University of Virginia Library

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.