaill may I compair
The to the goddis in hevyn abuf the ayr?
Quhidder sall I fyrst extoll, and wonder in the,
Thy gret gentryce and sa iust equyte,
Or thy gret fors and laubour bellicall?
Glaidly, forsuyth, now haymwart bair we sall
Ontill our natyve bundis and cite
Thir sa gret sygnys of humanyte:
And, gif that ony chanss can fynd the way,
We sall do fully all that evir we may
The to conione with Kyng Latyn in hy:
Lat Turnus quhar hym list go seik ally.
And forthir eik weil lykis ws at all
To help till rayss this fatale massy wall,
And fortober apon our schuldris war ioy
Thir stonys gret to this new wark of Troy.”
Thus said Drances, and all the remanent
Tharto annerdis with haill voce and consent.
Twelf days of trewys thai band, to stanch debait,
Forto kepe paix, and werys sequestrate;
Than throu the woddis and thir holtis hie
Troianys and Latynys sammyn, he and he,
Quhar so thame list, wandris but danger.
The heich eschis soundis thar and heir
For dyntis rude of the scharp stelyt ax;
Down weltit ar with mony granand strakis
The fyrrys rekand to the sternys on hie;
The mekill syllis of the warryn tre
With weggis and with proppis beyn devyd;
The strang gustand cedyr is al to schyde;
Na cess thai not apon the iargand wanys
The gret akys to turss away atanys.