University of Virginia Library

The fader of goddis and men with diligent eyn
Hass all hir dedis vnderstand and seyn,
And, situat in his hevynly houss on hie,
Inducis and commovis to the melle
Tarchon, of Tuscanys pryncipall lord and syre,
In breithfull stoundis rasyt brym as fyre;
So that amyd the ful myschewoss fyght,
The gret slauchter and rowtis takand the flycht,
On horsbak in this Tarchon baldly draw,
Wilfull his pepill to support and saw;
The wardis all of euery natioun
With admonitions seir and exhortatioun
And diuerss wordis tystis to feght, for schame,
Clepand and calland ilk man be his name,
Quhill thai that drevyn war abak and chaste
Relevys agane to the bargane in haist.
“O Tuscane pepill, quhou happynnys this,” said he,
“That ȝhe sal evir sa doillyt and bowbartis be
Onwrokyn sik iniurys to suffir heir?
O, quhat be this? Quhou gret a dreid and feir,
Quhou huge dolfnes and schaymful cowardice
Hes ombeset ȝour myndis, apon sik wyss
That a woman allon, and thus belyve,
Apon sik wyss sal scattir ȝou and dryve,
And gar sa large rowtis tak the flycht?
Quharto bair we thir steill egis in fyght?
Or quhat avalys to hald in hand, lat se,
For nocht thir wapynnys, gyf we a wife sall fle?
Ȝe war not wont tobe sa lyddyr ilkane
At nycht batellys and warkis venerian
Or quhar the bowand trumpet blew the spryng,
At Bachus dans to go in caralyng,
Syne go to fest at tabill, and syt at dess,
Se cowpys full, and mony danty mess:
Thar was ȝour lust, plesour, and appetite,
Thar was ȝour bissy cuyr and ȝour delyte;
Quhen that the happy spay man, on hyss gyss,
Pronuncit the festual haly sacryfyss,
And the fat offerandis dyd ȝou call on raw
To banket amyd the dern blissyt schaw.”
And, with that word, amydwart the melle,
Reddy to sterf, his horss furth sterys he,
And awfully onon with all his mayn
Ruschit apon Venulus, stud hym agane;
And with hys rycht arm can hys fa enbrass,
Syk wyss he dyd hym from hys horss arraiss,
And with huge strenth syne dyd hym cowch and lay
Befor his breist, and bair hym quyte away.
The Tuscanys rasyt a clamour to the sky,
And Latynys all thar eyn abowt dyd wry.
This Tarchon, ardent as the fyry levyn,
Flaw furth swyft as a fowle vp towart hevyn,
Berand with hym the armour and the man;
And fra his speris poynt of brak he than
The stelit hed, and syne seyrsis all artis,
Euerilk entre, and all the oppyn partis,
Quhar he mycht fynd into sa litil stovnd
A place patent to geif hym dedis wond.
And, be the contrar, Venulus full wight
Maid all debait and obstakill at he mycht,
And can hys hand from hys throt oftsyss chop
With all hys strenth, hys violens to stop.
Lyke as, sum tyme, the ȝallo egill be sycht
The eddir hyntis vp and careis on hyght,
Syne, fleand, in hir feit strenȝeis sa fast
That oft hyr punsys outthrow the skyn dois thrast;
Bot the serpent, wondyt and al toschent,
In lowpyt thrawys wrythis with mony a sprent,
Hyr sprutlyt skalys vpset grysly to se,
With quhisland mouth strekand hir hed on hie;
All thocht scho wreill and sprynkill, bend or skyp,
Evir the sarar this ern strenys hys gryp,
And with hys bowand beik rentis grewsly,
Sammyn with hys weyngis soursand in the sky—
Noyn othyr wyss, this Tarchon tursys hys pray
Throw owt the Tyburtyn rowtis glaid and gay.
The pepill Tuscane, quhilum cum fra Lyde,
Seand the exempill and prosper chans that tyd
Of thar stowt duke, followys hys hardyment,
And with a rusch sammyn in the bargane sprent.
Quhen as ane Aruns, by hys mortal fait
Onto myschewos ded predestinate,
Circulis at the wait, and aspyis abowt
The swyft madyn Camyll, of all the rowt
In honest fait of armys maist expert,
And best betaucht to schute or cast a dart;
He sekis by quhat ways or fortoun
To fynd the fassoun and tyme oportune
Maist esely this lady to assaill;
And all the wentis and renkis, sans faill,
This furyus maid held mydwart the melle,
The sammyn gait and passage haldis he,
And prevely hir futsteppys dyd espy;
And quhar scho dyd return with victory,
With fut bakwart frawart hir aduersar,
This ilk Aruns was ful reddy thar,
And thyftuusly onon the sam way he
Withdrew hys payss, and held on hir hys e;
Lurkand at wayt, and spyand rownd about,
Now this tocome, now that onset, but dowt,
At euery part thys pevech man of weyr,
And schuke in hand hys oneschewabill speir.