University of Virginia Library

Cummyn be thys was the desyryt day;
The nynte morow vpspryngis fresch and gay,
And Pheyton gan hys faderis chayr furth dryve.
The fame of this triumphe gan spreid belyve,
That, for wirschip of Acestes, thar kyng,
All folkis enveron dyd to the costis thryng,
Glaidly occupyand al the strandis about,
Sum to behald Eneas cowrt and rowt,
And sum, alsso, to stryfe for the mastry.
At the begynnyng, the wageouris by and by,
And the rewardis, in myddys of the feild
Befor thar eyn war set, at all beheld:
The gilt trestis, and the greyn tre,
The lawrer crownys, for the pryce and gre,
With palmys scheyn in takyn of victory,
Fair armouris of triumphe and myche glory,
The robbys fyne of purpour richly dycht,
Seir talentis eik of gold and siluer brycht.
Tharwith, the trumpet blew, as beyn the gyss,
Apon ane hyght, declaris and notyfyiss
The gemmys tobe excersyt for that day.
With arys squair, the bargan gan assay
Four galeys fyrst, chosyn of al the flote.
The swyft Pystris witht spedy routht, fute hoyt,
Furth steris the stern Mynestheus onan,
Quhilk eftir bycam a lord Italian,
Of quhays ofspring and genealogy
The pepill ar discend, clepyt Memny.
The bustuus barge, yclepit Chimera,
Gyas, with fellon fard, furthbrocht alssua,
Sa huge of byrth a cite semyt sche,
Quham a gret nowmyr of ȝong Troiane menȝe,
In thrynfald ordour, causis furth toglyde;
The arys rays thre rawis on athir syde.
The thryd schip, yclepyt Centaurus,
Furth haldis, with hir patron Sergestus,
Quham fra the famyle come hait Sergia.
The sovir sey schip tho, namyt Scylla,
Cloanthus gydis, efter quham, ȝyt syne,
In Roym the pepill beyn callyt Cluenthyne.
Weil far from thens standis a roch in the see,
Forgane the fomy schor and costis hie,
Quhilk sumtyme, with the boldynnand wallis quhite,
Is by the iawpe of fludis coveryt quyte,
Quhen the southt est wynd, in the wynter tyde,
Gan with his stormy clowdis the starnys hyde;
And, in the calm or lowyn weddir, is seyn
Abufe the fludis hie, a fair plane greyn,
A standing place, quhar skarthis with thar bekis,
Forgane the son, glaidly thame pronȝe and bekis.
In this place stykkyt heth the prince Ene
A mark or wyttir of a greyn aik tre,
In term and takyn onto the maryneris,
Quhar, forto turn agane, as thame efferis,
And set about thar lang courss, thai mycht knaw.
By kuttis than, per ordour, al on raw,
Thar place thai cheysyt at the costis bay.
The patronys in eftcastellis, fresch and gay,
Stude, al in gold and purpour schynand brycht.
The remanent of the rowaris, euery wight,
In poppil tre branchis dyght at poynt,
With spaldis makyt, schayn of oyl enoynt;
Apon thar seyttis and thoftis all atanys
Thar placis hynt, arrayit for the nanys,
With armys reddy outour thar aris fald,
Abydis lysnand the takyn to behald,
Thar hartis onflocht, smytyn with schame sumdeill;
Bot glaid and ioly, in hope forto do weill,
Rasys in thar breistis desyre of hie renoun.
Syne, but delay, at the first trumpys sown,
From thar marchis atanys furth thai sprent.
Vpsprang the clamour, and the rerd furth went
Heich in the skyis, of mony maryner.
The fomy stowr of sey rayss thar and heir,
Throu ferss bak drauchtis of feil gardeys squair.
Thai sewch the fludis that, swouchand quhar thai fair,
In sondyr slydis; ourweltyt eyk with arys,
From thar forstammys the bullyr brays and raris.
Nevir sa fersly, in feild nor in barrer,
The dowbill ȝokkyt cartis in feir, of wer
Or for triumphe, furth of thar stabillys gan rusch;
Nor nevir sa thyk, with mony lasch and dusch,
The cartaris smate thar horssis fast in teyn,
With renȝeys slakkyt, and swete drepand bedeyn;
For, throu the gild and rerd of men so ȝeld,
The egyrness of thar frendis thame beheld,
Schowtand “Row fast”, all the woddis resoundis.
Endlang the costis the vocis and the sowndis
Rollys inclusyt, quhill the mekyll hyllys
Bemys agane, hyt with the brute so schil is.
Amyd the press, thus as the rerd vpwent,
Befor the laif Gyas schyp furth sprent,
Ourslydand wallys croppys byssely;
Quhom Cloanthus followys nixt inhy,
Mayr sle in rowth, thocht sum deil slaw was sche,
For that hir holl was of sa hevy tre.
And eftir thame, elyke, furth in evyn space,
Pistris and Centawr straif for the fyrst place.
And now hes Pistrys the fordell, and syne inhy
The byg Centawr hyr warris and slyppis by;
Now glyde tha bath togiddyr furth in front,
Sewchquhand salt fame with thar lang kelis blont.