University of Virginia Library

Be this the schynand secund days lyght
Vprasit Phebus with goldyn bemys brycht:
Than all the Troianys and Ausonyanys
Full blithly in a rowt assemblit attanys,
Montit on horss and held thar ways syne
Onto the mastir cite Lawrentyne,
With wallys hie and biggyngis weirly maid.
Befor thame all rewthfull Eneas raid;
And nixt per ordour Drances, that to the kyng
As agit man carpis of mony thyng;
Syne come hys only child Ascanyus,
That other wyss was clepyt Iulus;
Nixt hym Alethes, with mynd full digest,
Grave Ilyoneus, Mnestheus and stern Serest;
Syne followys thame the forcy Sergestus,
Gyas alsso, and stalwart Cloanthus,
Eftir quham, mydlit sammyn, went arayn
The other Troianys and folk Italian.
In the meyn quhile the Latyn citeȝanys
Withowt thar wallys ischit furth atanys,
That with gret lawd, in mych solempnyte
And triumphe ryall hass ressauyt Enee.
Be this thai cummyn war onto the town,
Quham with blith front, to meyt thame reddy bown,
The kyng Latyn with huge cumpany
Thame welcumis and festis by and by.
And fra that he beheld amyd the rowt
Eneas cumand, the Dardan capitan stowt,
Hys verray figur dyd hym nocht dissaue,
For, quhar he went, excellent all the lave
And hyear far a gret deill semys he,
That far on breid his ryall maieste
And pryncely schynand contenans dyd appeir.
And quhen that he cummyn was so neir
That athir gudly to othir speke mycht
And heir the wordis carpyt apon hycht
And, lyke as thai desyrit, on the land
To lap in armys and adion hand in hand,
The kyng Latinus, as a curtas man,
With glaid semblant thus first to speke began:
“Weill be ȝe cummyn finaly, Enee,
And the ferm hope hess not dissavit me
Of my desyrus mynd, now full of ioy;
O schynand gloryus light to folkis of Troy!
Quham the command of the gret goddis mycht,
Throu sa feill chancis catchit and evill dycht,
In Italy within our boundis plane
Hess destinat and ordanyt to remane,
All thocht that manis wanton willfull offens,
Be our malapert and ondantit licens,
In thar fury with brag and mekill onrest
Tha haly lawis trublit and infest,
Prouocand and commovand the goddis greif;
So that alsso, quhidder me war loith or leif,
Full oft resistand and denyand the weir,
Constrenyt I was and warpit thar and heir,
That, mawgre my hed, me behuffit susteyn
The hard dangeris of Mars and mekill teyn.
Now is it endit, bot, certis, na litill thyng
Hass it cost sum man sik vndertakyng—
The godly power, wilfull vengeans to tak,
Havand disdeyn at sik deray was mak,
Onto tha wikkyt sawlys for the nanys
Hess send condyng punytioun and iust panys.
Haue doyn, gret Troian prynce, now I the pray,
Sen baith the crop and rutys ar away
Of all seditioun and discord, I wyss,
And wyrkaris of sa gret trespass and myss;
Cum and ressaue thy spowss and mariage
To the promyst; succeid to heritage.
Realmys I haue, and citeys mony ane
Full strangly beldit with hie wallis of stane,
And sum alsso that I in weir conquest
And thar barmkynnys to grund bet and doun kest;
Bot only the beleif and beld,” quod he,
“Of my wery age and antiquyte,
A douchtir haue I, quhilk suldbe myn ayr,
Quharfor in tyme cummyn for euermar
I the ressaue and haldis in dante
As son in law and successour to me.”
To quham the gentill Eneas reuerently
This ansuer maid agane, and said in hy:
“Maist riall kyng, all tyme accustumate
To lyf in plesand peax, but all debait,
Of this weirfar and sa gret stryfe,” quod he,
“I trastit evir thar was no wyte in the:
Tharfor, my derrest fader, I the pray,
Do all sik dowtis of suspicioun away,
Gyf ony sik thochtis restis in thy mynd,
And trastis weill Enee afald and kynd.
Now am I present, reddy as ȝe wald,
That ȝou ressavis and fra thens sall hald
As fader in law, and in all chancis, per de,
As verray fader that me bigat, but le:
The figour of the gret Anchises ded
I se heir present to me in this sted,
And I agane in fervent hayt desyre
Ȝow forto pless, my fader, lord and syre,
Sall byrn in lufe, as sum tyme wont was I
Towartis hym me engendrit of his body.”