University of Virginia Library

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.