University of Virginia Library

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.”