University of Virginia Library

“Onone onto the palyce of Priamus
The schowtis and the cryis callys wss.
Thar was ane hydwyss batale forto seyn,
As thar nane other bargane ayr had beyn,
Lyke as nane slane war throu all the cite,
Sa wod ondantit melle thar we se:
The Grekis ruschand to the thak on hyght,
So thik thai thrang about the portis all nycht
That lyke a wall thai ombeset the ȝettis.
Vp to the syd wallys mony leddyr sett is
Quharon thai preyss fast our the rufe to speill,
Coverit with scheildis agane the dartis feill
Thar left hand heich abuf thar hed gan hald,
And oft with rycht handis gryp the battalyng wald.
Troianys agane, schaping defens to mak,
Rent turettis doune and of howss hedis the thak;
Quhen all wes lost thai se, at lattyr end,
With sik wapynnys thai schupe thame to defend.
The gilt sperris and gestis gold begane
Down on thame slyng thai, and mony costly stane,
The prowd and ryal werkis of faderis ald.
And other sum, law down within that hald,
With drawyn swerdis stude reddy to kepe the ȝet;
In a thik rowt tharat was mony set.
Our spretis war restoryt, and curage grew
The kyngis palyce to succur, and reskew
The men tharin with all help and supple,
To strenthing thame war venquyst neyr, we se.
A smal wykket thar was or entre dern,
A litil ȝet clepit a postern,
On the bak half Priamus palyce almaist,
Amang byggynnys stude desolate and waist,
Quharat was wont alane Andromocha
To entir oft to Priam and Hecuba,
And Astyanax, hir ȝong son, with hir bring
Onto his grandsyre Priamus the kyng.
Tharat I enterit, and to the wallys hyght
Vpwent, quhar wrachit Troianys as thai mycht
Threw down dartis, thocht all was bot inwaist.
We start ontil a hie turate in haist,
The top vpstrekand to the starnys hie,
Quharon we wont war al Troy forto se,
The Grekis schippis and thar tentis eik.
With instrumentis of irne we pyke, and seik
Round al about quhar the ionyngis war worn,
Reddy to fall, and corbalys al to torn;
We holk and mynd the corneris for the nanys,
Quhil down belive we tumbil it al atanys.
A fellon rusch it maid, and sownd with all,
And large on breid our Grekis rowtis dyd fall,
Bot sone ane other sort start in thar stedis—
Nowder stanys, nor quarellis with scharp hedis,
Nor na kynd of wapynnys war sparit than.
And first of al, befor the porch inran
Hard to the entre, in schynyng plait and mail,
Pyrrus, with wapynnys fersly to assaill,
Lyke to the edder, with schrewit herbis fed,
Cummyn furth to lycht and on the grond lyis spred,
Quham wynter lang hyd vnder the cald erd,
Now slippit hir slowch with schynand skyn new brerd,
Hir slydry body in hankis rownd al run,
Heich vp hir nek strekand forgane the son,
With forkit tong intyll hir mouth quytterand.
To the assalt with Pyrrus come at hand
Periphas, and Automedon his squyer
Was wont to govarn Achilles cart in weir,
And al the fensabill men of Scyrrya
Bownys our the wallis and howss hedis alsswa,
And fyre blesis abuf the rufe garris fle.
Bot first of al, ane stalwart ax hynt he,
The stern Pyrrus, to hew and brek the ȝet,
And furth of har the stapillis has he bet,
And bandis all of brass yforgyt weill:
Be that in twa the master bar ilk deill
Is al tofruschit, syne the hard burdis he hakkis,
And throu the ȝet ane large wyndo makkis,
By the quhilk slop the place within apperis,
The wyde hallys wolx patent al infeiris
Of Priamus and ancyant kyngis of Troy;
Secret throwgangis ar schawyn wont tobe quoy;
Armyt men se thai stand at the first port.
Bot than throw owt the inner palyce, at schort,
With duylful scryke and walyng al is confoundit;
The holl howsis ȝowlit and resowndit
For womentyng of ladeis and wemen—
The clamour vpstrak to the starnys then.
The woful moderis ran frayit on athir syde
Ful lamentabil throw out the chawmeris wyde,
Brasand the postis in armys, and durris cald,
And feil syss with mowthis kyss thame wald.
Instantly Pyrrus assailȝeis with al his mycht,
By naturale strenth of his fader the wight,
That nowder closeris, nor barryt ȝettis stowt,
Nor ȝit the keparis may hald thame langar owt.
Oft wyth the ram the port is schaik and duschit,
Down bet ȝet chekis and bandis al tofruschit.
The way is maid by forss, and entre brokkyn;
Grekis insprent, the formaste haue thai stokyn
And slane with swordis; the large hald heir and thar
Was fyllit full of Grekis our alquhar.
Not sa fersly the fomy ryver or flude
Brekkis our the bankis on spait quhen it is wode,
And, with hys brusch and fard of watir brown,
The dykis and the schoris bettis doun,
Ourspredand croftis and flattis with his spait,
Our al the feildis that thai may row a bayt,
Quhil howsys and the flokkis flyttis away,
The corn grangis and standand stakkis of hay.
I saw my self thair Neoptolemus
Mak fellon slauchtir, wod and furyus,
And athir brodir of Atrides alswa.
Eldmodir to ane hundreth thar saw I Hecuba,
And Priamus at the altar quhar he stude,
All our bysprent and sperklyt ful of blude
Of sacryfice, quhamto he bet the fyre.
Fyfty chawmeris held that rial syre
Quhar warryn his gude dochteris, ladeis ȝyng,
Syk fayr beleif is lost of his ofspryng.
The prowd gestis and durris gilt with gold
Of barbary wark, and hungyn mony fold
With richess and spulȝe of seyr nationys,
Sa far as from the fyre onbet adoune is
The Grekis occupyis haly—al is tharis,
Quhat so thame lyst tospil is nane that sparis.”