University of Virginia Library

Be this it walxis layt towart the nycht,
And fast declynyng gan the days lycht,
The tyme requiryng, eftir the ald maner,
To go to meyte and syt to the supper;
Onon the bankat and the mangeory
For fest ryall accordyng, by and by,
With all habundans pertenyng to syk thyng,
As weill efferit in the howss of a kyng,
With alkyn maner ordinans was maid
Amyd the hallys heich, lang and braid,
Apparalyt at all devyss and array.
Onto the bankat haill assemlyt thai
And on the carpettis spred of purpour fyne
To tablis set, quhar thai war servit syne
With alkyn danteys and with metys seir
That all to rakkyn prolixit war to heir—
As quhou the crystall eweris to thar handis
The watir gave, and quhou feill servandis standis
To mak thame ministratioun in all curys,
And quhou thai trasyng on the large flurys
With blyth vissage intil euery sted,
And quhou that first on burdis thai set bred:
Sum with mesys gan the tabillys charge;
Ane other sort doith set in all at large
The cowpys gret and drynkyn tassis fyne,
And gan do skynk and byrll the nobill wyne,
That to behald thame walkyn to and fro
Throw the rowm hallys and sa byssy go,
And thame at tabillis makand sa glaid cheir,
A paradyss it was to se and heir.
Bot with hys eyn onmovit Latyn kyng
Gan fast behald the child Ascanyus ȝyng,
Wondrand on his afferis and vissage,
And of the speche and wordis grave and sage
Of sik a childis mowth syk wyss suld fall,
And of his digest and reddy wyt withall
Befor the ȝheris of maturyte;
And of feill thingis hym demandis he,
Athir to other renderand mony a saw;
And syne wald he alsso, ane other thraw,
Full tenderly do kyss hys lusty face
And lap hym in hys armys and embrace;
And, wondirly reiosyt, declar wald he
Happy and to the goddis bedettit Ene,
Quhilk hym had gevin syk a child as that.
And quhillis thai thus at the supper sat,
Eftir that with samony danteis seir
Thar appetit of metis assuagit wer,
With commonyng and carpyng euery wyght
The lang declinand and ourslippand nyght
Gan schape full fast to mak schort and ourdryve:
Now the Troianys hard aventouris belyve
Rehersyng our, and all the Grekis slycht;
Now the ferss bargan and the awfull fight
Of Lawrent pepill callyng to thar mynd,
As quhou and quhar, quhamby and be quhat kynd
The ostis first discumfist war in feild,
And quhar that athir rowtis vndir scheld,
With dartis castyng, dynt of swerd and mayss,
Constrenyt was to fle in syk a place,
And leif the feild, and quha best dyd hys det,
Quha bald in stowr eyk maid the first onset,
And quha first, on ane startland cursour gude,
Hys burnyst brand bedyit with red blude.
Bot principaly Eneas Troian bald
And Latinus the kyng sage and ald
Of conquerouris and soueran pryncis dyng
The gestis can reherss fra kyng to kyng,
Twichand the stait, quhilum be days gone,
Of Latium that myghty region,
Quhou vmquhile Saturn, fleand hys sonnys brand,
Lurkyt and dwelt in Italy the land,
Be quhilk rayson he dyd it Latium call;
That kynd of pepill, dwelt skatterit our all
In montanys wild, togyddir maid conveyn
And geif thame lawys and statutis, and full beyn
Tawcht thame to grub the wynys, and al the art
To eyr and saw the cornys and ȝok cart;
And quhou the gret Iupiter, god dyvyne,
To this hys faderis resset socht hess syne;
And quhou that he engendrit thar alssua
On Atlass douchter, the fair wench Electra,
Schir Dardanus, that efter, as thai sayn,
Hys awyn brother Iasyus hess slayn,
Syne from the cyte Choryte in Italy
To sey is went with a gret cumpany
And gan arryve eftir in Phrigia,
And belt the cyte on the mont Ida,
And quhou that he, in syng, for hys baner,
From Iupiter ressauyt, hys fader deir,
The fleand egill displayt fair and playn,
Ane knawyn takyn to pepill Hectorian,
As the first nobill armys and ensenȝe
Baith of the Troian ancistre and menȝe,
By hym erekkit and vprasyt stud,
Was first begun, and cheif stok of that blude.
Thus, with syk maner talkyn, euery wight
Gan dryvyn our and schortis the lang nycht.
Tharwith the bruyt and noyss rayss in tha wanys,
Quhill all the large hallys rang attanys
Of mannys voce and sound of instrumentis,
That to the ruyf on hie the dyn vp went is;
The blesand torchys schayn and sergis brycht,
That far on breid all lemys of thar lycht;
The harpys and the githornys plays attanys;
Vpstart Troianys and syne Italianys
And gan do dowbill brangillys and gambatis,
Dansys and rowndis traysyng mony gatis,
Athir throu other reland, on thar gyss;
Thai fut it so that lang war to devyss
Thar hasty fair, thar revellyng and deray,
Thar morysis and syk ryot, quhil neir day.
Bot forto tellyng quhou with torch lycht
Thai went to chalmer and syne to bed at nycht,
Myne author list na mensioun tharof draw—
Na mair will I, for sik thingis beyn knaw;
All ar expert, eftir new mariage,
On the first nycht quhat suldbe the subcharge.