University of Virginia Library

“Wyth skyrlys and with scrykis thus sche beris,
Fillyng the howss with murnyng and salt teris,
Quhen suddanly, a wonder thing to tell,
A feirful takyn betyd of gret marvell.
For lo! the top of litill Ascanyus hed,
Amang the duylfull armys wil of red
Of his parentis, from the sched of his crown,
Schane al of lycht onto the grond adown.
The leym of fyre and flambe, but ony skath,
In his haris, about his halffettis baith,
Kyndyllis vp brycht, and we than, al in weir,
Abasit, trymlyng for the dreidfull feir,
The blesand haris bet furth at brynt sa schyre,
And schupe with watir to sloyk the haly fyre.
Bot Anchises, my fader, blyth and glaid
Lyft eyn and handis to hevyn, and thusgatis said:
‘O thou almychty Iupiter,’ quod he,
‘With ony prayeris inclynyt gif thou may be,
Tak heid to ws, and gif we haue deseruyt
For our piete and rewth tobe conseruyt,
Haly fader, send ws thi help als ȝoir,
And conferm al thir takynnys seyn befor.’
Scarsly the auld thir wordis had warpit owt,
Quhen sone the ayr begouth to rumbill and rowt
On our left hand, towart the north ful rycht,
And from the hevin fell, in the dyrk nycht,
A fayr brycht starn, rynnand with bemys cleir,
Quhilk on the top of our lugyng, but weir,
First saw we lycht, syne schynyng went awa
And hyd it in the forest of Ida,
Markand the way quhidder at we suld spur;
Thar followis a streym of fyre, or a lang fur,
Castand gret lycht about quhar that it schane,
Quhil al enveron rekit lyke bryntstane.
With that my fader venquyst start on fute,
And to the goddis carpis tobe our bute,
The haly starn adornyt he rycht thar:
‘Now, now,’ quod he, ‘I tary na langar;
I follow, and quhidder ȝe gyde me sal I wend.
O natyve goddis, ȝour awyn kynrent defend,
Salwe ȝour nevo; ȝouris is this oracle,
In ȝour protectioun is Troy, for this myracle
I wil obey, and grantis onto ȝour will:
My deir son, quhidder euer thou wend will,
I sal na mair reffuss tobe thi feyr.’
Thus sayd he, and be than, thar and heir,
Throw out the wallis the rerd of fyris grew
Ay mair and mair, and the heit nerrar drew.
‘Have done,’ quod I, ‘fader, clym vp onone
And set the evyn abuf my nek bone;
Apon my schuldris I sal the beir, but weyr,
Nor this lawbour saldo to me na deir:
Quhat euer betyde, a weilfair and a skaith
Salbe common and equale to wss baith.
Lytil Iulus salbeir me cumpany,
My spowss ondreich eftyr our trayss sal hy.
And ȝe, my seruandis, tak heid quhat I say:
As ȝe pass furth of the cite this ilk way,
Thar is a mote, quhar ane ald tempil, but less,
Now standis desert of the goddess Ceress,
Besyde quham growis a sypir tre full auld,
With forfaderis feil ȝeris in wirschip hald;
In that place lat wss meit on athir syde.
Fader, sen that we may na langar byde,
Tak vp tha haly rellykis in thi hand,
And our penates or goddis of this land—
It war onleiffull and wykkitnes to me
From sa gret slauchter, blude schedding and melle
Newly departit, to twich thame, for the blude,
Quhil I be weschyn into sum rynnand flude.’
And sayng thus, I spred my schulderis brayd,
Syne our my nek, abuf the wedis, laid
A ȝallow skyn was of a fers lyoun,
And tharapon gart set my fader down;
Lytil Iulus grippis me by the hand,
With onmeit payss his fader fast followand:
Neir at our bak Crevse my spowss ensewys:
We pass by secret wentis and quyet rewyss.
And me, quhan laitly na wapyn, nor dartis kast,
Nor press of Grekis rowtis maid agast,
Ilke swowch of wynd and euery quhispir now
And alkyn sterage affrayt, and causyt grow,
Baith for my byrdyng and my litil mait.
Quhen we war cummyn almaist to the ȝet,
And al danger we thocht eschapit neyr,
A fellon dyn belyve of feit we heir;
My fader than lukand furth throw the sky,
Cryis on me fast, ‘Fle, son! fle, son, in hy,
Thai cum at hand! Behynd me I gat a sycht
Of lemand armour and schynand scheildis brycht.’
Thar knaw I nocht quhat fremmyt god onkynd
So me astonyst, and reft fra me my mynd,
For throu the secrete stretis fast I ran
Befor the laif, as weil bekend man,
Allace to me catyve! I wait neuer quhydder
My spowss Crevse remanyt or we come thydder,
Or by sum fait of goddis was reft away,
Or gif scho errit, or irkit by the way,
For nevir syne with eyn saw I hyr eft,
Nor neuer abak, fra scho was lost or reft,
Blent I agane, nor perfyte mynd has nummyn,
Quhil to the mote of Ceres war we cummyn.
And fynaly, quhen we beyn gadderit thidder,
Fast by the haly tempil al togydder,
Scho was away, and betrumpit suythly
Hyr spowss, hir son and all the cumpany.
Than wod for wo, so was I quyte myscaryit
That nowder god nor man I left onwaryit:
For quhat mair hard myschance, quhen Troy down fell,
Apperit to me as that, or sa cruell?
Ascanyus tho and my fader Anchises,
And eik our Troiane goddis penates,
Onto my feris betauch I for to keip
And hyd thame darn within a valy deip.
To town agane I sped with al my mycht,
Claspit ful meit into fyne armour brycht,
Wilful al aventuris newlyngis to assay,
And forto serss Troy, euery streit and way,
And eik my hed agane in perrell set.
Bot first the wallis, the darn entre and ȝet,
Quharat we yschit furth, I seik agane,
Haldyng bakwart ilk futstep we had gane,
Lukand and sersand about me as I myght.
The vgsumnes and silens of the nycht
In euery place my spreit maid sayr agast.
Fra thyne ontil our lugyng hame I past
To spy perchance gif scho had thidder returnyt;
It was with Grekis beset and hail ourturnyt,
Alhail the howss with thame sa occupyit;
Belyve the fyre al waistand I espyit
Bless with the wynd; our the rufe, heir and thar,
The flambe vpsprang and hait low in the ayr.”