University of Virginia Library

“Betyd, the ilke tyde, a fer grettar woundir
And mair dreidful to catyvis be sik hunder,
Quhilk of Troianys trublit mony onwarnyt breste.
As Laocon, that was Neptunus prest
And chosyn by kavill onto that ilk office,
A fair gret bull offerit in sacrifyce
Solemnytly befor the haly alteir,
Throw the styl sey from Tenedos infeir,
Lo, twa gret lowpit edderis, with mony thraw,
Fast throu the flude towart the land gan draw.
My spreit abhorris this mater to declare:
Abufe the watir thar halss stude euermare,
With bludy crestis owtwith the wallis hie;
The remanent swam always vnder see,
With grysly bodeis lynkit mony fald;
The salt fame stowris from the fard thai hald.
Onto the grund thai glaid with glowand eyn
Stuffit ful of vennom, fyre and fellon teyn,
Wyth tongis quhislyng in thar mowthis rede
Thai lyk the twynkland stangis in thar hed.
We fled away al bludeless for affeir,
Bot, wyth a braid, to Laocon infeir
Thai stert atanys, and hys twa sonnys ȝyng
First athir serpent lappit lyke a ryng,
And, with thar cruell byt and stangis fell,
Of tendir membris tuke mony sary morcell.
Syne thai the prest invadit, baith twane,
Quhilk with hys wapynnys dyd hys byssy pane
His childryng forto helpyn and reskew.
Bot thai about hym lowpit in wympillis threw
And twyss cyrkyllit his myddil rownd about
And twyss faldis thar sprutlit skynnys but dowt
About hys hals—bath nek and hede thai schent.
As he etlys thar hankis to haue rent
Of with his handis, and thame away haue draw,
Hys hed bendis and garlandis all war blaw
Ful of vennom and rank poyson atanys,
Quhilk infekkis the flesch, blude and banys.
And tharwith eik sa horribilly schowtis he,
His cryis dynnyt to the sternys on hie;
Lyke as a bull doith rummysing and rayr
Quhen he eschapis hurt from the altair,
And charris by the ax with his nek wight,
Gif on his forhed the dynt hyttis nocht rycht.
Syne thir twa serpentis hastely glaid away,
Onto the cheif tempil fled ar thai
Of stern Pallas to the hallowit place
And crap in vnder the feit of the goddess,
Hyd thame behynd the boyss of hir bukleir.
Than trymlit thar mony stowt hart for feir,
The onkowth dreid into thar brestis crap.
All said, ‘Laocon iustly, sik was his hap,
Has deir ybocht his wikkit and schrewit deid,
For he the haly horss or stalwart steid
With violente strake presumyt forto deir
And tharintil to fessyn his cursit speir.
Onto the hallowit sted bryng in,’ thai cry,
‘The gret fygur! And lat wss sacryfy
The haly goddes, and magnyfy hyr mycht
With orysonys and offerandis day and nycht!’
Quhat wil ȝe mair? The barmkyn down we rent,
And wallis of our cite we maid patent.
Onto that wark al sped thame bissely;
Turnand quhelis thai set in by and by
Vndir the feit of this ilke bysnyng iaip,
Abowt the nek knyt mony bassyn raip.
This fatale monstre clam our the wallis then,
Gret wamyt and stuffit ful of armyt men,
And tharabout ran childer and madis ȝyng
Syngand karrellis and dansand in a ryng—
Ful weil war thame, and glaid was euery wight
That with thar hand anys twich the cordis mycht.
Furth drawyn haldis this suttell hors of tre
And mannysand slydis throu the myd cite.
O natyve cuntre and rial realm of Troy!
O goddis howss, Ilion ful of ioy!
O worthy Troiane wallis chevalrus!
Four tymys stoppyt that monstre peralus,
Evin at the entre of the portis wyde,
And four syss the armour, that ilk tyde,
Clynkit and rang amyd the large belly;
Bot netheless, intil our blynd fury
Forȝetting this, instantly we wirk
And forto drug and draw wald neuer irk,
Quhil that myschancy monstre, quently bet,
Amyd the hallowit tempill vp was set.
Cassandra than the fatis tocum tald plane,
Bot, by command of Phebus, al was invane,
For thocht scho spayit the suthe and maid na bowrd,
Quhat euer scho said Troianys trowit nocht a word.
The tempillis of goddis and sanctuaryis all
We fey pepill—allace, quhat say I sall?—
Quhamtill this was the duylfull lattir day,
With festuale flowris and bewys, as in May,
Dyd weil anorn, and fest and ryot maid
Throu owt the town, and for myscheif was glaid.”