University of Virginia Library

Furth of the sey, with this, the dawyng spryngis.
As Phebus rayss, fast to the ȝettis thringis
The choss gallandis, and huntmen thame besyde,
With ralys and with nettys strang and wyde,
And huntyng sperys styf with hedis braid;
From Massilyne horsmen thik thiddir raid,
With rynnyng hundis, a full huge sort.
Nobillys of Cartage, hovand at the port,
The queyn awatys that lang in chawmyr dwellys;
Hyr ferss steyd stude stampyng, reddy ellys,
Rungeand the fomy goldyn byt gynglyng;
Of gold and pal wrocht hys rych harnasyng.
And scho at last of palyce yschit owt,
With huge menȝe walking hir abowt,
Lappyt in a brusyt mantill of Sydony,
With gold and perle the bordour al bewry,
Hyngand by hir syde the cayss with arowis grund;
Hir bricht tressis envolupyt war and wond
Intil a quayf of fyne gold wyrin threid;
The goldyn button claspyt hir purpour weid—
And furth scho passyt with all hir cumpany.
The Troiane pepill forgaderit by and by,
Ioly and glaid the fresch Ascanyus ȝyng,
Bot first of all, maist gudly, hym self thar kyng
Enee gan entir in falloschip, but dout,
And onto thame adionyt hys large rowt.
Lyke quhen Apollo list depart or ga
Furth of hys wyntring realm of Lysya,
And leif the flude Exanthus for a quhile,
To vissy Delos, his moderis land and ile,
Renewand ryngis and dansys, mony a rowt;
Mixt togiddir, hys altaris standing about,
The pepil of Creit, and thame of Driopes,
And eik the payntit folkis Agathirces,
Schowtand on thar gyss with clamour and vocis hie:
Apon thi top, mont Cynthus, walkis he,
Hys wavand haris, sum tyme, doyng doun thryng
With a soft garland of lawrer sweit smellyng,
And vmquhile thame gan balmyng and enoynt
And into gold address at full gude poynt,
Hys grundyn dartis clattering by hys syde—
Als fresch, als lusty dyd Eneas ryde,
With als gret bewte in hys lordly face.
And eftyr thai ar cummyn to the chace,
Amang the montanys in the wild forest,
The rynnyng hundis of cuppillys sone thai kest,
And our the clewys and the holtis, belyve,
The wild beistis doun to the dail thai dryve.
Lo! thar the rays, rynnyng swyft as fyre,
Drevyn from the hyghtis, brekkis out at the swyre;
Ane othir part, syne ȝondyr mycht thou se
The herd of hartis with thar hedis hie,
Ourspynnerand with swyft courss the plane vaill,
The hepe of duste vpstowryng at thar taill,
Fleand the hundis, levand the hie montanys.
And Ascanyus, the child, amyd the planys,
Ioyus and blith hys startling steid to assay,
Now makis hys rynk ȝondir, and now this way
Now prekis furth by thir and now by thame,
Langyng, amang faynt frayt beistis ontame,
The fomy bair, doun from the hyllis hycht,
Or the dun lyoun discend, recontyr he mycht.
In the meyn quhile, the hevynnys al about
With fellon noyss gan to rummyll and rowt.
A bub of weddir followyt in the tayll,
Thik schour of rayn myddillit ful of haill.
The Tyriane menȝe skalis wydequhar,
And al the gallandis of Troy fled heir and thar,
And eik with thame the ȝong Ascanyus,
Nevo to Kyng Dardan and to Venus.
For feir, to diuerss stedis throu the feildis,
Thai seik to haldis, howsis, hyrnys and beildis:
The ryveris rudly ruschit our hillis bedene.
Within a cave is entrit Dido queyn,
And eik the Troiane duke, al thame alane,
By aventur, as thai eschewyt the rane.
Erth, the first moder, maid a takyn of wo,
And eik of wedlok the pronuba Iuno,
And of thar cuplyng wittering schew the ayr:
The flambe of fyreslaucht lychtnyt heir and thar
And on the hillys hie toppis, but less,
Sat murnand nymphis, hait Oreades.
This wes the formaste day of hir glaidnes
And first morrow of hir wofull distress.
For nother the fasson nor the maner sche
Attendis now, nor fame ne honeste,
Ne from thens furthwart Dido ony mor
Musis on lufe secrete, as of befor,
But clepis it spousage, and with that fayr name
Clokyt and hyd hir cryme of oppyn schame.