University of Virginia Library

The meyn sesson Aurora rasyt hir lycht,
Richt confortabill for euery mortall wight,
Rendryng agane the oportunyte
Of laubour and of wyrkyng, as we se.
The prynce Eneas, and the kyng Tarchon,
Gret byngis hass of treys mony one
Vpbeldyt, by the bowand costis bay.
Thydder euery ane dyd cary, but delay,
Efter thar eldris gyss, onto that sted
The corpsis of thar frendis that war ded,
As fortodo thar observans of det;
And thar vnder the smoky fyre hass set,
Quhill that the hevynnys hye dyd walxin dirk,
Involuyt with the reky stewys myrk.
And thryss on fut all sammyn euery man
In schynand armour abowt the fyris ran,
And thryss the wofull funerall inglys thai
Circulyt abowt on horsbak in array,
With gowlyng and with vocis myserabill;
Quhill that of trigland terys lamentabill
The feildis strowyt war in euery place,
Armouris all wet with wepyng, and thar face.
The clamour of the men and trumpys stevyn
Gan spryngyng vp on hight onto the hevyn.
Syne cumis sum, and in the fyre dyd slyng
The weirly wedis, spulȝe and armyng
Rent from the Latynys slane into the weir,
As helmys, scheildis, and rych swerdis seir,
Brydillys, and all thir stedis trappouris fair,
The hasty hurland charyot quhelys squair;
Ane other sum kest in the fyre syk geir
As weilbekend the corps was wont to weir,
Thar awyn wapynnys, and thar onsilly scheildis,
Quhilk mycht thame nocht defend into the feildis.
Full mony carcage of thir oxin gret
Abowt the fyris war brytnyt and downbet,
And bustuus bowkis of the byrsyt swyne,
Our feildis all byreft from euery hyne;
Thai steik the beistis, and swakkis in the fyre,
Endlang the costis all tho byrnand schyre;
And can behald quhou that thar feris brynt,
Observand weill the gledis half owt quent,
And eik the assys half brynt of the ded;
Ne may thai thens be harlyt of that sted,
Quhill at the hevyn ourquhelmyt the dirk nycht,
That ganand is for fyry sternys brycht.
And, netheless, the Latynys lamentabill
In placis seir fyris innumerabill
Vpbeldit hass, and sum with wofull rerd
Feill corpsis deip bedelvys vnder erd;
And sum alsso in cartis haue thai sent
To townys in the feildis adiacent;
And sum alsso war send to the cite,
Tobe entyrit as thame accordyt be.
The remanent all sammyn assemlyt ourane,
But numbyr and but ordour, euery ane,
Of corpsys slane in huge heip byrn thai;
And thus on athir sydis, the hie way
And large feildis dyd oft of fyris schyne.
As that the thryd days lycht eftir syne
The dyrk nycht removyt from the sky,
The assys deip, murnand with mony a cry
Doun dyd thai cast, and scrapis owt atanys
The hait amyrris and the byrslyt banys;
And ȝit all warm, onculyt, sone thai haue
Bedelvyn thame, and in the erd begrave.
Bot, certis, than renewys the womentyng
Within the mychty burgh of Latyn kyng,
The rumour rayss and murmour principaly
Of bewalyng all owt the maist party.
The wofull moderis and matronys wepis heir,
The eldmoderis, and eyk the systeris deir;
Thar mycht be hard with duylfull breistis greyt
The ȝyng babbys walyng on the streyt,
That had thar faderis slane this hynder day,
Cryand, “Ichane, allace, and weill away!”
Thai curss and wary fast this vengabill weir,
And Turnus wedlok bannys with mony a teir:
All in a voce thai cry, desirand he
Suld ondertak the batall and melle,
And feght allane to mak end of this thing,
As he the quhilk pretendis to weld the ryng
Of Italy with honour pryncipall,
Desyrand that he suldbe lord of all.
The brym Drances aggregis weill this thyng,
And buyr on hand baldly befor the kyng
Nane bot this Turnus challance wald Enee,
Turnus only to feght desyris he.
And, be the contrar, mony sensymentis
For Turnus schawys evident argumentis:
Of Queyn Amatha the gret authoryte
Dekkis and defendis hym with wordis sle;
And hys gret fame and actis triumphall
Hys querrell dyd susteyn agane thame all.