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Alsswyth as Iuno, with syk maleyss ourtane,
Persauyt hir deir frend that remeid was nane,
Nothir fame ne honour the rage resyst mycht,
Saturnus douchtir with syk wordis on hyght
Begouth to carp onto Venus, I wyss:
“A huge honour and lawd ȝe sal of this
Raport, and richt large spulȝe beir away,
Thou and thi child forsuyth”, quod scho, “bath tway:
O Lord, quhou gret power and notabil mycht,
Gif that, of twa hie goddis throu the slycht,
A sylly woman sal ourcummyn be!
Not so, I wyss, hes thou dissavyt me,
Bot that I knaw thou had in feir and dreid
Our cite, and held the lugyng suspek in deid
Of our renownyt hie burgh of Cartage.
Bot on quhat wyss sall sesyng al this rage?
Or now quhat nedis sa gret stryfe and contak?
Far rather perpetuell pess lat ws mak,
And knyt vp band of mariage thartill,
Sen thou hess gottin al thyne hartis will;
For Dido byrnys in hait lufe al atanys,
The brym fury glydis throu owt hir banys.
Lat ws thir pepill to ws common, for thy,
Be frendly favouris govern equaly;
So that it lesum be Dido remane
In spousage bund, and serve a lord Troiane,
And suffir Tirreanys, and al Lyby land,
Be geif in dowry to thi son in hand.”
Than Venus (knawing hir spech of fenȝeit mynd,
To that effect scho mycht the Troiane kynd,
And werys tocum furth of Itail alsswa,
With hald and kepe from boundis of Lybia)
Answerd and sayd: “Quhat wikkyt wyght wald euer
Refuyss syk proffyr, or ȝyt with the had levir
Contend in bataill or stand at debait,
Gif that, as thou rehersis, the deid algait
Als sovirly mycht follow fortunabill?
Bot I affeir me less the fatis onstabill
Nor Iupiter consent not ne aggre
That bot a cite to Tyryanys suld be
And eik to folkis from Troy in vayage cummyn,
Or list appreif thai pepillis all and summyn
Togiddir myddill, or ioyn in lyge or band.
Thou art hys spowss; til the to tak on hand
Is lefull with request hys mynd to assay.
Pass on befor, I follow the perfay.”
Than Iuno queyn syk answer maid agane:
“This laubour I tak on hand, al myne alane.
Bot on quhat wyss, sen tyme is convenabill,
The fasson quhou this stant to do maist habill,
Hark, at schort wordys that poynt I sal ȝou say.
Eneas and onsilly Dido, baith tway,
To forest grathis in huntyng furth to wend,
To morow, als fast as Titan doith ascend
And our the warld gan hys bemys spreid.
Quhen that the rangis and the faid on breid
Dynnys throu the gravys, sersyng the woddis wyde,
And setis set the glen on euery syde,
I sal apon thame a myrk schour down skaill
Of weit and wynd, mydlit with fellon haill,
And al the hevyn with thundyrris blast sa steir
That all thar falloschip sall withdraw for feir
Enclosyt with a myst als dyrk as nycht.
Dido and eik the Troiane duke full rycht,
Alanerly, bot be thame selvyn twane,
Togiddir sal entir in a cave of stane:
Thar sal I be reddy, and, but delay,
Gif thi mynd be ferm tharto the ilk day,
In sovir wedlok I sal conioyn hir thar,
Tobe his propir spouss for euermair:
Apon this wyss thar wedding salbe wrocht.”
Affermys all hir wil, contrarying nocht,
Of Cetheron Venus the goddes brycht,
Lauchyng scho fund had so controvit a slycht.