University of Virginia Library

Dvryng this quhile, the Troiane power all
Approchys fast towart the cite wall,
The Tuscane dukis and horsmen rowtis alhaill
Arrayt in batale, euery ward and staill,
Our all the planys brays the stampand stedis,
Full galȝart in thar bardis and weyrly wedis,
Apon thar strait born brydillis brankand fast,
Now thrympand heir, now thar, thar hedis can cast:
The large grond worth grysly onto se
Of steill wapynnys and scharp speir hedis hie;
And as the fyre all byrnand schayn the feildis
Of brycht armour, heich helmys, and braid scheildis.
Aganyst thame alsso onon apperys
The bald Mesapus, valȝeant in werys;
The agill Latyn pepill with hym was,
And duke Catyllus, with his brother Coras,
And eik the weyng of Wolscane pepill in feild
With the stowt wench Camylla vnder scheild;
And furth thai streik thar lang speris weill far,
Drew in thar armys with schaftis chargit on far,
Tasyt vp dartis, taclys and fleand flanys;
The contyr or first tocome for the nanys
Full ardent wolx, and awfull forto se,
The men byrnand to ioyn in the melle,
And furour grew of stedis sterand on stray.
Now thai, approchyng sammyn in array
Within ane arow schot on athyr syde,
Syne maid a litill stop, and still dyd byde;
Rasyt vp a schowt, bad on thame with a cry,
Quhil bruyt and clamour fordynnyt the sky.
Thar fers stedis dyd for the bargane cheir;
On athir half thai mak a weirlike feir;
And tharwithall at anys on every sydis
The dartis thik and fleand takyllys glydis,
As doith the schour of snaw, and with thar flycht
Dyrknyt the hevynnys and the skyis lyght.
Tyrrhenus tho, ane of the Tuscane rowt,
And Acontevs, a Rutilyane full stowt,
Togidder semblyt with thar speris ran,
To preif the first fall sammyn, man for man.
Thai meit in melle with a felloun rak,
Quhil schaftis al to schuldris with a crak;
Togiddir duschis the stowt stedis atanys,
That athyris contyr fruschyt otheris banys.
And Aconteus, lyke to the thundris blast,
Smyte from hys sadill a far way was cast,
Or lyke a stayn warpyt from the engyne,
That altofruschit dovn he dyd declyne,
With sik rebund and rewyne wonder sair
That he his lyfe hes sparpellit in the ayr.
All suddanly the Latynys tuke affray
And gaue the bak bedeyn, and fled away,
Thar scheldis our thar schuldris kest behynd,
And to the tovn spurris als ferss as wynd.
The Troianys dyd persewyng on the chayss,
And fast invadis thame Prynce Asyllas.
Quhen thai approchyng to the portis neir,
The Latyn pepill returnys all infeir,
Thar weill dantit horss nekkis quhelit abowt,
Syne gaue a cry, and on thame with a schowt:
The tother party than hess tane the flight,
Leit ga the brydill, and fled in all thar mycht.
Lyke as the flowand sey with fludis rude
Now ruschis to the land, as it war woyd,
And on the skelleys at the costis bay
Vpswakkis fast the fomy wallys gray,
And with his iawpys coverys in and owt
The far sandis our the bay abowt;
Now with swyft fard gois ebband fast abak,
That with hys bulrand iaschis and owt swak
With hym he sowkis and drawys mony stayn,
And levis the strandis schald and sandis plane—
The Tuscane folk the Latynys on sik wyss
Onto the cite wallys chasyt twyss;
And twyss thar self dyd fle and gif the bak,
With scheldis at defens behynd thame swak.
Bot tharefter the thryd assay thai mak,
The ostis sammyn ionyt with a crak,
That euery man hess chosyn hym his feir.
And than, forsuyth, the granys men mycht heir
Of thame that stervyn and dovn bettyn beyn,
That armour, wapynnys, and ded corpss bedeyn,
And stedis throwand on the grond that weltis,
Mydlit with men quhilk ȝeld the gaste and sweltis,
Bedowyn lay full deip in thar awyn blude.
The stowr encressis furyus and woyd.
Orsilochus, a Troiane, with all his forss
Dressis his lans at ane Remulus horss,
For hym to meit he stude a maner feir;
The hed remanyt vnder the horssis eyr,
The steid enragit for the cruell dynt,
And lansys vp on hycht als fers as flynt,
As he that was inpacient of hys wond,
That Remulus down weltis on the grond.
Catillus, ane of the brethir Tyberyne,
Iollas down bet, and thareftir syne
The gret Hermynyus, wondir byg of corps,
Bot far byggar of curage and of fors;
Quhais hed and schuldris nakyt war and bar,
And on his crovn bot lokrand ȝallow hair;
And thocht he nakyt was, and voyd of geir,
Na wond nor wapyn mycht hym anys effer;
Forgane the speris so bustuus blomyt he,
That this Catillus stalwart schaft of tre
Throw gyrdis baith hys stalwart schulder banys,
And with the dynt stud schakand all at anys,
Transfixit so, and persand euery part,
It dowblis and renewys the manis smart.
The blaknyt dedly blude on athir syde
Furth ruschis owt of warkand wondis wyde;
The swerdis baithit wolx in bargane red;
Feill corpsis kyllit in the feild fell ded,
And caucht a douchty end to swelt in fycht,
By hurtis feill forto manteym thar rycht.