University of Virginia Library

The Proloug of the xii Buke of Eneados

Dyonea, nycht hyrd and wach of day,
The starnys chasyt of the hevyn away,
Dame Cynthia dovn rollyng in the see,
And Venus lost the bewte of hir e,
Fleand eschamyt within Cylenyus cave;
Mars onbydrew, for all his grundyn glave,
Nor frawart Saturn from hys mortall speir
Durst langar in the firmament appeir,
Bot stall abak ȝond in hys regioun far
Behynd the circulat warld of Iupiter;
Nycthemyne, affrayt of the lyght,
Went ondir covert, for gone was the nycht;
As fresch Aurora, to myghty Tytan spows,
Ischit of hir safron bed and evir hows,
In crammysyn cled and granyt violat,
With sangwyne cape, the selvage purpurat,
Onschet the wyndois of hir large hall,
Spred all with rosys, and full of balm ryall,
And eik the hevynly portis cristallyne
Vpwarpis braid, the warld till illumyn.
The twynklyng stremowris of the orient
Sched purpour sprangis with gold and asur ment,
Persand the sabill barmkyn nocturnall,
Bet doun the skyis clowdy mantill wall;
Eous the steid, with ruby hamys red,
Abuf the sey lyftis furth hys hed,
Of cullour soyr, and sumdeill brovn as berry,
Forto alichtyn and glaid our emyspery,
The flambe owtbrastyng at his noyss thyrlys;
Sa fast Pheton with the quhyp hym quhyrlys,
To roll Appollo hys faderis goldyn char,
That schrowdith all the hevynnys and the ayr;
Quhill schortly, with the blesand torch of day,
Abilȝeit in hys lemand fresch array,
Furth of hys palyce ryall ischit Phebus,
With goldyn crovn and vissage gloryus,
Crysp haris, brycht as chrisolyte or topace,
For quhais hew mycht nane behald hys face,
The fyry sparkis brastyng from hys eyn,
To purge the ayr, and gylt the tendyr greyn,
Defundand from hys sege etheryall
Glaid influent aspectis celicall;
Befor hys regale hie magnificens
Mysty vapour vpspryngand, sweit as sens,
In smoky soppys of donk dewis wak,
Moich hailsum stovys ourheldand the slak;
The aureat fanys of hys trone souerane
With glytrand glans ourspred the occiane,
The large fludis lemand all of lycht
Bot with a blenk of hys supernale sycht.
Fortobehald, it was a glor to se
The stablit wyndis and the cawmyt see,
The soft sesson, the firmament sereyn,
The lowne illumynat ayr, and fyrth ameyn;
The syluer scalyt fyschis on the greit
Ourthwort cleir stremys sprynkland for the heyt,
With fynnys schynand brovn as synopar,
And chyssell talys, stowrand heir and thar;
The new cullour alychtnyng all the landis,
Forgane thir stannyris schame the beriall strandis,
Quhil the reflex of the diurnall bemys
The beyn bonkis kest ful of variant glemys;
And lusty Flora dyd hyr blomys spreid
Vnder the feit of Phebus sulȝart steid;
The swardit soyll enbrovd with selcouth hewys,
Wod and forest obumbrat with thar bewys,
Quhois blisfull branschis, porturat on the grund,
With schaddoys schene schew rochis rubicund;
Towris, turettis, kyrnellis, pynnaclys hie
Of kyrkis, castellis and ilke fair cite,
Stude payntit, euery fyall, fayn and stage,
Apon the plane grund, by thar awyn vmbrage.
Of Eolus north blastis havand no dreid,
The sulȝe spred hir braid bosum on breid,
Ȝephyrus confortabill inspiratioun
Fortill ressaue law in hyr barm adoun;
The cornys croppis and the beris new brerd
With glaidsum garmont revestyng the erd;
So thik the plantis sprang in euery peyce,
The feildis ferleis of thar fructuus fleyce;
Byssy Dame Ceres and provd Pryapus,
Reiosyng of the planys plentuus,
Plenyst sa plesand and mast propyrly,
By natur nurysyt wondir nobilly,
On the fertill skyrt lappys of the grund
Strekyng on breid ondyr the cyrkyll rovnd;
The variand vestur of the venust vaill
Schrowdis the scherald fur, and euery faill
Ourfret with fulȝeis of figuris full diuerss,
The spray bysprent with spryngand sprowtis dispers,
For callour humour on the dewy nyght.
Rendryng sum place the gerss pilis thar hycht,
Als far as catal, the lang symmyris day,
Had in thar pastur eyt and knyp away;
And blisfull blossummys in the blomyt ȝard
Submittis thar hedis in the ȝong sonnys salfgard:
Ive levys rank ourspred the barmkyn wall,
The blomyt hawthorn cled hys pykis all;
Furth of fresch burgionys the wyne grapis ȝyng
Endland the treilȝeis dyd on twystis hyng;
The lowkyt buttonys on the gemmyt treis
Ourspredand leyvis of naturis tapestreis,
Soft gresy verdour eftir balmy schowris
On curland stalkis smylyng to thar flowris;
Behaldand thame sa mony diuerss hew,
Sum perss, sum paill, sum burnet, and sum blew,
Sum greyce, sum gowlys, sum purpour, sum sangwane,
Blanchit or brovne, fawch ȝallow mony ane,
Sum hevynly culloryt in celestiall gre,
Sum watry hewit as the haw wally see.
And sum depart in freklys red and quhite,
Sum brycht as gold with aureat levys lyte.
The dasy dyd onbreid hir crownell smaill,
And euery flour onlappyt in the daill;
In battill gyrss burgionys the banwart wild,
The clavyr, catcluke, and the cammamyld;
The flour delyss furthspred hys hevynly hew,
Flour dammes, and columby blank and blew;
Seir downys smaill on dent de lyon sprang
The ȝyng greyn blomyt straberry levys amang;
Gymp gerraflouris thar royn levys onschet,
Fresch prymross, and the purpour violet;
The royss knoppys, tutand furth thar hed,
Gan chyp, and kyth thar vermel lippys red,
Crysp scarlet levis sum scheddand, baith atanys
Kest fragrant smell amyd from goldyn granys;
Hevynly lylleis, with lokrand toppys quhyte,
Oppynnyt and schew thar creistis redymyte,
The balmy vapour from thar silkyn croppys
Distilland hailsum sugurat hunny droppys,
And syluer schakaris gan fra levys hyng,
With crystal sprayngis on the verdour ȝyng;
The plane pulderit with semly settis sovnd,
Bedyit full of dewy peirlys rovnd,
So that ilk burgioun, syon, herb and flour
Wolx all enbalmyt of the fresch liquour,
And bathit hait dyd in dulce humouris fleyt,
Quharof the beys wrocht thar hunny sweit,
By myghty Phebus operations,
In sappy subtell exalations.
Forgane the cummyn of this prynce potent,
Redolent odour vp from rutis sprent,
Hailsum of smell as ony spicery,
Tryakill, droggis, or electuary,
Seroppys, sewane, sugur, and synamome,
Precyus invnctment, salve, or fragrant pome,
Aromatik gummys, or ony fyne potioun,
Must, myr, aloes, or confectioun—
Ane paradyce it semyt to draw neir
Thir galȝart gardyngis and ilke greyn herber.
Maist amyabill walxis the amerant medis;
Swannys swouchis throw owt the rysp and redis,
Our al thir lowys and the fludis gray
Seirsand by kynd a place quhar thai suld lay.
Phebus red fowle hys corall creist can steir,
Oft strekyng furth hys hekkill, crawand cleir,
Amyd the wortis and the rutys gent
Pykland hys meyt in alleis quhar he went,
Hys wifis, Toppa and Partelot, hym by,
As byrd al tyme that hantis bigamy.
The pantyt povn, pasand with plomys gym,
Kest vp his taill, a provd plesand quheill rym,
Yschrowdyt in hys fedrame brycht and scheyn,
Schapand the prent of Argus hundreth eyn.
Amang the bronys of the olyve twestis
Seir smaill fowlys wirkand crafty nestis,
Endlang the heggeis thyk and on rank akis,
Ilk byrd reiosyng with thar myrthfull makis.
In corneris and cleir fenystaris of glass
Full bissely Aragne wevand was,
To knyt hir nettis and hir wobbys sle,
Tharwith to caucht the myghe and litill fle.
So dusty pulder vpstowris in euery streit,
Quhil corby gaspyt for the fervent heit.
Vnder the bewys beyn in lusty valys,
Within fermans and parkis cloyss of palys,
The bustuus bukkis rakis furth on raw;
Heyrdis of hertis throw the thyk wod schaw,
Baith the brokkettis, and with braid burnyst tyndis,
The sprutlyt calvys sowkand the red hyndis,
The ȝong fownys followand the dun days,
Kyddis skippand throw ronnys efter rays;
In lyssouris and on leys litill lammys
Full tayt and tryg socht bletand to thar dammys,
Tydy ky lowys, veilys by thame rynnys;
All snog and slekit worth thir bestis skynnys.
On salt stremys wolx Doryda and Thetis,
By rynnand strandis Nymphes and Naedes,
Sik as we clepe wenschis and damysellis,
In gresy gravys wandrand by spryng wellis,
Of blomyt branchis and flowris quhite and red
Plettand thar lusty chaplettis for thar hed;
Sum sang ryng sangis, dansys ledys, and rovndis,
With vocis schill, quhill all the dail resovndis;
Quharso thai walk into thar caralyng,
For amorus lays doith the rochys ryng:
Ane sang, “The schyp salys our the salt faym,
Will bryng thir merchandis and my lemman haym;”
Sum other syngis, “I wilbe blyth and lycht,
Myne hart is lent apon sa gudly wight.”
And thochtfull luffaris rowmys to and fro,
To lyss thar pane, and pleyn thar ioly wo,
Eftir thar gyss, now syngand, now in sorow,
With hartis pensyve, the lang symmyris morow:
Sum ballettis lyst endyte of hys lady,
Sum levis in hoip, and sum aluterly
Disparit is, and sa quyte owt of grace,
Hys purgatory he fyndis in euery place.
To pleyss his lufe sum thocht to flat and feyn,
Sum to hant bawdry and onlesum meyn;
Sum rownys to hys fallow, thame betwene,
Hys myrry stouth and pastans lait ȝisterevin:
Smyland says ane, “I couth in previte
Schaw the a bovrd.” “Ha, quhat be that?” quod he,
“Quhat thyng?” “That most be secrete,” said the tother.
“Gud Lord, mysbeleif ȝe ȝour verray broder?”
“Na, neuer a deill, bot harkis quhat I wald;
Thou mon be prevy.” “Lo, my hand vphald.”
“Than sal thou walk at evin.” Quod he, “Quhidder?”
“In sik a place heir west, we baith togydder,
Quhar scho so freschly sang this hyndyr nycht;
Do choyss the ane, and I sall quynch the lycht.”
“I salbe thar I hope,” quod he and lewch,
“Ȝa, now I knaw the mater weill eneuch.”
Thus oft dywlgat is this schamefull play,
Na thyng accordyng to our hailsum May,
Bot rathar contagius and infective,
And repugnant that sesson nutrytyve,
Quhen new curage kytlys all gentill hartis,
Seand throu kynd ilk thyng spryngis and revertis.
Dame Naturis menstralis, on that other part,
Thar blysfull bay entonyng euery art,
To beyt thir amorus of thar nychtis baill,
The merl, the mavyss and the nychtyngale
With mery notis myrthfully furth brest,
Enforcyng thame quha mycht do clynk it best:
The cowschet crowdis and pyrkis on the ryss,
The styrlyng changis diuerss stevynnys nyss,
The sparrow chyrmys in the wallis clyft,
Goldspynk and lyntquhite fordynnand the lyft;
The gukgo galys, and so quytteris the quaill,
Quhill ryveris rerdit, schawis and euery vaill,
And tender twystis trymlyt on the treis
For byrdis sang and bemyng of the beys;
In wrablis dulce of hevynly armonyis
The larkis, lowd releschand in the skyis,
Lovys thar lege with tonys curyus,
Baith to Dame Natur and the fresch Venus,
Rendryng hie lawdis in thar obseruance;
Quhais suguryt throtis maid glaid hartis danss,
And al smail fowlys syngis on the spray:
“Welcum the lord of lycht and lamp of day,
Welcum fostyr of tendir herbys grene,
Welcum quyknar of floryst flowris scheyn,
Welcum support of euery rute and vayn,
Welcum confort of alkynd fruyt and grayn,
Welcum the byrdis beild apon the brer,
Welcum master and rewlar of the ȝer,
Welcum weilfar of husbandis at the plewys,
Welcum reparar of woddis, treis and bewys,
Welcum depayntar of the blomyt medis,
Welcum the lyfe of euery thyng that spredis,
Welcum storour of alkynd bestiall,
Welcum be thy brycht bemys, gladyng all,
Welcum celestial myrrour and aspy,
Attechyng all that hantis sluggardy!”
And with this word, in chalmer quhar I lay,
The nynt morow of fresch temperit May,
On fut I sprent into my bair sark,
Wilfull fortill compleit my langsum wark
Twichand the lattyr buke of Dan Virgill,
Quhilk me had tareit al to lang a quhile;
And tobehald the cummyng of this kyng,
That was sa welcum tyll all warldly thyng,
With sic tryumphe and pompos curage glaid
Than of hys souerane chymmys, as is said,
Newly aryssyn in hys estait ryall,
That, by hys hew, but orleger or dyall,
I knew it was past four howris of day,
And thocht I wald na langar ly in May
Less Phebus suld me losanger attaynt—
For Progne had or than sung hir complaynt,
And eik hir dreidfull systir Philomeyn
Hyr lays endyt, and in woddis greyn
Hyd hir selvyn, eschamyt of hir chance;
And Esacus completis hys pennance
In ryveris, fludis, and on euery laik;
And Peristera byddis luffaris awaik:
“Do serve my lady Venus heir with me,
Lern thus to mak ȝour obseruance,” quod sche,
“Into myne hartis ladeis sweit presens
Behaldis how I beynge, and do reuerens.”
Hyr nek scho wrynklys, trasyng mony fold,
With plomys glitterand, asur apon gold,
Rendryng a cullour betwix greyn and blew,
In purpour glans of hevynly variant hew;
I meyn our awyn natyve byrd, gentill dow,
Syngand in hyr kynd, “I come hydder to wow,”
So pryklyng hyr greyn curage forto crowd
In amorus voce and wowar soundis lowd,
That, for the dynnyng of hir wanton cry,
I irkyt of my bed, and mycht not ly,
Bot gan me blyss, syne in my wedis dress,
And, for it was ayr morow, or tyme of mess,
I hynt a scriptour and my pen furth tuke,
Syne thus begouth of Virgill the twelt buke. etc
Quhen Turnus knew the Latyn pepill haill
Irk of the weir, and saw thar curage faill,
By the frawart aduersiteis of Mart,
Quhilk war tofor onbrokyn and stowt of hart,
And thocht the tyme requiris hym, but abaid,
Forto compleit the promys he had maid,
Semyng as towartis hym tho euery wight
To that effect addressyt thar luke and sycht,
Than, onrequirit, by insaciabill desyre
Langang to feght, and byrnand hait as fyre,
Full hie rasand hys curage and hys cheir,
He gan amyd the audiens appeir.
Fers as a wild lyoun ȝond in Trace,
By the huntar wondyt in the chace,
Quhen the smert straik in hys breist all fast is,
For ire the lokkyrris of hys nek vpcastis,
Than first begynnyng to rayss hys stern moyd,
Reiosyt of the bataill, fers and wod,
Onabasytly raschand the schaft in sundir,
And on the man liggand at wait thar vndir,
Hym to revenge, with bludy mouth doys bray—
Nane other wyss ferd Turnus the ilk day,
Smytyn so brym in fervent violens,
That all commouyt in the kyngis presens
On this maner begouth to speke and say:
“Thar sall in Turnus be fund na delay;
And al for nocht ȝon cowart Eneadanys
Thar promyss and thar wordis cumis aganys,
Willyng retreit thar behestis and sawys;
Sa salt thai nocht; we wil nane sik lawys:
I sal thar falshed resist and ganestand,
And feght contrar thar chiftane hand for hand.
Thou ryall prynce and fader, Kyng Latyne,
Do sacryfy and conferm this convyne:
For owdyr sall I with thir handis twa
Ȝon ilk Troiane, banyst of Asya,
Do put to deth, send down to hell,” quod he,
“Lat Latyn pepill syttyng by to se
Quhou, myne allane with swerd in thar presens
I sall revenge and end our allyris offens;
Or than, gyf so betyd he wyn the gre,
Lat ws all venquyst to hym subiect be,
Ȝeld hym the crown enduryng term of lyve,
And lat hym ioys Lavinia to hys wyfe.”
Kyng Latyn tho with sad and degest mynd
To hym answeris, and said apon this kynd:
“O douchty ȝyngkeir, excellent of curage,
Quhou far as by thy forcy vassallage
My febill age thou doith exceid,” quod he,
“Als far mair diligently pertenys me,
And ganand is, to consell and provyde,
And exemyn euery chance may betyde,
As I that hass in part a maner feir,
Be lang experiens knawand the dowtis of weir.
Thow weldis Dawnus thy faderis realm and land,
And feil citeis conquest with thyne awyn hand;
Tharto thou hass alsso a gentill hart,
Liberall and fre, and in weir most expert,
And Kyng Latyn hess gold to geif the eik.
Perfay, enew otheris, not far to seik,
Of madynnys beyn onwed in Latyum wyde,
And in the Lawrent feildis heir besyde,
Of blude and frendschip na thyng myssemand,
Bot worthy to be queyn of ony land.
Thoill me, I pray the, al dissait done away,
Thir wordis quhoyn of weght to the till say,
And sammyn prent thir sawys in thy wyt.
Onlesum is I suld in wedlok knyt
My douchtir till ald wowaris of this land,
That hir tofor had axit in sik band:
All the spa men and goddis revelyng
Declarit plane that was onlesum thyng.
And netheless, I, venquyst cleyn but weir,
For luf of the my spowsys cousyng deir,
Ourcummyn be hir wofull terys and syte,
All maner bandys now hess brokyn quyte;
And fra my son in law, full wrangwisly,
Hys spouss onto hym promyst reft haue I,
And forthir on hym movit a wikkyt weir.
Sen syne in quhate chance I stand and danger,
And quhou fers batellis now persewys me,
Full weill thou wait and seis, Turnus,” quod he,
“And quhou huge travale thou has tholit and pane,
As principall maste douchty capitane.
Lo, twyss in batale venquyst haue we be,
And now scantly within our wallit cite
The hope and weill of Italy defendis;
Now of our recent blude, as noterly kend is,
The flude of Tibir walxis hait agane,
And of our huge banys quhite semys the plane.
Quhou am I sterit thus in purposs seir?
And quhidder flow I thus oft thar and heir?
Quhat mad foly all tochangis my thocht?
Gyf that I reddy be and dowtit nocht
The Troianys for my frendis to ressaue,
Gif so war Turnus ded war and bygrave,
Quhat, aucht I nocht far rather end the weir
He beand in prosperyte haill and feir?
Quhat wald our cosyngis, the Rutilianys,
Or quhat wald say the other Italianys,
Gyf the I suld thus wyss sa wilfully,
Axyng our douchteris wedlok and ally,
Expone or offer to the ded?” quod he.
“Forton defend that chance at sa suld be!
Behald the chance of batale variabill,
Persave of weir the fykkill ward onstabill:
Haue reuth and mercy of thy fader ald,
Quham Ardea now, hys cuntre, doys withhald,
Diuidit far and disseuerit from the,
And for thy saik quhou wobegone is he.”
Thus said the kyng, bot the violent curage
Of Turnus hie mynd bowit neuer a stage;
Quha wald with cuyr of medycyne hym meyss,
The moir encressys and growys hys mail eyss;
And, eftir that he first mycht speke agane,
Thus he began expreym with wordis plane:
“O thou maist souerane fader, I the pray,
To salue my honour, thou wald do away
Thir curis, thochtis and solicitude
For me thou takis; and, schortly to conclude,
Suffir me forto plege my deth in wage,
For gloryus renovn of vassillage;
For we, fader, can swak dartis and brandis,
Nocht with febill bot stalwart rycht handis,
And of our wondis the red blude ruschis owt.
To ȝonder provd Troiane, clepit sa stowt,
Hys moder at this tyme salbe far to seik,
Quhilk goddes with hir subtell slychtis eik
Hir son, accustumat to tak the flycht,
Was wont to dek, and to hyde owt of sycht
Within a wifly clowd, as for a trayn,
And heild hir self alsso in schaddois vayn.”
Be than the queyn Amata, all in feir
Of this onkouth and new maner of weir,
Wepyng full soir, all dedlyke, full of harmys,
Hyr son in law Turnus hynt in hir armys,
That was sa fervent in his ardent desyre.
“Turnus,” said scho, “thou best belovit syre,
Be thir ilk wofull terys I the pra,
And be the wirschip thou aw till Amata,
Gyf ony honour of hir or thy kyn
Twichys or movis into thy breist within,
I the beseik a thyng, myne awyn knycht;
Desist and cess to mach Troianys in fight.
Thou only comfort of our febill eld,
Thou all our rest, our weilfar and our beld,
Haue reuth and piete of my wofull baill:
In thy power and mycht restis alhaill
The wirschip and empyre of Kyng Latyn;
Hys howss and famyll, now lyke to declyne,
In the remanys, and is by the vpbor.
I the assuyr, and certifeis tharfor,
Quhat aventour in this fight sall happyn the,
The self chance, Turnus, sall betyd me:
Sammyn with the, gif thou endis in that stryfe,
I sal depart furth of this irksum lyfe,
Nor nevir thrall sall I remane to se
Ȝon ilk Eneas son in law to me.”
Lavinia the maid, with soir smert,
Hyr moderis wordis felt deip in hyr hart,
So that the rud dyd hyr vissage glow,
And full of terys gan hyr chekis strow;
The fervent fyre of schame rysys on hie,
Kyndland mar large the red culloryt bewte,
So that the natural heit the blude dyd chace
Our all the partis of hir quhitly face;
Quhill that this virgyn, in this wofull rage,
Syk cullouris rendris from hir fresch vissage,
As quha byspark wald the quhite evor Indane
With scarlet droppis or with brovn sangwane,
Or quhar the scheyn lylleis in ony sted
War pulderit with the vermel rosys red.
The hait luf trublys sor the knyght,
That on this maid he fixis all hys sycht,
And all the mair he byrnys in desyre
Of bargane into armys, hait as fyre;
Syne to the queyn Amata, but abaid,
In few wordis on this wyss he said:
“O my deir moder, of thy wepyng ho,
I ȝow beseik, do not, do not so,
Persew me not thus with ȝour grete and teris,
Nor quhen I pass onto thir mortall werys,
In marciall bargane contrary my fo,
Do wa to present me sik takyn of wo:
In Turnus myghtis lyis nocht,” quod he,
“The chance of deth to mak hym selvyn fre,
I say, gyf deth this way be to me schaip,
Now may I not astart, nor it eschape,
For at this tyme instant my messynger,
Idmon clepyt, my credens hecht tober
Now to ȝone Troiane tyrrand, rehersyng
My wordis, quhilkis lykis hym na thyng,
That is to knaw, to morow, als ayrly
As brycht Aurora in the orient sky
With rosy chariot lyftis vp hir hed,
The firmament schrowdyng in cullour red,
That he move not aganys Rutilyanys,
Hys ostis, nor nane army of Troianys,
Bot athir half fra batale, for the best,
Baith sall Troianys and Rutilianys thame rest;
And lat ws twa, this bargane to conclude,
Betwix ws only dereyn with our blude,
And into ȝonder feld, in stalwart stryfe,
Lat athir seik Lavinia to hys wyfe.”
Fra this was said, fast to hys in he spedis,
And bad onon do lat hym se hys stedis:
Behaldand thame reiosys he in hart,
To se thame stand sa fers with curage smart;
Quhilk kynd of horss quhilum, as thai say,
Orythia, the lusty fresch may,
Of Athenis the kyngis douchter and ayr,
As ane maste ryall presand, wonder fair,
Send from hir cuntre to Kyng Pilumnus,
Was forgrandschir onto this ilk Turnus;
The quhilk stedis, schapyn at all delyte,
Excedit far the snaw in cullour quhite;
To speke of speid, thar swyftnes was ontald,
For thai the wyndis blast forryn wald.
The byssy knapys and verlettis of hys stabill
Abowt thame stud, full ȝaip and seruyabill,
And with thar holl luyffis gan thame cheir,
Dyd clap and straik thar leyndis to mak thame steir,
Thar lokrand manys and thar crestis hie
Dressys with trelȝeis and camys honestlye.
Fra thens onto hys chalmyr went he syne;
Abowt his schuldris assays hys halbryk fyne,
Of burnyst maill, and schynand rychely
Of fynast gold and quhitly alcomy.
Tharwith alsso hys swerd addressis he,
Quhat way he wald it oys in the melle;
Hys sovir scheld assays he alsso,
And eik hys tymbret helm with crestis two;
Quhilk swerd was maid onto Dawnus hys syre
Be Wlcanus, the myghty god of fyre,
That forgyt this blaid and temperit with hys handis,
Hait glowand dyppyt in the Stigiane strandis.
Syne with gret fors, enarmyt in all hys geir,
Full lychtly vp he hynt hys stalwart speir,
Quhilk tho amyddis the hall lenand stud
Vp by a pillar huge squar and rude,
Quhilum the spulȝe he byreft from ane
Clepyt Actor, a capitane Auruncane;
The schaft he schuke and branglys lustely,
Tharto with lowd voce thus can he cry:
“O now thou speir, that nevir failȝeit thy deid
Quhen I the callyt to my desyre in neid,
Quhilum the weldit Actor, mast douchty knycht,
Now the in hand withaldis Turnus wight;
Now is the tyme that I maste myster the;
Forto dovn bet the corps thou grant to me
Of ȝondir Phrigiane, is skant half a man,
That with my stalwart handis I may than
Hys halbrik of hys body to arrass,
Hakkyt and rent and persyt in mony place,
And in the dusty puldyr heir and thar
Suddill and fyle hys crispand ȝallow hair,
That ayr maid creyss, and curlys now sa weill,
Yplet ilk nycht on the warm broch of steill,
Dekkyt and donk, on hys wifly maner,
Of fragrant myr and other envnctmentis seir.”
With sykkyn fury rage catchyt is he,
That thus he carpys till a schaft of tre;
And from the vissage of this ardent syre
The sparkis glydis as the hait fyre,
For veray fervour of the feirfull teyn
Schynys and brystis furth of baith hys eyn—
Lyke as the bull, that bargane begyn wald,
Gevis terribill rowstis and lowis monyfald,
Or than aggrevit, bustuus and furthborn,
Presys hys ire to assay with hys horn,
Lenand hys spald to the stok of a tre,
And with hys dynt the wynd torentis he,
Or, forto mak debait apon the land,
With hys hard clufe vpwarpys fast the sand.
In the self tyme, na less of curage, Enee,
Cled in hys moderis armour awfull to se,
Scharpys hym self in furour marciall,
Rasand hys greif for ardour bellicall,
And ioyus wolx of weir to mak ane end
By syk proffer and poyntment as was send.
Syne comfortis he hys ferys dolorus,
And mesyt the dreid of sad Ascanyus,
Declarand thame the fatale ordinans,
Thar destyne, and goddis purvians;
And to the kyng of Lawrenteis, Latyn,
Twychand this forsaid trety and convyne,
Bad the messyngeris bair hame but delay
Sovir answer, as thai desyrit alway,
And of the peyss and trewys, as thai spak,
Proclame articulis and lawys of contract.
Scarsly vpsprang the nixt day followyng,
Scheddand the bemys of hys bryght mornyng
Apon the toppis of the montanys hie,
As Phebus stedis first of the deip se
Rasyt thar hedis and noyss thirlys on hight,
Our all the feildis blawand the cleir lyght;
Quhen that the Troianys and Rutilianys
The grund myssouris, evynnys, dichtis and planys,
Vndir the wallys of the cheif cite,
Thar as the feild and fechtyng place suldbe;
Amyddis quham the harthis vp thai set,
Quharon the fyris suldbe maid and bet,
And to the common goddis eik bedeyn
The altaris coverit with the scherald greyn.
Sum otheris brocht the fontane watir fair,
And sum the haly ingill with thame bair;
With lynnyng valis or lyke apronys lycht
Thai war arrayt, and thar hedis dicht
In wyppys of the haly herb vervane.
The legionys tho furth haldis to the plane,
And all the rowtis of Awsonyanys,
That otherwyss ar hait Italyanys,
Furth thryngis at the portis full attonys,
With lancis lang and pykkis for the nonys.
Thydder all the Troianys wardis, by and by,
And Tyrrheyn ostis ruschis hastely,
Bodyn full weill in nobill armour seir;
Nane otherwyss with wapynnys and with geir
Arrayt for the batale all at rycht,
Than thocht the fury of Mars thame callit to fycht.
Amyd the thousandis swyftly throw the planys
Furth sprentis lustely thir capitanys,
In rich purpour arrayt and fyne gold brycht,
Assaricus sonnys and Mnestheus wight,
And on the tother part strang Asilas,
And bald Mesapus also with hym was,
Neptunus son, expert in horss dantyng.
And eftir that the trumpet blew a syng,
Than euery partyment bownys to thar stand,
And gan thar speris stik doun in the land,
Set by thar scheildis, to behald the fyne.
The wemen wedois and the matronys syne,
Desyrys forto se the bargane stowt,
Of childyr and of commonys mony a rowt
That couth na wapynnys weld, nor armour weir,
With the onweldy agit folk infeir,
Clam on the hight and hedis of the towris,
The wallys all and howsis ryggyngis flowris;
And sum abufe apon the portis hie
Ascendit ar to behald the melle.
Bot Iuno tho dovn from the hycht, I wyss,
Of the montane that Albane clepit is
Now in our days (set than this hyllys dovn
Had nowder name, honour nor renovne),
Scho dyd behald amyd the feildis plane
Athir batellis and the ostis twane,
Baith of the Troianys and the Laurenteis,
And Kyng Latynus cite eik scho seys.
Onon to Turnus systyr vp on hie,
That clepit was Iuturna, carpys sche,
Thys goddes to that haly nymphe, mastres
Of wellys, stankis and rowtand stremys express,
Quhilk honour Iove, the kyng of hevynnys hie,
Hyr gave for the byreft virginite,
Said: “O thou nymphes, wirschip of fludis cleir,
That to my saul is hald maste leif and deir,
Thow knawys weill, I the preferrit ay
To all the otheris damysellys, perfay,
Of Latyn cuntre, quhat so evir thai wer
That wrangwisly ascendit or drew neir
The bed onprofitabill of Iupiter mast hie;
And glaidly eik haue I not stakyt the
Intill a party of the hevyn alssua?
Hark now thy sorow, thou Iuturna,
And wyte me not bot I the warnyt haue.
Turnus and thy cheif cite haue I save,
Sa lang as that the fatis sufferit me,
And quhill werd sisteris sa tholyt tobe;
Bot now I se that ȝong man haste, but faill,
To mach in feild with fatis inequaill;
The lattir day and term approchis ne
Of fatale fors and strangast destyne.
Nowder this bargane ȝonder on the greyn
Nor confideratioun may I se with eyn.
Pass thou on, for thy deir brothir germane
Gyf thou dar suffir ony mar dreidfull pane;
To the this semys and pertenys,” quod sche,
“Gyf that, perchans, ony bettyr may be,
Or eft betyd onto ȝon catyvis kend.”
Scars had Iuno thir wordis brocht to end,
Quhen that the nymphe Iuturna bedeyn
Plente of terys furthȝet from hir eyn;
Hyr fair quhite breist, thar as scho dyd stand,
Thryss or four tymys smait with hir awyn hand.
Saturnus get, this Iuno, says: “Tha terys
Na wyss to this tyme pertenys nor efferys.
Hast the, gyf that thou can be ony way
Withdraw thy brother from the deth away;
Or than do mak the ostis baith on steir,
Provok the batale, and thame move to weir,
And this convyn and trety, new consave,
Do brek, disturb and with the wynd bywave.
I sall the warrand and the wyrkar be
To mak the baldly vndertak,” quod sche.
On this wyss Iuno can this nymphe exort,
And left hir hail in weir and dowt, at schort,
With mynd full tryst, wobegone and onsound,
Full deip smyttyn with the sorowfull wound.
In the meyn tyme, the kyngis of athir rowt
From thar citeis and strenthis ischis owt.
Amyd a four quhelit char Latyn that thraw
With huge pomp by stedis fowr was draw,
Quhais haris and hys tymplis war weil dycht
With ryall crown of fyne gold burnyst brycht,
Quharon stud turrettis twelf, lyke bemys scheyn,
As it ane rych enornament had beyn
Of cleir Phebus, that was hys grandschir hald:
Nixt quham furth rollyt was Prynce Turnus bald
Within a twa quhelyt chariot of delyte,
That drawyn was with stedis twa mylk quhyte;
In athir hand held he, in feir of weir,
The braid hed brangland on the ievillyng speir.
The fader Eneas alsso furth withall,
Of Romane lynnage the originall,
Apon the tother half com thame agane,
With byrnyst scheild that brycht as starris schane,
And hevynly armour lemand all of lycht:
Besyde hym raid Ascanyus the sweit wyght,
That semyt weil, till euery manis doym,
Ane other gude beleif and hope to gret Roym.
Furth come the preste, quhamto accordyt mak
The sacrifice of concord and contract,
In vestment cleyn, for syk religioun wrocht,
And a ȝong byrsyt swyne befor thame brocht,
With a rowch twyntyr scheip sammyn infeir,
Quhais woll or fleyce was neuer clyp with scheir;
The bestis furth hess tursyt this ilke syre
Onto the altar blesand of hait fyre.
The princis tho, quhilkis suld this payce makyng,
Turnys towartis the brycht sonnys vprysyng,
With the salt meldyr in thar handis raith;
The forrettis of thir bestis toppys baith
They clyp and myssour, as tho was the gyss,
And cowpys full of wyne in sacryfyss
Abowt the altaris ȝettis he and he.
With drawyn swerd syne the reuthfull Enee
Hys orison furth maid, and thus he said:
“O thou brycht son, with thy scheyn bemys glaid,
Be wytnes now till my behest, I pray;
And this ilk grund mot testyfy quhat I say,
For quham sa gret payn and aduersyte
I sufferit haue feill syth on land and see;
And thou almychty Iove heir my prayer;
Saturnus douchtir, thou hys spowss sa deir,
Now mor benyng than thou was of befor,
Sweit goddess, heir me now, I the implor;
And gentill Mars now takis tent heirtill,
That withhaldis and writhis at thy will
Every batale, stryfe, weirfar or debait
Vndyr thy hie power deificait;
All fludys I call, fontanys and stremys cleir,
And all maner of reuerend goddis seir
Abuf the hevyn ydred and starrit sky;
And ȝow eik, blissyt wightis, I testify,
That vnder erth or law in hell doun beyn,
Or in the fomy seis stremys greyn:
Gif so betyd, that fallys the victory
To Turnus on the Ausonyan party,
It is conuenient, and we grant to fle,
As venquyst folk, till Evandrus cite;
Ascanyus sall als tyte thir feildis withdraw,
Nor Eneadanys neuer, from the ilk thraw,
Aganyst ȝou sall rebell nor move weir,
Ne with na wapynnys eft thys cuntre deir.
Bot gif so beys, Mars our god glorius
The victory and ouyrhand grantis ws
(As I beleif far rathar sal befall,
And that als tyte conferm mot goddis all
Throw the gret mychtis of thar deite!),
Gif that sa fair fortoun betydis me,
Ne will I not command Italianys
Tobe subiect, nor obey the Troianys,
Ne ȝit this realm desyre I not to me;
Bot athir of our pepill mot go fre,
Onthrall, onvenquyst, in lawys all evynly
Confiderat in perpetuall ally.
The wirschipyng of goddis in sacryfice
I sal thame lern and tech at my devyss:
My fader in law, the kyng Latinus heir,
Most rewle the pepill baith in peax and wer;
My fader in law, as souerane lord and syre,
Duryng hys lyfe most bruke solempnyt empyre.
Suffir my Troianys than, as we ar bovn,
For me to beild a strenth and wallyt tovn,
And to this cite, quhar we sall duell at hame,
Lat the madyn Lavinia gif the name.”
Thus first Eneas said, and efter syne
Apon this wyss hym followys Kyng Latyn,
Behaldand towart hevyn quhar he dyd stand,
And to the starnys vphevyis hys rycht hand:
“By this ilk erth, seys and starnys hie,
I sweir inlike wyss onto ȝou, Enee,
And by Latoneis byrth, or twynnys twa,
The brycht Apollo, and chast Diana,
And by the dowbill frontit Ianus, and all
The pyssans of the goddis infernal,
And by the dyrk sanctuary, blak as sabill,
Of grevoss Pluto, that god revengeabill:
The hie fader abuf mot heir my cry,
That dois with thundir sik concord ratify.
I twich thyr altaris and ingill present,” quod he,
“And testifyis ilk godly maieste;
Sall nevir tyme, sesson nor day betyd,
To breke this peax on the Italian syde,
Ne this confiderans anys part in two,
Quhat way that evir happynnys the mater go;
Ne na manner of violens, bost nor aw
Sall ony wyss me tharfra withdraw,
Bot ferm and stabill all sall haldyn be:
All thocht the erth wald myddill with the see,
And with diluge or invndatioun schent
Covir and confund athir eliment;
Or thocht the hevyn in hell resolue wald,
Our promyss sall inuiolat be hald.
Lyke as this ilk ceptour wand ȝhe see,”
(Perchans that tyme a ceptour in hand bair he)
“Sall nevyr burgioun, nor spred branchis lyte,
Nowder rank levys, nor blosum of delyte,
Sen it is anys in wod, thar as it grew,
Law from hys stok hard by the rutis hew,
And wantis now hys moder of nurysyng;
For all the syonys and twystis wont to spryng
Or grow thar fra, as ȝhe may se perfay,
With egge lumys bene sned full quyte away;
Vmquhile a growand tre, thar it dyd stand,
That now thus by the crafty wark manis hand
Inclusyt is and coverit lustely
In burnyst gold and fynast alcomy,
And gevyn our forfaderis of Latyn land,
As ceptour ryall, fortober in hand.”
With wordis sik and ferm relatioun
This fynal suyr confideratioun
Athir pryncis hass confermyt and sworn,
Amyd thar nobillys standyng thame beforn:
Syne, eftyr thar auld cerymonys and gyss,
The bestis dewly adrest for sacryfyss
Thai brytnyt haue amyd the flawmys red,
And rentis out, or thai war fully ded,
The entralys of thir bestis ȝit alyve;
Syne furth of platys or ballancis belyve
With pasyt flesch plenyst the altaris large,
Tharon bestowand in hepys mony a charge.
Bot tho begouth of new this ilk bargane
Semyng to the Rutilianys, euery man,
Tobe ane rycht onevynly interpryss,
And diuerss rumour can in thar brestis ryss,
With mony syndry demyng and consait;
He thynkis thus, and he ane other gait;
And ay the nerrar and mar diligently
At thai the mater consider and aspy,
Weill thai persaue and behaldis, sans faill,
Thir campionys war not of strenth equaill.
And onto this opinioun the ilk thraw
Helpit mekill, that with still payss so slaw
This Turnus musand towart the altar past,
And it lawly adournyt with face doun cast,
With chekis walxin leyn, to thar semyng,
Quharon the soft berd newly dyd furth spryng,
As all to ȝyng with sic ane till haue daill,
Thai thocht hys vissage all becummyn paill.
And eftyr that this ilk commonyng
Thus walxand mar and mar by mony a syng
Iuturna hys systyr dyd persaue,
And saw the common wlgar hartis wave
In diuerss sentencis and ententis seir;
Than in amyd the rowtis drew scho neir,
In form and lyknes of Camertis bald,
Of nobill blude cummyn and lynnage ald,
And of hys fader the bruyt and renowne
Was magnifeit in wirschip wonder hie,
Tharto hym self maste douchty cheveller
In dedis of armys and in fait of weir.
Amyd the ostis this wyss dyd scho thryng,
Not onexpert to convoy sik a thing,
And diuerss rumouris in the press skalis sche,
Syne siclyke wordis carpis apon hie:
“O Rutilianys, aschame ȝhe not for feir
Into sa gret a perrell and danger
A sylly sawle to put in aventour,
That for ȝow all sall vndirly sik cuyr?
Quhiddir ar we not equale in our entent,
To the Troianys in numbyr or hardyment?
Lo, all the Troianys and Archadianys
Befor ws heir arrayt on the planys:
The fatall pissans is hail in this sted,
And the Tuscanys that Turnus hess at fed.
Sa few tha beyn, ȝhe may behald and se,
That gif we list mak onset, trastis me,
The half of all our menȝe gret and small
Sall not fynd ȝondyr a fa to mach withall.
Ȝon Turnus, to the goddis abuf full straucht,
To quhais altaris hym vowyt and betaucht
He hess for ȝou, as that ȝhe se,” said sche,
“With fame eternal sal vpheit be,
As euermar alyve and maist name couth,
Carpit and sung in euery mannis mowth;
Quhen we, as thrallys, leif sal our natyve land,
And onto prowd tyrrantis, hess the ovirhand,
Salbe compellit as lordis till obey,
That now, thus sleuthfully, sa fant and fey
Hufys still on thir feldis as we war ded,
And for our self list schape for na remed.”
With siclike wordis the myndis and consait
Of the ȝongkeris was inflawmyt hait,
And mair and mar now, all the feld abowt,
The murmur crepys out throw euery rowt;
So thai quhilkis air desyrit peax and rest,
And for the common weill thocht it was best
To mak end of the bargane on this wyss,
Ar alterit haly in ane other avyss;
For now desyre thai batale, but abaid,
Prayand God this contract had neuer bene maid,
And hass compassioun caucht in hart, but faill,
Of Turnus chans, semyng so inequale.
Thys self tyme eik hess Iuturna, I wyss,
Ane other grettar wondir ekit to this,
And heich vp from the hevyn befor thame plane
A takyn hess scho schawyn auguriane;
Syk a syng, that nane other to that entent
Was mar effectuus nor conuenient
To trubbill Italian myndis and mak thame raif,
And with fals demonstratioun to dissaue.
For Iovis fowle, the ern, com sorand by,
Fleand vp heich towart the brycht red sky,
Befor hym catchand ane gret flycht or ost
Of fowlys that dyd hant endlang the cost,
Quhilk on thar weyngis, sair dredand hys wraik,
Skrymmys heir and thar with mony sprauch and craik;
Quhil suddandly this egill with a surss,
As he towartis the fludis maid hys curss,
Dispittuusly intill hys punsys he
Hes claucht a swan excellent of bewte.
Than the Italianys apon athir syde
Rasyt thar myndis to se quhat suld betyd,
And sone the other fowlys heich in the sky
Turnyt agane with money screym and cry,
To chaiss and to assail thar aduersar,
A wondir thing to se, vp in the air:
The lyght thai dirkyn with thar pennys thik,
And throw the skyis with mony a strake and pik,
Sammyn in a sop, thik as a clowd, but baid,
Thar fa thai dyd assalȝe and invaid,
Sa lang, quhil that by forss he was ourset,
And of the hevy byrdyng sa mait and het
That hys mycht falȝeit, and of his clukis rude
The egill leit hys pray fall in the flude,
And vp amang the clowdis flaw away.
Than the Rutilianys all, full glaid and gay,
With huge brute and clamour lowd onan
Salust this syng or takyn augurian;
Syne sped thar hand, and maid thame for the fight.
And, first of othir, Tolumnyus the wight,
That was a spa man and diuinour sle:
“Ȝa, this was it, ȝa, this was it,” quod he,
“Quhilk oft I visseit and desirit by and by:
This gud takyn I ressaue and ratify,
And knawys the goddis favour in our supple.
Rutilianys, hynt ȝour wapynnys, and follow me,
Quham now ȝon vauengeour, ȝon ilk stranger,
Affrays so with hys onworthy weir,
Lyke tyll onweldy fowlys on the cost,
And our marchis with fors and mekill bost
Inuadis, rubbis and spulȝeis, as ȝe se:
He sall, for fer, sone gif the bak and fle,
Mak sail onon, and hald for euer away
Throu the deip sey outour the fludis gray.
Tharfor ȝhe sall all sammyn, with ane assent,
Assembil now ȝour rowtis heir present,
And into feild defend, as men of mayn,
Ȝour kyng Turnus he be nocht reft and slane.”
Thus said he, with that word als sa fast
Towartis his fais forganys hym dyd cast
A weirly dart onon with all his byr:
The sovir schaft flaw quhisland with a quhir,
Thar as it slydis scherand throw the ayr,
Oneschewabill, bath certane, lang and squar.
Sammyn with this, vp rysis for the nanys
Ane huge noys and clamour all at anys;
With sik affray and hydduus dyn and beir
The wardis all and ostis war on steir,
That, for the rerd and deray, hait in ire
The hartis kyndillis of euery bald syre.
Furth flaw the takill rycht our forgane his face,
Thiddir as for the ilk tyme stude, percace,
Nyne brethir germane, fresch and ȝyng of age,
Nane in thar ost mair semly personage,
Quham the trew faithfull wife Tyrrhene ilkane
Bair till hir spowss Gilip Archadiane;
Of quham this dart hyt ane, thar he dyd stand,
A gudly spryngald, a fair ȝyng galland,
Richt schaply maid, in armour schynand brycht,
And at the myddill markyt hym full rycht,
Quhar as the wovyn gyrdill or tysche
Abufe his navill was beltit, as we se,
And smate hym evyn into the sammyn place
Neyr quhar the bukkill hys sydis dyd enbrace,
Throw gyrd hys body with a grevoss wond,
And spaldyt hym stark ded apon the grond.
Bot than hys bald brethir in a rowt,
Wod wraith for wo, sum hyntis swerdis owt,
Sum claucht in hand the dart with the steil hed,
And in thar blynd fury, full of fed,
Ruschit on thar fays with a feirfull braid.
Aganys quham to resist and invaid,
The rowtis of the army Lawrentanys
Ran to recontyr thame; and tho atanys
Agane assemblit, as a spait of flud,
The Troianys and the Tuscanys wraith and woid,
With thame of Arcad in arrayt feildis,
With burnyst armour and thar payntit scheildis;
Apon sik wyss that all, with ane assent,
Caucht haill desyre to feght apon the bent,
And to dereyn in feild with bytand brand
The haill mater. Sum schot doun with thar hand
The altaris markyt for the sacryfyss.
Belyve our all the lyft vp semyt ryss
The fell tempest of dartis schote and flanys,
So thik as ony schour of scharp hailstanys,
As dyd incress this flycht of stelit hedis.
Full grewos grew the bargane in all stedis:
Sum ran to the wyn flacconys for gret ire,
And sum hynt vp the furnace full of fyre.
The kyng hym self, Latinus, for the affray,
Fled to the cite, and tursyt with hym away
Hys goddis and hys mawmontis, drevyn abak
With a schamefull rebute and mekill lak,
Left the concord ondone, not brocht till end.
Sum brydillys stedis and cartis vp dyd bend,
And sum in haist with a lowp or a swak
Thame self vpcastis on the horsys bak,
And war all reddy in the stowr at hand
With drawyn swerd and nakit burnyst brand.
Mesapus, full desyrus in the press
Fortill confund the trety and the pess,
A kyng Tyrreyn, Aulestes, in that sted
With kyngis ensenȝeis and with crown on hed,
Affrays sor, at hym dryvand hys steid;
The tother drew away for feir and dreid,
And bakwartis fallys on hys schuldris and crovn,
Onhappely, apon ane altar dovn,
Quhilk stud percace behynd hym on the land.
Mesapus than, full ferss, with speir in hand
Apon hym drave, thocht he besocht hym fair,
And with this schaft, that was als rude and squar
As it had beyn a cabyr or a spar,
Dovn from hys stowt cursor, na thyng skar,
Smait hym a grewoss wond and dedly byt,
And syne thir wordis said: “Ha, art thou hyt?
Ha, that thou hass! This is, be myne avyss,
To our gret goddis mair ganand sacrifyss.”
Italianys hurlys on hym in a floyt,
Spulȝeit hys corps, hys membris ȝit all hoyt.
Chorineus tho, that was a stowt Troian,
To meit ane Ebusus, com hym agan,
That wald haue smyt hym with a bustuus dynt,
And on ane altar a byrnand schide hass hynt,
And gan it rycht amyd hys vissage stair,
That blesyt vp hys lang berd of hair,
Quhilk, scaldit thus, a strang fleur dyd cast.
And forthir this Chorineus alsso fast
Ruschit on hys fa, thus fyrefangit and onsaucht,
And with hys left hand by the hair hym claucht,
Syne with hys kne hym possit with sic a plat
That on the erd he spaldit hym all flat,
And with hys styf stok swerd in sik estait
Throu baith the sydis at the first dynt hym smait.
And Podalirius with drawyn swerd list not cess
Alsus the hyrd to persew throu the press,
Quhilk ruschis abak for feir, hys life to save,
In the vangart, throw mony a poyntit glave;
Bot quhen he saw his fa sa neir invaid
That he na wyss mycht eschew nor evaid,
Vphesit he hys braid ax rude and squair,
And akwartly strake at hys aduersar,
Quhilk from amyd hys forhed, neir hys crovn,
Onto hys chyn the egge dyd carvyn doun,
That far onbreid hys armour, quhar he stude,
Was all bysprent and blandit full of blude.
Tho Podalirius the hard rest dyd oppress,
Or cald and irny sleip of dethis stress,
And vp the breith he ȝald into thar sycht,
With eyn closyt in euerlestand nycht.
Than the reuthfull and pacient Eneas,
Behaldand quhou all wrang the gem dyd pas,
Hys rycht hand onenarmyt to stynt thar fed,
Furth strekis and oncoverit hess hys hed,
And cryis and clepis on his pepill tho:
“My frendis deir, quhidder now hurll ȝe so,
Ilkane aganys other? Quhou may this be?
Quhat hess movit this hasty discord?” quod he,
“O, stanch ȝour wraith for schame, or all is lorn!
The payce and concord now is twichit and sworn,
And the articulis and the lawys dyng
Appunctit vp, and promist euery thing.
Of det and ryght I aucht apon this land
Allane Turnus recontyr, hand for hand:
Suffir me perform my dereyn by and by,
And do away all dreid and villany.
I sall with my hand sone make ferm and stabill
Our appoyntment, for evir onvariabill,
For this ilke sacrifice violate in this sted
Sall rendir onon Turnus to me ded.”
Amyd sic sawys, as he thir wordis said
Forto asswage thar mynd, but mar abaid
A quhirrand arrow, lo, with fedderit flycht
At swift randon dyd in hys the bayn lycht,
Oncertane fra quhat hand that it was sent,
Quhat kynd of schote, nor of quhat instrument.
The hie glory of sa notabill a deid
Is hyd, that nane knew quha it dyd but dreid,
Nor wist quha wrocht had to the Rutilianys
Sa gret wirschip and lovyng for the nanys;
Quhidder it betyd on cace and aventur,
Or of sum god be dispositioun suyr;
Nor nevir person eftir, he nor he,
Dyd hym avant he wondit had Ene.
Quhen Turnus all the chiftanys trublit saw,
And Eneas sair wondit hym withdraw,
Than, for this hasty hope als hait as fyre,
To mell in feght he caucht ardent desyre;
He askis horss and harnes baith atanys,
And haltandly in hys cart for the nanys
He skippis vp and musturis wantonly,
Furth sprentand throu the feildis by and by,
And at his will, quharso hym list tobe,
With hys awyn hand the renȝeis rewlis he;
And dryvand furth thus into his ire
Laid feill corpsis ded and mony bald syre,
Down strowand eik vnder fut in the plane
Diuerss otheris ȝit throwand and half slane:
Owder with his cart the rowtis he drave away,
Or, as thai tuke the flycht for gret affray,
Castyng speris and dartis scharp hynt he,
And leit thame thik amang his fays fle.
Sik wyss as bludy armipotent god Mars,
Besyde hys frosty flude Hebrum in Trass,
Full hastely bownand to batale feild,
Makis gret bruyt and clatteryng with hys scheild,
Quhen he list movyng weir mast chevalrus;
Furth steris hys stedis, ferss and furyus,
Quhilk fleys furth sa swith with mony a stend
Owtour the planys at large quhar thai wend,
That thai forryn and goys befor alway
Ȝephyrus and Nothus, swyftest wyndis tway;
And, with the dyn of thar feyt and hys cart,
All Trace gronys onto the ferthar part;
Abowt hym walkis, as hys godly feris,
Dreid with paill face, Debait, and mortale Weris,
The Wraith, and Ire, and eik fraudfull Dissait,
Lyggyng vndir covert at enbuschment or await—
Turnus siclike, als chery, prowd and lycht
Amyd the batale catchys to the fycht
Hys stedys, rekand of swete quhar thai raid,
And sa baldly hys fays dyd invaid,
With sik slauchter, that piete was to se;
And sik deray hass maid in the melle,
That hys swift stedis hovys, quhar thai went,
Spangit vp the bludy sparkis our the bent,
Quhil blude and brane, in abudans furth sched,
Mydlit with sand vndir horss feit was tred.
For he, or now, hess doun bet Sthelenus,
And kyllit eik Thamyrys and Polus
(The formast twa he slew machit at hand,
And this Polus, as he far of dyd stand);
On far eik slew he of Imbrasyus
The sonnys twa, Glawcus and Iasus,
Quham this Imbrasyus fosterit had, baith twa,
Into the far cuntre of Lycia,
And thame instrukit had full equaly
In fait of armys, and to hant chevelry,
Owder till assaill befor, or ȝit behynd,
Or with swift horss fortill forryn the wynd.
Ȝond, in ane other part, amyd the feild
The ferss Eumedes walkis vnder scheild,
Quhilk was the son and air, as that thai tell,
Of agit Dolon valȝeant in batell:
The name he bair of hys forgrandschir wight,
Bot the strang handis and stowt curage in fight
Of hys awyn fader, this Dolon, he bair;
Quhilk at Troy vmquhile, as the sege lay thar,
And was of sa stowt curage and hie will
That he durst ask the chariot of Achill
To his reward, for that he sa baldly
The Grekis tentis tuk on hand to aspy;
Bot the son of Tedeus, Diomed,
Ane other fasson hess hym quyt his meid
For sa stowt ondyrtakyn, and hym slewch;
And ȝit for all his renovn, provit eneuch,
Ne durst anys pretend, for all hys dedys,
That he was worthy to weld Achillys stedys.
Bot to our purposs: this forsaid Eumedes
As Turnus dyd behald ȝond in the press,
On the plane feld thar as he dyd ryde,
First weill a far way at hym leyt he glyde
A fleand dart; and furth with that, rycht thar,
Gan stynt hys horssis and his quhirland char,
And ferely dyd lepyng from hys cart,
And sone apon hys aduersar astart,
Quhilk tho was fall to grond, and half deill ded;
Syne with hys fut doun thryst in the ilk sted
Hys fair nek bayn, and owt of hys rycht hand
Richt austernly hass he thrawyn the brand,
Quhilk schynand brycht into hys throte he wet,
And tharto ekyt thir wordys wondyr het:
“O thow prowd Troian, lyggand thar at grond,
Now may thou myssour the feld at thou hass fund;
Lo heir the bundis, lo heir Hesperia,
Quhilk thou to seik in weirfar was sa thra!
Thys is the bontay tha sal bair away
That dar with wapynnys or armour me assay.”
To hym in feir also hass he laid
With a scharp castyn hed, but mar abaid,
Ane Butys, and eftyr hym ane Chloreus,
Syne Sybar, Dares, and Thersilocus,
And Thymetes, a man of full gret fors,
Castyn from hys staffage, skeich and hedstrang horss.
And as the blastis with thar bustuus sovn
From mont Edoin in Trace cumis thuddand doun
On the deip sey Egean fast at hand,
Chasand the flud and wallys to athir land;
And quhar the wyndis assalys, the suyth to say,
The clowdis fleys fast our the hevyn away—
The sammyn wyss, quhat way at Turnus went,
The rowtis red hym plane rovm on the bent,
And all the ostis fast abak dyd fle,
For with sik forss and fard furth dryvys he,
Hys bissy movand tymbrell euery art
Catchis the wynd and ayr forgane hys cart.
Phegeus, a Troiane, seand Turnus all mad
Sa instantly assaill with strakis sad,
Na langar mycht hym thoill, bot with bald hart
Hym self kest in the way to meit hys cart;
And he the renys in hys ryght hand hynt,
Syne writhit hess about, or euer he stynt,
The fomy mowthis of the hasty stedis.
And as this douchty man, sa gud at nedis,
Thus hang and harlyt was in euery art
By the lymmouris and hamys of the cart,
That he hys body mycht nocht kepe nor held,
To covyr with hys armour and his scheld,
The speir hym followis with scharp hed and braid,
And rent hys hawbrik of dowbill plyis maid,
Hurt his body sum deill, nocht fully sond,
Persand the hyde, and maid a litill wond.
He, nocht the less, agane hys fa furthsprent,
With hys braid scheild or target evir vp stent,
And in hys hand held drawyn the burnyst blaid,
Cryand for help his aduersar till invaid;
Quham tho (allace, gret piete was to se!)
The quhirland quheill and spedy swyft extre
Smate doun to grond, and on the erd lay plat;
And, as he fell, Turnus followis with that,
And evyn betwix the helm can hym arrass
And vmast roll or hem of hys curass,
Smait of his hed clenly with hys brand,
And left the corps lyke a stok in the sand.
And as Turnus thus in the batale sted
With the ovirhand sa feil corpsis laid ded,
The meyn quhil Mnestheus and traste Achates
Hess led the bald Eneas of the press,
Ascanyus ȝyng with thame in cumpany,
And to the tentis brocht hym all bludy,
With steppis slaw furth stalkand all in feir,
Lenand ilk payss on a lang poyntit speir.
Wod wroith he worthis, for dysdene and dispyte
That he ne mycht hys ferys succur als tyte.
He wrythis, and enforsys tyll owt draw
The schaft in brokkyn, and the hed withall:
He axis help at all thar standand by,
Quhat was the nerrest way and maist reddy,
And bad thai suld with a scharp knyf that tyde
Scheir doun the wond, and mak it large and wyde,
Rype to the boddum weill, and tak gude tent
To serss the hyrnys quhar that the hed was went,
That thai mycht hast thame self, but mair delay,
To the batale, forto stynt this effray.
Now was thar than present in the press
Iapis, that was son of Iasides.
Abuf all otheris to the god Phebus he
Was best belovyt and haldyn in dante;
With quhais favour vmquhile strangly caucht,
This god Appollo gladly hass hym taucht
Hys craftis and hys officis, by and by,
Of diuinatioun or of augury,
The musik tonys to play on harp waill sle,
And forto schute and lat swyft arrowis fle.
Bot this Iapis, fortill prolong, perfay,
Hys faderis fatis, quhilk as bedrall lay
Befor hys ȝet, of hys lyfe in dispar,
Had levyr haue knawyn the sciens and the lair,
The myght and forss of strenthy herbys fyne,
And all the cunnyng of vse of medycyne,
And with sik secrete craftis prevely
To leid hys lyfe and tyme mair esely.
Eneas standis byttyrly chidand,
Lenand apon a bustuus speir in hand,
Amyd gret confluens of thir childer ȝyng,
And eik his son Ascanyus sair wepyng;
Bot he na thing hym movit at thar terys.
Than this Iapis, sage and ald of ȝheris,
With habyt schapyn on surrugyn mak,
Vprollit weill and wymplit far abak,
Richt bissely with hys nait handis tway
Begouth fortill exem, and till assay
The wond with mony crafty medycyn,
And mychty herbys taucht be god Appollyn;
Bot all for nocht his travale and hys pane.
Oft with hys rycht hand sersis he, invane,
To rype the owtgait of the wond sa wyde,
And forto seik the schaft on euery syde,
With hys wynrys and grippand turcas sle
To thrist the hed, and draw furth, pressis he;
Bot, for na chance that evir betyd may,
Wald forton dress hys hand the sovir way.
Na thing avalyt hys crafty medycyne,
Nor ocht hym helpys his master Appollyn.
And now the grisly dreid, ay mair and mair,
Our all the feildis walkis heir and thar,
Nerrar drawys the perrell and effray,
So that all dyrknyt wolx the cleir day
Of dusty puldir in the hevyn dyd stand;
The horsmen all approchis fast at hand,
That dartis thik amyd the tentis fell.
Wofull clamour with mony cry and ȝell
Went to the skyis of ȝong men faucht in feild,
And thame that swelt, sair wondit vnder scheild.
Venus hys moder tho, this pane to meyss,
Caucht rewth and piete of hir sonnys dyseyss,
And from the wod of mont Ida in Creit
Vp hess scho pullit dittam, the herb sweit,
Of levis rank, rypit and wondir fair,
With sprowtis, sprayngis and vanys our alquhar,
As that we se on sik verdour spryngand,
And on the top a purpour flour curland:
Sik gresis gude beyn nowyss onknaw
To the wild bestis, quhen that ony thraw
Thai with the fleand arrow beyn ourtake,
The hed stikand owther in syde or bak.
Thiddir brocht Venus this herb (and scho was schrowd,
Baith face and body, in a watry clowd),
And with the herb alsso mydlit hess sche
The hailsum thryfty watir wondir sle,
That from hir brycht lippys scho ȝet inhy;
And temperis and enbalmys prevely
The plastyr tharwith, strynkland all ourane
The hailsum ius of herb ambrosian,
And the weill smelland herb hait panaces.
This ancyent surrigian, Iapes,
With sik watir or ius, that he nocht knew,
The wond mesys, and softnyt hes of new;
And suddanly the payn vanyst als cleyn
Of hys body, as thocht it had beyn
Bot a dyrlyng or a litill stond;
All blud stanchit and stud in the deip wond.
Tharwith baith hed and schaft com owt droppand,
But ony pull followyng of manis hand,
That strenth and fors of new to mak debait
Restoryt war onto thar ald astait.
“Harnes, harnes, bryng hym hydder in hy!
Quhy stand ȝe sa?” Iapis gaue a cry,
And with this word aganyst thar fays he
Hess first thar spreit inflammyt to melle.
“O Eneas,” quod he, “I mak ȝou suyr,
Throw manis mycht was neuer wrocht this cuyr,
Nor be na mastir craft of medycyne:
Thou art not helyt by this hand of myne,
Bot be sum grettar god, full weill I se,
The quhilk to grettar warkis preservis the.”
Eneas tho, desyrus of bargane,
Hys lymmys in legharnes gold begane
Claspyt full closs and dyd hym self array,
Bad speid in haist, for he hatit delay;
He schuke and branglit fast his speir that tyde.
And eftir hys active scheild was by his syde
Cowchit full meit, and on his bak full thik
Seysit his curace or his fyne hawbrik,
Ascanyus ȝyng tendirly the ilk place,
With all his harness bilappit, dyd embrace,
And throw his helmys vental a litill we
Hym kyssyt hass; syne on this wyss said he:
“O thou my child, do lernyng, I the pray,
Vertu and verray laubour till assay
At me, quhilk am thy fader, as thou wait;
Desyre tobe chancy and fortunate
As othir pryncis, quhilkis mair happy beyn.
Now sall my rycht hand thy querrell susteyn,
And the defend in batale by and by,
To mak the partis man of gret senȝeory.
Do thou siclyke, I pray the, myne awyn page,
Als fast as thou cumis to perfyte age,
Ramembir heiron, and revolue in thy mynd
Thy lynage, thy forbearis, and thy kynd;
Exempill of prowes in the steris frendis befor,
Baith fader Eneas and thyne vncle Hector.”
Quhen this was said, furth at the portis hee,
Schakand in hand a gret speir, ischit he.
With hym also to the feild ruschis owt
Anteus, Mnestheus, and ane full thyk rowt:
Alhaill the barnage flokkis furth atanys,
Left voyd the tovn and strenth with wasty wanys.
Than was the playn ourset, quha com behynd,
With dusty stew of puldyr maid folk blynd,
And, for stampyng and fell dynnyng of feyt,
The erd movit and trymlyt euery streyt.
Turnus, apon the party our rycht forgane,
Persauyt thame thus sterand throw the plane,
Thame saw also the pepill Ausonyanys,
And the cald dreid for feir ran throw thar banys.
First of the Latynys all, this ilke maid
Iuturna thame knew, and was not glaid;
Scho hard the soundis and the fell deray,
And quakand fast for feir hess fled away.
Bot this Eneas, full bald vndyr scheld,
With all hys ost drave throw the plane feld,
And with hym swyftly bryngis our the bent
A rowt coill blak of the stew, quhar he went.
Lyke as the bub or plaig of fell tempest,
Quhen that the clowdis brekis est or west,
Dryvys by fors throw the sey to the land,
Doand the cayrfull husbandis vnderstand
The gret myscheif tocum and felloun wraik;
Quhilk, with sair hartis quakand, “Allake, allaik!”
Says, “Lo, ȝon bub sall stryke dovn growand treys,
Doun bet our cornys, and by the ruyt vpheis,
And far onbreid ourturn all doys vpstand:
Hark, heir the swouch cumis brayand to the land”—
On siclyke wyss this ilk chiftane Troian
The corsy pasand Osyris hess slane.
Mnestheus kyllyt Archet, and Achates
Byhedit hass the wight Epulones;
Gyas doun bet Vfens the gret captane;
Dovn fell also the gret augurian,
Tolumnyus him self, that the ilk day
Threw the first dart hys fays till assay.
Vprysis than the clamour, and a scry
Quhilk semyt wend onto the starnyt sky.
Thar curss abowt than the Rutilianys
Hess tane the flyght, and gave the bak atanys,
Skatterit throw owt the feildis heir and thar,
Quhil stovr of puldir vpstrikis in the air.
Bot the chiftane, this vailȝeant Ene,
Dedenȝeit nane doun bet as thai dyd fle,
Ne thame invaid that met hym face for face,
All thocht thai fawght with wapyn, swerd or mace;
Bot throw the thikast sop of dust in hy
Only Turnus went to seik and aspy,
And hym allane, accordyng the tretye,
He askis and requiris into melle.
With dreid heirof the mynd was smyttyn so
Of Iuturna, the verray virago
(Quhilk term to expone, be myne avyss,
Is a woman exersand a mannys offyss);
Amyd the lyamys and the thetis thar
Doun swakkis scho Metiscus the cartar
That Turnus char had forto rewle on hand,
And left hym lygand far ȝond on the land,
Fra the cart lymmowris warpit a gret way;
And scho in sted hyss office dyd assay.
And with hir handis abowt writhis sche
The flexibill renys frawart the melle,
Berand the lyknes in all maner thing
Of Metiscus voce, person and armyng.
Als feill wrynklis and turnys can scho mak
As dois the swallow with hir plumys blak,
Fleand and seirsand swiftly thar and heir
Our the gret lugyngis of sum myghty heir,
Apon hir weyngis scummand euery syde
Thir heich hallys, bene full large and wyde,
Gadderand the small morcellis est and west
To bair hir byrdis chepand in thar nest;
Now into gowsty porchis doith scho fle,
Now by the donky stankis soundis sche:
In siclike wyss this Iuturna belyfe
Throw owt the ostis gan the horssis dryfe,
Circuland abowt with swift fard of the cart
The feildis our allquhar in euery art,
And schew hir bruthir Turnus in his char,
Now brawland in this place, now voustand thar;
Na be na way wald scho suffir that he
Assembill hand for hand suld with Enee;
Bot fled hym far, and frawart hym held ay,
Writhand hir cartis curss ane other way.
In na less haist Eneas on the bent
Hys quhelys turnys and writhis mony a went;
The man he seirsis throw the effrait rowtis,
And on hym callis with lowd cry and hie schowtis.
And als feill syss as he his eyn kest
Apon his fa, al tymys he hym adrest
To chass hym with swyft curss throu the melle,
On horssis that semyt ryn as fowle dois fle;
Bot evir als oft Iuturna ane other art
Awaywart turnys and writhis hyr broderis cart.
And thus Eneas remanys all on flocht
In syndry motioun of ire, bot all for nocht.
Allace, ne knawis he not now quhat to do:
Diuerss thochtis and seir consatis, lo,
Hys mynd in mony contrar purposs sent.
And as he thus was trublit in entent,
Mesapus, that on cace was neirhand by,
And in hys left neif haldis all reddy
Twa sowpill castyng speris hedit with steill,
Of quham that ane full sovirly and weill
Towart Ene addressit leit he glyde.
Eneas hovit still the schote to abyde,
Hym schrowdand vndir his armour and his scheild,
Bowand hys howch, and stude a litill onheld;
And, netheless, this speir, that scharply schar,
Of hys basnet the tymbrell quyte doun bair,
And smait away the creistit toppis hie.
Than mair in greif and ire vpgrowis he,
Seand hym catchit with dissait and slycht,
Quhen that he hess persauyt in his sycht
Turnus horssis furth drevyn ane other art,
Awaywart turnyng sa feill syss his cart:
Tho mony tymys lowd did he testify
Gret Iupiter, quhou that sa wrangwisly
He was iniurit, and constrenyt to fight;
To witness drew he als with gret onrycht
The altaris of confiderans violate;
And now at last, full furyus and hait,
The mydwart of his ennemyss dyd invaid.
With prospir chance of batale, sa onglaid
And terribill to his fays walxis he,
That hail, but ony differans of degre,
All goith to wraik, for na man list he spair:
A cruell slauchter he hess rasit thar.
All kynd of wreth and breithfull ire now he
Leyt slyp at large, but brydill, with renȝeis fre.
Quhat god sall now me techyng to endite
Samony wondis and this cairfull syte,
Or quha me lern in metyr to declar
Sa feill and diuerss slauchteris as was thar,
And gret decess of dukis in that sted,
Our all the feildis strowyn lyggis ded,
Quham euery ane sammyn hys curss abowt
Now down bet Turnus, now Eneas stowt?
O Iupiter, was it plesand to the,
With sa gret motioun of crudelyte
Athir pepill suld rusch on other in press,
Quhilkis eftir suldbe ane in etern pess?
Eneas first, that tareit not to lang,
Smate ane Sucron, a Rutilian strang;
A grevouss wond he hyt hym in the syde,
Throw owt hys rybbys can the stif swerd glide,
Persyt hys cost and breistis cundyt inhy,
Thar as the fatale deth is maste hasty:
This bargane first fermyt Troianys to stand,
That langeir fled Turnus fra hand to hand.
Tho Turnus hass rencontyrit in the press
Amycus, and hys brother Diores,
Quham, fra thar horssis on the grond doun bet,
On fut in feild strangly he ombeset;
And the formast with a lang stif speir
Smate ded, and with a swerd the tother in feir,
Syne baith thar hedis hakkit of in hy,
And at his cart thame hyngis by and by,
The blude tharfra dreipand, tursys away.
The self stound Eneas at ane assay,
Or ane onset, hess kyllit Tanaus,
Talon also, and the stowt Cethegus;
Syne, eftyr thame, he kyllyt in the press
The sad and ay sorofull Onytes,
Renownyt of Thebes blude, and the ofspryng
Discendyng down from Echion the kyng,
And of hys moder born, Peridia.
This othir chiftane, Turnus, killit twa,
That brethir war, and owt of Lycia send,
Appollois cuntre, Troianys to defend;
And efter thame ane Meneit hess he slane,
A ȝong man that was born ane Archadane,
That all his days evir hatit the melle,
Bot all for nocht, for he most neid thus de—
About the laik of Lern and fludis gray
Hys craft was forto fysching euery day;
A puyr cote houss he held, and buyr hym law;
Rewardis of rich folkis war to hym onknaw;
Hys fader eyrit and sew ane peyss of feld
That he in hyregang held tobe his beild.
And lyke as that the fyre war new vpbet,
And in sum dry wydderit wod vpset,
Baith heir and thar, at diuerss partis seir,
Amyd the sovndand buskis of lawrer;
Or quhar the fomy ryveris, red on spait,
Hurlys doun from the month a large gait,
With hydduus bruyt and felloun fard atanys,
Thar as thai ryn ourflowand all the planys;
Ilkane distroys, wastis and dryvis away
All that thai fynd befor thame in the way—
Na slawar baith this Turnus and Ene
Hurlys and ruschis ferss throw the melle.
Now, now, the brethfull ire and felloun thocht
Within thar myndis boldynnys all on flocht,
And tha breistis, can na wyss venquyst be,
Now bristis full of greif and cruelte;
Now lasch thai at with bludy swerdis brycht,
Fortill mak wondis wyd in all thar mycht.
The tane of thame, that is to know, Enee,
Kyng Murranus, of anchestry mast hie,
Sovndand the name of his forfaderis ald,
Our all the clan of Latyn kyngis bald
Observyt man by man onto his day,
Furth of hys cart hess smyttyn quyt away,
And bet hym doun onto the erd wyndflaucht,
With a gret roik or quhirrand stane ourraucht;
That this Murranus the renys and the thetis,
Quharwith hys stedis ȝokkit war in thretis,
Vndyr the quhelis hess do weltit doun,
Quhar, as he lyggis in hys mortall swoun,
Of hys awyn stedis abuf hym rap for rap
The sterand hufis, stampand with mony clap,
Ourtreddis and doun thryngis thar master law,
And gan thar lordis his estait mysknaw.
And Turnus hess recontryt ane Hilo,
That ruschand hurlit throw the melle tho,
Full ferss of muyd and austern of curage;
Bot this Turnus, for all hys vassalage,
At hys gilt halffettis a grundyn dart dyd thraw,
That fixit throu hys helm the schaft flaw,
Persand hys brane, quhill owt bruschit the blude.
Nor thy rycht hand, Creteus, sa gude,
Thou forcyast Greik, cumyn from Archad land,
Mycht the deliuer from this ilk Turnus brand.
Nor all hys goddis Cupencus in the plane
Myght defend from Ene, com hym agane,
Bot at hys breist with the steill poynt is met,
That thirlyt hes throu all, and hym doun bet,
That nother scheild nor obstant plait of steill
This catyvis breist hes helpit neuer a deill.
O Eolyn, the feildis Lawrentan
Hess the behald tharon dovn bet and slane,
And with thy braid bak in thy rich weid
The grund thou hess byspred rycht far onbreid:
Thar lyis thou ded, quham Gregioun ostis in fycht
Nother venquyss nor to the erth smyte mycht,
Nor ferss Achilles to the grund couth bryng,
That was ourquhelmar of Kyng Pryamus ryng:
Heir war thy methis and thy term of ded:
The houss and famyll or the nobill sted
Of thy kynrent stant vndir mont Ida,
In the gret cyte of Lyrnessia,
Bot in the feildis of Lawrentane sulȝe
Thy sepultur is maid for ay tobe.
Apon this wyss the ostis and wardis haill
On athir part returnyt in bataill,
Aganyst othir to feght sammyn attanys,
All the Latynys and alhaill the Troianys;
Duke Mnestheus, and the stern Serestus,
And, on the tother half, Prynce Mesapus,
That of gret horss the dantar clepit was,
And with hym eik the stalwart Asylas,
The Tyrreyn rowtis semblit all atanys,
And Kyng Evandrus army Archadianys:
Euery man for hym self, as he best mycht,
At the vtyrrans of all hys forss gan fyght.
No rest nor tary was, thai so contend,
Sum to confundyng all, sum to diffend.
At this tyme, the bargane induryng thus,
Eneas moder, the farest dame Venus,
Into hys mynd scho hass put this entent,
To hald onto the wallys incontinent,
And steir hys ost the cyte till assay
With hasty onset and suddane affray,
At gret myscheif the Latynys to effeir,
Quhilk of hys cummyng tho onwarnyt wer.
And as at he held movyng to aspy
Turnus throu syndry rowtis by and by,
On euery syde he hass castyn hys e,
And at the last behaldis the cite,
Saikless of batale, fre of all syk stryfe,
But payn or travale, at quyet man and wyfe.
Than of a grettar bargane in hys entent
All suddanly the figour dyd imprent:
He callys Mnestheus and eik Sergestus,
Chiftanys of hys ost, and strang Serestus,
And on a lytill mote ascendit inhy,
Quhar sone forgadderit all the Troian army,
And thik abowt hym flokkyng can, but baid;
Bot nother scheld nor wapynnys doun thai laid.
And he amyddis on the knollis hight
Onto thame spak thus, herand euery wight:
“Heir I command no tary nor delay
Be maid of my preceptis, quhat I sal say,
Nor se that na man be sweir nor slaw to ryn;
Till our hasty onset we wil begyn,
Sen Iupiter assistis onto our syde.
Now harkis quhat I purposs do this tyde:
This day I sal distroy and cleyn bet doun
Of Lawrent haill the cite and the tovn,
Quhilk is the causs of all our werying,
And quyte confund the kyng Latinus ryng,
Less than thai wil ressaue the bridill at hand,
Be at obeysans, and grant my command;
And ȝon hie turrettis, and tha toppis hie
Of rekand chymnais ȝondir, as we se,
I sal mak plane and equale with the grond.
Quhat suld I tary or delay a stond,
Abydand heir into sik plyte,” quod he,
“Quhil Turnus lyst feght with ws in melle;
Or quhil that he, ane other tyme agane
Ourcum and venquyst into batale plane,
May haue refuge to this tovn to releif,
Syne efter in feild vs recontyr and greif?
O citeȝanys, the hed is this cite
Of our weirfair, and cheif of iniquyte:
Turss thiddir inhy the hait byrnand fyre brandis,
And with the blesand flawmys in ȝour handis
Renewys and requir agane,” said he,
“The trety sworn and promyst ȝou and me.”
Quhen this was said, thai put thame in array,
Togiddir all the cite tyll assay:
Thai pyngill thraly quha mycht formest be
With dowr myndys onto the wallys hie:
Knyt in a sop, with gret pissans thai thrist
The leddyrris to the wallys, or ony wist,
And hasty fyre blesis dyd appeir.
Sum otheris of the Troianys ruschit infeir
Onto the portis, and the first thame met
Hes kyllyt at the entre and doun bet:
Sum otheris schotis dartis, takillis and flanys
At thame quhilkis on the barmkyn hed remanys,
That with the flycht of schaftis heir and thar
Thai dyrknyt all the skyis and the air.
Ene hym self with the formast can stand
Vndyr the wallys, puttand to hys hand
To the assalt, and with lowd voce on hie
The kyng Latinus fast accusys he,
Drawand the goddys to wytnes, quhou agane
He is constrenyt on forss to move bargane,
And quhou at the Italianys thus twyss
At syndry tymys schew thame hys ennemyss,
And how falsly that day thai brokyn had
The secund confideratioun sworn and maid.
Amang the citeȝanys, into gret affray,
Vpraiss discord in mony syndry way:
Sum bad oncloss the cite, and als fast
Warp vp the portis, and wyde the ȝettis cast
To the Troianys, and thar gret prynce Ene
Ressaue as for thar kyng in the cite;
Otheris start to thar wapynnys and thar geir,
Forto defend thar tovn in feir of weir.
As we may geif a symylitude, wail lyke
Quhen that the herd hess fund the beys byke,
Closit vnder a dern cavern of stanys,
And fillit hess full sone that litill wanys
With smoik of sowr and byttir rekis stew;
The beys within, affrayt all of new,
Ourthwort thar hyvis and walxy tentis rynnys,
With mekill dyn and bemyng in that innys,
Scharpand thar stangis for ire, as thai wald fycht—
Swa heir the laithly odor raiss on hycht
From the fyre blesis, dyrk as ony roik,
That to the ruffis toppys went the smoik;
The stanys warpit in fast dyd rebund,
Within the wallis rayss gret bruyt and sound,
And vp the reik all void went in the air,
Quhar as na tenementis stud nor howsis war.
Betyd alsso to thir wery Latynys,
Quhilk so irkit at sik myscheif and pyne is,
Ane chance of mysfortoun, that all the tovn
With womentyng straik to the boddum doun.
For as the queyn Amata saw syk wyss
The cyte ombeset with ennymyss,
The wallys kyndlyt be with flambys heit,
The fyre blesis abuf the ruffis gleyt,
Na Turnus army cumand thame aganys,
Nor ȝit nan ostis of Rutilianys;
Scho, full onhappy, in the batell sted
Wenyt ȝong Turnus feghtand had bene ded;
And tho for verray sorow suddanly,
Hyr mynd trublit, gan to rame and cry,
Scho was the causs and wyte of all this greif,
Baith crop and ruyte and hed of sik myscheif;
And in hir dolorus fury thus myndless,
All enragit for duyll tho dyd express
Full mony a thyng, and reddy to de with all
Rent with hir handis hyr purpour weid ryall,
And at ane hie balk teyt vp scho hass
With a lowp knot a stark cord or a lass,
Quharwith hir self scho spilt by schamefull ded.
And fra the Latyn matronys, will of red,
Persavit hess this vile myschewoss wraik,
Thai rent thar hair, with, “Harrow,” and, “Allaik!”
Hyr douchter first besyde the ded corps standis,
Ryvand hyr gyltyn tressys with hir handis,
Hyr rosy chekis to tor and scartis sche;
Than all the laif, that piete was to se,
Of ladeis that about the ded corps stud,
Rentis and ruggis thame self as thai war wod,
That of thar gowlyng, greting and deray
The large hald resundis a far way,
Quhill from the kyngis palyce inveroin
Dywlgat went and spred our all the tovne
The fey onhappy fame of sik a deid;
Than euery wight tynt hart for wo and dreid.
With habyt rent Kyng Latyn on the gait
Walkis wobegone, astonyst of the fait
Of hys deir spouss, and of the cite syne,
That semyt brocht onto fynall ruyne:
Hys cannos hair, sair movit in hys entent,
With onclene puldyr has he all bysprent,
And mony tymys hym selvyn hess accusyt,
That he sa lang had lachit and reffusyt
To ressaue glaidly the Troiane Ene;
Repentyng sair, for weill of the cyte,
That he had nocht requirit hym, and draw
Or than tobe his mawche and son in law.
In the meyn tyme, as weriour vnder scheild,
Turnus ȝond at the far part of the feld
A few menȝe persewand our the plane,
Quhilk at the stragill fled in all thar mayn,
Sum deill or than walxis dolf this syre,
Seand his horssis begyn to sowpe and tyre;
That euer the less and less ioyus was he
Of thar renkis and gait throu the melle.
Tharwith the wynd and sowchquhyng of the air
This feirfull clamour brocht to hym rycht thar,
Mixt with oncertane terrour and affeir;
The confusioun of sovnd smait in his eyr,
Com from the cyte, of fellon murmuryng,
Rycht onglaid bruyt of cayr and womentyng.
“Ha, ways me!” he said, “quhat may this be?
Quhou beyn the wallys trublit of this cite
With so gret duyll and sorrow as I heir?
Or quhou thus ruschis so fellon noyss and beir
And clamour from the tovn at euery part?”
Thus hass he said, and can do stynt his cart,
And all enragit tyt the renȝeis abak;
Quhamto his sistir tho Iuturna spak
(As scho that was turnyt, as I said air,
In semlant of Metiscus the cartar,
That horssis, renȝeis, sydrapis and cart dyd sche
Rewle and direct amydwart the melle),
With sic wordis scho ansueris hym fute hait:
“Turnus, lat ws persew Troianys this gait,
Quhar victory ws schawis the reddy way;
Thar beyn enew otheris, be my fay,
Forto defend and weill manteym the tovn.
Ȝon is Eneas makis the brute and sovn,
That can invaid Italianys, as ȝe heir,
Mydlit in batale on sik feir of weir.
Tharfor lat ws with cruell hand in this sted
Lay als feill corpsis of the Troianys ded;
For with na less numbir slane vnder scheild,
Nor less honour, sall thou wend of the feild.”
Turnus answeris: “O thou my sistyr deir,
I knew full weill at it was thou, langer,
That be thi craft and quent wylis sa sle
Our confideratioun trublit and trete,
And entrit in this batell quhilk thou wrocht:
And now, goddes, thy wylis ar all for nocht.
Bot quha was that send the from hevyn so scheyn,
So huge sturt and travell to susteyn?
Quhidder gif thou com to that entent to se
The cruell deth of thy fey brother?” said he.
“Quhat sall I do, lat se, quhar sall I now?
Or quhat succurss promittis fortoun, and quhou?
I saw my self befor myn eyn langeir
Gret Murranus, quham nane mair leif and deir
Onto me was that levand is this day,
Swelt on the grund, and with lowd voce, perfay,
On me dyd call, quhar as he lay onsound
At erth discomfyt with ane grisly wond:
And lo, doun bet and slane in hys defens
Is not alsso the stowt capitane Vfens,
That he suld not our lak and schame behald?
Hys corps and armour doys Troianys baith withhald.
Sall I als suffir thame doun the cyte dyng?
Of our myscheif thar restis bot that a thing.
Nor sall I not with this rycht hand inhy
Confund Schir Drancis langage onworthy?
Sall evir this grund behald or se sik lak,
That I sall fle, or Turnus gif the bak?
Is it all owt sa wrachit thing to de,
That, or thai stervyn, men suld rathar fle?
Ȝhe Manes, clepit goddis infernal,
Beis to me frendly now, sen that all
The goddis myndis abuf ar me contrar;
Be ȝhe benevolent quhen that I cum thar.
Ane haly saule to ȝou discend sall I,
Saikless of all sic cryme or villany,
Na wyss onworthy namyt fortobe
With my eldris and forfaderis mast hie.”
Scars hess he said, quhen, lo, throu the plane
Ruschand amyd hys fays, com hym agane
Ane Sages, montit on a fomy steid
(And he was wondit sair, and gan to bleid,
In the face with ane arrow vnder the e),
Cryand, “Help, Turnus, be his name, quhar is he?
Turnus,” quod he, “in the and thy twa handis
The extreme help and lattir weilfar standis:
Haue reuth and piete of thyne awin menȝe.
Now, as the thundris blast, faris Enee
In bargane, so enragit he doith mannayss
The cheif cyte of Italy doun to arrayss,
And into fynal ruyne to bet doun
The principall palyce and all the ryall tovn;
And now onto the thak and ruffis hie
The flambys and the fyre blesys doys fle.
In the thar wltys, in the thar eyn, but faill,
The Latyn pepill dressyt hess alhaill:
The kyng hym self Latinus, the gret heir,
Quhispyris and musys, and is in maner feir
Quham he sal cheiss or call, into this thraw,
Tobe hys douchteris spouss, and son in law,
Or to quhat frendschip or allyans fyne
Is best hym selwyn at this tyme inclyne.
And forthirmor, Amata the fair queyn,
Quhilk at all tymys thyne afald frend hass bene,
With hir awyn hand doith sterve, now liggand law,
And for affray hir self hess brocht of daw.
Only Mesapus and Atynas keyn
At the portis doys the stour susteyn:
Abowt thir twa on athir syde thik standis,
Arrayt rowtis, with drawyn swerdis in handis,
Full horribill and austern athir barnage,
Cled in steill weid with wapynnys, man and page;
And thou, thus rollyng furth thy cart bedene,
Walkis at avantage on the void grene.”
Turnus astonyst stude dum in studeyng,
Smyt with the ymage of mony diuerss thyng:
Deip in hys hart boldynnys the felloun schame,
All mixt with dolour, angyr and defame;
Syne fervent luf hym catchit in fury rage,
And hys bykend hardyment and curage.
As first the schaddois of pertrublans
Was dryve away, and hys rememberans
The lycht of resson hass recoverit agane,
The byrnand sycht of baith his eyn twane,
Sor aggrevit, towart the wallis he kest,
And from hys cart blent to the cyte prest.
Bot lo, a sworll of fyre blesys vpthraw!
Lemand towart the lyft the flambe he saw,
Amang the plankis and the loftis schire
Stremand and kyndland fast the hoyt fyre,
That caucht was in a mekill towr of tre,
Quhilk towr of sillys and gestis gret belt he,
And thar vnder, to roll it, quhelis set,
With staris hie and batelling weirly bet.
“Now, now, systir,” quod he, “lo, all and sum
The fatis hass vss venquyst and ourcum:
Desist tharfor to mak me langar tary;
Lat ws follow that way, and thiddir cary,
Quhar God and this hard fortoun callys me.
Now standis the poynt, I am determyt,” quod he,
“Eneas hand for hand fortill assaill;
Now standis the poynt, to suffir in bataill
The bittir ded and all paynfull distress.
Na langar, sistir germane, as I gess,
Sall thou me se schamefull onworthy wight.
Bot, I beseik the, manly as a knycht
Into this fervent furour suffir me
To go enragit to batale, or I de.”
Thus hass he said, and from the cart inhy
Apon the land he lap deliuerly,
And left his sistir trist and dissolate;
Thrist throu hys fays and wapynnys all, fute hait,
And with sa swift fard schot throu the melle
That the myd rowtis and wardis schuddris he.
And like as the gret roch crag with a sovn
From the top of sum montan tumlyt doun,
Quhen at it is our smyt with wyndis blast,
Or with the drumly schowris spait doun cast,
Or than be lang process of mony ȝheris
Lowsyng tharfra the erd, and away weris,
Is maid to fall and tumbill with all his swecht,
Lyke till a wikkit hill of huge weght,
Halding his fard the discens of the bra
With mony skyp and stend baith to and fra,
Quhill that he schut far on the plane grund,
And all that he ourrekis doith confund;
Woddis, heyrdis, flokkis, catale and men
Our welterand with hym in the deip glen—
Towart the wallys Turnus ruschit als fast
Throw owt the rowtis, by hys fard doun cast,
Quhar tho the grund wet and bedyit stude
A weill far way with effusioun of blude,
And large on breid the skyis and the ayr
For schaftis schot dyd quhissilling heir and thar:
A bekyn with hys hand to thame maid he,
And sammyn eik with lowd voce cryis: “Lat be!
Stynt, ȝe Rutilianys, se ȝhe feght na mair,
And, ȝhe Latynys, ȝour dartys castyng spar;
Quhou evir the forton standis at this tyde,
The chance is myne, the fait I mon abyde.
It is mair iust and equale I allane
For ȝou sustene the payn was ondertane,
And purge the cryme, so happynnyt now of lait,
Of this confideratioun violate:
Lat me stand to my chans, I tak on hand
Forto derene the mater with this brand.”
Than euery man amydward thame betwene
Can draw abak, and maid rovm on the greyn.
Thys fader than, this gret prynce Ene,
Herand the name of Turnus cryit on hie,
The wallys left, and fra the tovn went away
Richt hastely, secludand all delay;
Styntis all the wark that he begunnyn had,
And hoppit vp for ioy, he was so glaid;
The huslyng in his armour dyd rebund,
And kest a terribill or a feirfull sound.
Vpraxit hym he hess amyd the place,
Als byg as Athon, the hie mont in Trace,
Or heich as mont Erix in Scycily,
Or than the fader of hillys in Italy,
Clepyt mont Apennynus, quhen that he
Doith swouch or bray with roky quhynnys hie,
And ioys to streik hys snawy top on hycht
Vp in the ayr amang the skyis brycht—
That is to say, amang all other wightis
Eneas semyt to surmontyn in hyghtis
The remanent of all the mekill rowt,
As thir montanys excedis the knollys abowt.
And than, forsuyth, Rutilianys egyrly,
And all the Troian ostis or army,
Towart thar dukis dyd return thar eyn;
The Rutilianys, I say, and eik bedeyn
All the Latynys that on the wallys stud,
And all thai als tofor as thai war woid
The barmkyn law smait with the rammys fast,
Now of thar schuldris can thar armour cast.
The kyng hym self, Latyn, abasyt to se
Twa men sa byg of huge quantite,
Generit and bred in realmys far insundir
Of seir partis of the warld, that it was wondir
Twa of sik statur, onmysurly of hycht,
Fortill assembill sammyn into fyght,
Or forto se thame, matchit on the greyn,
Dereyn the bargane with thar wapynnys keyn.
And than athir thir campionys vndir scheild,
Quhen voydit weill and rowmyt was the feild
That patent was the plane a weil large space,
With hasty fard on far hess tane thar rayss,
And can thar speris cast, or thai cum neir,
Quhil scheildis soundit and all thar other geir;
Ane marcial batale thai begyn, but baid,
And athir sternly dyd hys fa invaid.
So dyd the strakis dyn on thar steill weid,
The erd granys and dyndlys far onbreid,
Syne raschit togidder with swerdis, or euer thai stynt,
And rowtis thik thai doublit, dynt for dynt;
With fors of prowess and fatale aventur
Mydlit sammyn the bargane thai endur.
Lyke as twa bustuus bullys by and by,
On the hie month Taburn in Champany,
Or in the mekill forest of Syla,
Quhen thai assembill in austern bargane thra,
With front to front, and horn for horn, attanys
Ruschand togiddir with cronys and feirfull granys,
That fe masteris and hyrdmen, euery wight
Abasyt gevys thame place, so brym tha fight;
For feir the bestis dum all standis by,
And all in dowt squelys the ȝong ky,
Quha salbe master of the catal all,
Or quhilk of thame the bowys follow sall;
Thai twa bullys, thus stryvand in that stond,
By mekill forss wyrkis other mony a wond,
And duschand festynnys fast thar hornys stowt,
Quhill that abundans of blude stremys owt,
That can do wesch, bedy, or all to baith,
Thar grym nekkis and thar spaldis baith;
That of thar rowstyng all the large plane
And woddis rank rowtis and lowys agane—
Nane other wyss Ene, the Troian heir,
And Dawnus son, Turnus, sammyn infeir
Hurlys togiddir with thar scheildis strang,
That for gret raschis all the hevynnys rang.
Thus Iupiter hym self hess atheris chance
A weill lang space to hungyn in ballance
Be equale myssour, and pasyt hess alsso
The fatis diuerss of thame baith two;
Quham the stowt laubour suld deliuer fre,
And quham the pasand wecht ourwelt to de.
Turnus at this tyme walxis bald and blyth,
Wenyng to caucht a stound hys strenth to kyth
But ony danger or aduersyte;
He raxis hym, and hevis vp on hie
Hys bludy sword, and smait in al hys mayn.
A gret clamour gave the pepill Troian,
And eik the Latynys quakyng gaue a schowt,
Full prest thame tobehald stud athir rowt.
Bot this ontraste fals blaid is brokyn in sundyr,
And ardent Turnus brocht hess in gret blundir;
For it amyddis of hys dynt hym falys,
And dissolet hym left, that nocht avalys
To hym hys strenth, hardyment and mycht,
Less than he tak for hys defens the flycht:
Ȝa, swyftar than the wynd he fled, I gess,
Quhen that he saw hys rycht hand wapynless,
And persauyt the plummet was onknaw.
For so the fame is, at the ilk thraw
Quhen he first ruschit in hys cart inhy,
And gart do ȝok hys stedis by and by
To go onto the batale the sam day,
That, for the suddand onset and effray,
The cartar Metiscus sword hynt in hand,
And all forȝet hys faderis nobill brand;
And this ilk swerd was sufficient a lang space,
Quhill that he followit the Troianys in the chaiss,
That gaue the bak, as we haue said or this;
Bot alsfast as it twichit and matchit is
By dyvyn armour maid by god Wlcan,
And tharon smyttyn in al Turnus mayn,
This ontrew temperit blaid and fykkill brand,
That forgit was bot with a mortal band,
In flendris flaw, and at the first clap,
As brukkill ice, in litill pecis lap,
Quhill the small partis of the blaid brokin in twa
As glass gletand apon the dun sand lay.
Quharfor this Turnus, half myndless and brane,
Socht diuerss wentis to fle throu owt the plane;
With mony wyndis and turnys, all on flocht,
Now heir, syne thar, onsovirly he socht.
Troianys stude thik bylappit inveroun
In maner of a conpass or a crovn;
And on the ta half eik a laik braid
Hym so inclusyt that he mycht nocht evaid,
And on the tother syde fermyt als was he
With the hie wallys of the cheif cyte.
And thocht the wond tareis Ene sum deill,
Wrocht to hym by the takill with hed of steill,
To weild hys kne maid sum impediment,
That he mycht nocht braid swiftly our the bent,
With na less press and haist ȝit, nocht for thy,
He, fute for fut, persewys him fervently.
Lyke as, sum tyme, quhen that the huntar stowt
Betrappit hass and ombeset about
With hys ralys and with hys hundis gude,
The mekill hart swymmand amyd the flude,
Quhilk thar inclusit neidlingis mon abyd;
For he may not eschape on nother syd,
For feir of hundis, and that awfull bern
Baryng schaftis fedderit with plumys of the ern;
The rynnyng hund dois hym assail in threte
Baith with swift rayss and with hys questis grete;
Bot this hart, all abasyt of thar slycht,
And of the strait and stay bankis gret hycht,
Can fle and eik return a thousand ways;
Bot than the swypir Tuscan hund assays
And nerys fast, ay reddy hym to hynt,
Now, now, almaste lyke, or euer he stynt,
He suld hym hynt, and, as the beste war tak,
With hys wyd chaftis at hym makis a snak,
The byt oft falȝeis for ocht he do mycht,
And chakkis waist togiddir hys wapynnys wycht—
Right so, at this tyme, apon athir syde
The clamour rayss, that all the laik wyde
And brays abowt thame answerd, so thai ferd,
The hevyn our all eik rumlyt of ther rerd.
And Turnus, fleand, sammyn fast can call
Rutilianys, chidand baith ane and all,
Every man clepand by hys proper name,
To reke hym hys trast swerd for schame;
And by the contrar, awfully Ene
Can thame mannans, that nane sa bald suldbe,
And schew present the deth all reddy heir
To thar ondoyng, gif that ony drew neir,
And quakyng for affeir maid thame agast,
Schorand the cite to distroy and doun cast,
Gif ony help or supple to hym schew,
And, thocht he sair was, fersly dyd persew.
Thus fyve tymys round intill a rayss
About the feild can thai fle and chaiss,
And alss feill syss went turnyng heir and thar,
Lyke as befor the hund wiskis the hair.
And na wondir, for sa the mater lyis,
To na bowrdyng twichit thar interpryss,
Na for small wagis thai debait and stryfe,
Bot apon Turnus blude schedding and lyfe.
On cace, amyd this feild had grow of lait
Ane wild olyve to Fawnus consecrait,
Quharon grew bittyr levys, and mony ȝheris
Was hald in wirschip with all maryneris;
At the quhilk tre, quhen thai eschapit had
The stormys blast, and wallis maid thame rad,
Tharon thar offerandis wald affix and hyng
Onto this god vmquhile of Lawrent kyng,
And tharon eik the clathis bekend vpstent.
Bot tho the stok of this tre doun was rent
By the Troianys, mysknawand it hallowit was,
To that entent to plane the batale place.
Eneas byg lance or hys castyng speir
Percayss apon the poynt was stykand heir;
Thiddir this schaft the gret fors of his cast
Had thraw the ilk stund, and thar fixit fast,
Amang the grippill rutis fast haldand,
Weggit full law the lance on end dyd stand.
The Troiane prynce it grippis in that sted,
Willyng in hand to pull owt the steill hed,
With cast tharof to follow hym at the bak,
Quham he throw speid of fut mycht nocht ourtak.
Bot than Turnus, half mangit in effray,
Cryis: “O thou Fawnus, help, help, I the pray!
And thou Tellus, mast nobill god of erd,
Hald fast the speris hed by ȝour werd;
As I that evir hass wirschipit on thir planys
Ȝour honour, that be the contrar Eneadanys
Hess violet and prophanyt be stryfe,” quod he,
“With blude scheddyng, and down hewyn ȝour tre.”
Thus said he, and no thyng invane, I wyss,
The goddys help he axit, for, at hys wyss,
A full lang tyme wrelis and tareis Ene
Furth of the teuch rutis of this ilk tre
Hys speir to draw, and bytis on his lip;
Bot festynnyt sa is in the war the gryp,
That by na maner forss, thocht he was wight,
Furth of the stok the schaft vp pull he mycht.
And as he brymly thus inforcis fast
To draw the speir, this goddess at the last,
I meyn Iuturna, douchter of Dawnus kyng,
Owt throu the feld com rynnand in a lyng,
Changit agane, as that befor scho was,
Into Metiscus semlant and lyknes,
And to hir brother hess hys swerd betauch;
Quhar at Dame Venus gret disdenȝe caucht,
Sik thyng suldbe tholit this bald nymphe to do;
Than suddanly to the speir rakis scho,
Baith schaft and hed onon, or evir scho stent,
At the first pull from the deip rute hess rent.
Than athir restit and refreschit weill
Baith in curage and scharp wapynnys of steill,
He trastand in hys swerd that weill wald scheir,
And he full prowd and stern of hys byg sper.
Incontrar otheris baldly lang thai stand
In marciall batale athir resistand,
Ilkane full wilfull otheris till ourthraw,
At sic debait that baith thai pant and blaw.
The fader almychty of the hevyn abuf,
In the meyn tyme, onto Iuno his lufe,
Quhilk tho down from a watry ȝallow clowd
Beheld the bargane therof na thing prowd,
Thus spak and said: “O my deir spouss, quhat now?
Quhat end salbe of this mater, or quhou?
Quhat restis finaly now at all lat se.
Thou wait thi self, and grantis thou wait, Enee
Is destinat onto the hevin to cum,
And fortobe clepit with all and sum
Amang the goddis a god indigites,
And by the fatis forto rest in pess,
Sesit abuf the starry skyis hie.
Quhat purposis or etlys thou now lat se,
Or into quhat beleif, or quhat entent,
Hyngis thou swa in the cald firmament?
Was it honest a godly dyvyn wight
With ony mortal strake to wond in fight?
Or ȝit ganand, the swerd lost and adew,
To rendir Turnus, lo, hys brand of new,
And strenth encresss to thame at venquist be?
For quhat avalit Iuturna, but thy supple?
Desist heirof, now at last, be the lest,
And condiscend to bow at our request;
Ne suffir not thy hyd sorrow, I pray,
Na langar the consume and waist away,
That I na mar sik wofull thochtis se
Schyne nor appeir in thy sweit face,” quod he,
“For now is cum the extreme lattir punct.
Thou mycht, quhil now, haue catchit at disiunct
The silly Troianys baith be sey and land;
And eik thou mycht alsso at thyne awin hand
A fell ontelabill batal rayss or weir,
Deform the howshald, and bryng all on steir
Be mony diuerss ways of fury rage,
And all with murnyng mixt thar mariage:
Bot I forbyd ȝou ony mar sic thing.”
Thus spak and carpis love, gret hevynnys kyng.
Saturnus dochtir, Iuno the goddess,
Ansuerit on this wyss, castand doun hir face:
“O Iupiter, deir lord, certis,” said sche,
“Becauss this thy gret will was knawyn to me,
On forss tharfor, and incontrar my mynd,
I left the erd and my frend Turnus kynd.
Ne, war not that, suld thou me se allon
Thus sittand in the ayr al wobegon,
Sustenand thus al maner of myscheif,
And euery stress, baith lesum and onleif;
Bot at I suld, gyrthit with flambis red,
Stowtly haue standyn in ȝon batale sted,
And suld haue drawyn ȝon Troianys, ane and all,
Into fell mortal bargane inimicall.
I grant, I dyd persuading owt of dreid
Iuturna to pass doun at sik neid
To hir brothir, and for his lyfe eik I
Approvis weill, and als dois ratify,
To vndertak mair than to hir pertenyt;
Bot I forsuith persuadit neuer, nor menyt,
That scho suld dartis cast, or takillis draw,
Nor with the bow mak debait ony thraw:
I swer tharto be the onplesand well
Of Stix, the flud and cheif fontan of hell,
Quhais only dreidfull superstitioun heir
The goddis kepis, that nane dar it forswer.
And now, forsuith, thy will obey sall I,
And giffis owr the causs perpetualy,
And heir I leif sik werys and debait,
The quhilk, certis, I now detest and hait.
Bot for the land of Latium or Itaill,
And for maieste of thine awin blude, sans faill,
A thing I the beseik, quhilk, weill I wait, is
Na wyss include in statutis of the fatis:
That is to knaw, quhen that, as weill mot be,
With happy wedlok and felicite
Ȝon pepillis twane sall knyt vp peax for ay,
Bynd confiderans baith coniunct in a lay,
That thou ne wald the ald inhabitantis
Byd change thar Latyn name nor natyve landis,
Ne charge thame nother tobe callit Troianys,
Nor ȝit be clepit Phrigianys nor Tewcranys,
Ne ȝit the Latyn pepill thar leid to change,
Nor turn thar clething in other habyt strange.
Lat it remane Latium, as it was air,
And lat the kyngis be namyt euermar
Pryncis and faderis of the stile Albane;
The lynage eik and gret ofspring Romane
Mot discend tharfra potent and mychty,
Vndir the virtuus titill of Italy.
Troy is doun bet—doun bet lat it remane,
With name and all, and neuer vpryss agane.”
Than gan to smyle Iupiter the gret kyng,
That is producear of men and euery thing:
“Syster german,” quod he, “to Iove art thou,
And secund child to Saturn ald; ha, quhou
Sa gret a storm or spait of felloun ire
Vndir thy breist thou rollis hait as fyre?
Bot wirk as I the byd, and do away
That wreth consauyt but ony causs, I pray.
I geif and grantis the thi desyre,” quod he,
“Of fre will, venquyst, referris me to the.
Thir ilk pepill clepit Ausonyanys,
On other wyss callit Italianys,
The auld vsans and leyd of thar cuntre
Sall bruke and ioys, and eik thar name salbe
As it is now, and as thar stile remanys:
Alanerly thar personys the Troianys
Sall entyr myddill and remane thame amang:
The fassonys and the ritis, that nocht ga wrang,
Of sacrifice to thame statute I sall,
And Latyn pepill of a tung mak thame all.
The kynd of men discend from thir Troianys,
Mydlit with kyn of the Italianys,
Thou sal behald in piete and gentilness
To go abufe baith men and goddis express;
Nor neuer clan or other nation by
Lyke thame sall hallow, ne ȝit sanctify
Thy wirschip, eik and honour, as thai sal do.”
Iuno annerdit, and gaue consent heirto,
Ful blith and ioyus of this grant, perfay,
Fra hir ald wraith hess writhit hir mynd away;
And in the meyn tyme onto the hevyn hir drew,
And left the clovd, and bad Turnus adew.
Thys beand done, as said is, on sik wyss,
This hie fader can with hym self devyss
Ane other craft, and providis the way
Quhou that he sal Iuturna dryfe away
From helpyng of hir brother intill armys.
Thar beyn twa vengeabill monstreis full of harmys,
Clepit to surname Dire, wikkit as fyre,
That is to say, the goddis wraik or ire,
Quhilk myschewoss and cruell sisteris twa,
Sammyn with the hellys fury Megera,
The Nycht thar moder, that barntyme miserabill,
Bair at a birth, for na thing profitabill;
And all elike wymplit and cled thir trakis
With eddris thrawin, and harys full of snakis,
And tharto ekit weyngis swift as wynd.
Thir wikkit schrewys reddy sal ȝe fynd
Befor the troyn of Iove, and eik also
Within the wanys of cruell Kyng Pluto.
Thai scharp the dreid to mortale wrachit wightis,
Quhen euer the kyng of goddis by his mychtis
The deth, or the contagius seikness seir,
Disponys hym to send in the erth heir,
Or quhen that hym list do smyte and affray
Citeis with weirfar, as deservit haue thai.
Iove ane of thir, full swipper to discend,
Furth of the hevin abuf onon hess send,
And bad hir hald doun baldly to the erd,
Forto resist Iuturnais ire and werd.
And scho onon doun flaw, to pless the lard,
And to the grund thuddis with hasty fard.
Nane other wyss than from the stryng doith fle
The swift arrow owt throw the ayr we se,
Or, into bittyr vennom wet, sum flane
Castyn or schot by sum archer Persayn,
By sum Persayn or man of Cydony
The schaft thrawyn, that quhyrris throu the sky,
And, quhar it hyttis, wyrkis a wond of pyne,
Oncurabill by the craft of medycyne,
And sa swiftly slydis throu the clowdis gray
That quhar it went nane may persave the way—
On sik maner the nyghtis douchtir onflocht
Throw the skyis doun to the erth sone socht;
And efter that scho saw the Troian ostis,
And Turnus rowtis arrayt on the costis,
Scho hir transformyt in lyknes of a fowle,
Quhilk we a litil howlet cleip, or owle,
That sum tyme into gravis, or stokkis of tre,
Or on the waist thak, or howss rufis hie,
Sittand by nycht syngis a sorowfull toyn
In the dyrk skowgis, with scrykis inoportoyn.
This vengeabill wraik, in sik form changit thus,
Evyn in the face and vissage of Turnus
Can fle and flaf, and maid hym forto grow,
Scho soundis so with mony hyss and how,
And in hys scheild can with hyr weyngis smyte.
A new dolfnes dissoluyt hys membris tyte;
For verray dreid and for gret horrour als
Vp stert hys hair, the voce stak in hys hals.
Bot as Iuturna soyn on far dyd heir
Of this fury the quhislyng and the beir,
The swouchyng of hir weyngis and hir flycht,
This woful sister hyr hair rent for that sycht,
With nalys ryvand reuthfully hir face,
And smytand with hir nevis hir breist, allace!
“Turnus, my best belovit brother,” quod sche,
“Quhat may thy sistir help now, wa is me!
Or quhat now restis to me, wrachit wight?
Thy life prolong quhou may I? Be quhat slycht
May I oppone me to resist or stryve
With sik a monstre? Na, nane wight alyve.
Now, now, I leif the feild, and goys away.
O ȝe myschewoss fowlis, I ȝou pray,
Do me na mair agryss trymland for feir;
The clappyng of ȝour weyngis I knaw and heir,
And eik the dedly sovndis weill onfar.
The provd command of myghty Iupiter,
That gydis al thing by hys maieste,
Dois me not now astart, for I it se.
Is this the ganȝeld that he rendris me
In recompens of my virginite?
Quharto eternal lyfe hess he me geif?
Quharto suld I on this wyss euer leif?
Quharto is me byreft the faculte
Of deth, and grantit immortalite?
For, gif I mortal war, now, now suythly,
Thir sa gret dolouris mycht I end inhy,
And with my reuthfull brother go withall
Amangis the dym schaddoys infernall.
O deir brother german, without the
Is na thing sweit nor plesand onto me.
O now quhat grund, land or erd tewch
Sal swelly me tharin half deip enewch,
And, thocht I beyn a goddess, doun me draw,
And send ontil infernal wightis law?”
Thus mekil said scho, and tharwith bad adew,
Hir hed valit with a haw claith or blew,
And murnand gretly thar as that scho stud,
This goddes dowkit deip vnder the flud.
Ene with this instantly list not cess
Forto recontyr Turnus in the press,
And hys big speir apon hym schakis he,
Quhilk semyt rude and squar as ony tre,
And with a bald and bustuus breist thus spak:
“Quhat menys this langsum delay ȝhe mak?
Quhy tary ȝe for schame, Turnus, all day?
Quharto withdrawis thou the so away?
We pyngill not for speid na curss to ryn,
Bot we debait suld, this barress within,
With wapynnys keyn and with our burnyst brandis,
Togiddir met dereyn it with our handis.
Do change thy self, or turn at thy awyn eyss
In all maner of figuris as the pleiss;
Gaddir togiddir and assembill now, lat se,
All that thou hass of strenth or subtelte;
Wyss now to fle vp to the starnys on hycht
With fedderit weyngis forto tak thy flycht,
Or forto cloyss thy self this ilk thraw
Into sum cavern vnder the erd law.”
Turnus, schakand hys hed, said: “Thou fers fo,
Thy fervent wordis compt I not a stro,
Thy sawis makis me not agast, perfay:
It is the goddis that doith me affray,
And Iupiter becummyn myne ennemy.”
Ne mor he said, bot blent about inhy,
And dyd aspy quhar that a gret roke lay,
Ane ald crag stane huge gret and gray,
Quhilk on the plane, percace, was liggand neir,
A marche set in that grund mony ȝeir
Of twa feildis, forto decern tharby
The ald debait of pley or contrauersy;
Scarsly twyss sax stowt walit men and wight,
Quhilk now the erd producis, hess sik mycht
To charge it on thar schuldris or to beir;
Quham full lychtly Turnus, that nobill heir,
Hynt in hys hand, and swakkit at his fo,
And raxit hym on hicht thar vndir alsso,
And tharwith chargit a full swyft curss ran.
Bot sa confundit is this douchty man
That he ne knew hym selvyn in that sted,
Nowder quhar that he ran, nor quhar he ȝed,
Nor felt hym self liftand on the land
The mekill stane, nor steir it with his hand.
Hys kneis stummerit and hys lymmys slydis,
The blude congelit for feir within his sydis,
So at the stane he at his foman threw
Fayntly throwowt the voyd and waist air flew,
Ne went it all the space, as he dyd mynt,
Nor, as he etlyt, perfornyst not the dynt.
Lyk as, sum tyme, in our swevyn we tak keip,
Quhen langsum dravillyng or the onsond sleip
Our eyn oursettis in the nyghtis rest,
Than semys ws full bissy and full prest
That we ws streke, and doith adress inhy
Lang renkis forto mak and ryn swiftly;
Bot all for nocht, for at the first assay,
Or in the myddis of the start, by the way,
All fante we faill, as forfeblit war we;
The tung avalis not, it will not be;
Ne ȝit the strenthis in our body knaw
Semys sufficient to ws at that thraw;
For, set we press ws fast to spek owt braid,
Ne voce nor wordis followys, nocht is said—
Siklyke wyss hess this goddess myschewss
Ombeset all the ways of Turnus.
Quhat evir to do by hys strenth etlyt he,
Scho maid obstakill; all that ganestandis sche.
Than in hys mynd becom his wittis strange
And begouth forto vary and to change;
And oft he dyd behald Rutilianys,
And oft the cite with all that ryall wanys.
He hovirris all abasyt for dreid and feir,
And gan do quaik, seand at hand the speir;
Ne can he fynd quhiddir away to wend,
Nor on quhat wyss hym self he may defend,
Nor with quhat strenth assaill hys aduersar,
Nor be na ways persaue hys cart or char,
Nor se hys sistir, that had hys cartar be.
And as he stud on hovyr thus, Ene
The fatale dedly speir in hand gan tayss,
And with hys eyn markit and walit hass
Ane place be fortoun to smyte oportune,
And with the hail fors of hys body soyn
Furth from hys hand weil far the lance gan thraw.
Neuer sa swyftly quhidderand the stane flaw
Swakkit from the engyne onto the wall,
Nor fulderis dynt, that causis towris fall,
With sik a rummyll com bratland on sa fast.
Lyke the blak thud of awfull thundris blast
Furth flaw the schaft to smyte the dedly straik,
And with it brocht cruell myschewos wraik;
Quhilk throu the hawbrik skyrtis persyt hass,
And the extreme bordour gan arrass
Of hys strang scheild, cowchit of sevyn ply,
And quhirrand smait hym throw the thee in hy,
That with the dynt huge Turnus, full onsound,
With faldyn howchis duschit to the grund.
Vpstart Rutilianys sammyn complenyng
With a ȝelloch and cairfull womentyng,
Quhill all the hillys rumysit thame abowt,
And far on breid thyk woddis gaue a schowt.
And Turnus, than, quhar he at erth dyd ly,
Addressis furth full humyll and lawly
Towart Ene hys syght and eyn tway,
And strekis eik hys rycht hand hym to pray,
And thus he said: “Forsuyth I haue deserve
The deth, I knaw, and of thy hand to sterve,
Ne wil I not beseik the me to spair.
Oyss furth thy chance: quhat nedis process mar?
Bot gif that ony cuyr or thocht,” quod he,
“Of ony wofull parent may twich the,
Haue rewth and mercy of Kyng Dawnus the ald
(Thou had forsuyth, as I haue hard betald,
Anchises, sik a fader as is he),
And me, or than, gif bettir lykis the,
My body, spulȝeit and the life byreft,
Onto my folkis thou may rendir eft.
Thou hess me venquyst, I grant, and me ourcum.
Italian pepill present all and sum
Hess sene streke furth my handis humylly.
Lavinia is thy spowss, I not deny:
Extend na forthir thy wraith and matalent.”
Eneas stern in armys tho present
Rolland hys eyn toward Turnus dyd stand,
And lyst nocht stryke, bot can withdraw hys hand,
And mor and mor thir wordis, by and by,
Begouth inclyne hym to reuth and mercy,
Abydand lang in hovir quhat he suld do,
Quhen, at the last, on Turnus schuldir, lo,
The fey gyrdill hie set dyd appeir,
With stuthis knaw and pendes schynand cleir,
The belt or tysche of the child Pallas,
Quhilk by this Turnus laitly venquyst was,
As we haue said, and with a grews wond
Slane in the feld, bet doun, and brocht to grund,
And Turnus, in remembrans of this thing,
Abowt his schuldris bair this onfrendly syng.
Bot eftir that Eneas with hys eyn
Sa cruell takynnys of dyseyss hess seyn,
And can sik weid byreft thar aspy,
All full of furour kyndlys he inhy,
Full brym of ire and terribill thus can say:
“Sall thou eschape me of this sted away,
Cled with the spulȝe of my frendis deir?
Pallas, Pallas, with this wond rycht heir
Of the ane offerand to the goddys makkis,
And of thy wikkit blude punytioun takkis.”
And sayand thus, full ferss, with all hys mayn,
Law in hys breist or cost, lay hym forgayn,
Hys swerd hess hyd full hait; and tharwithall
The cald of deth dissoluyt hys membris all.
The spreit of lyfe fled murnand with a grone,
And with disdeyn vnder dyrk erth is goyn. etc.