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Wyth this thai gan towart the meyth approche,
And war almaist cummyn onto the roch,
Quhen that the patron Gyas, amyd the flude,
Wenying hym self victour, thar as he stude,
Callys on hys steris man, hayt Meneyt by name:
“Quhiddyr goys thou so on steirburd? Fy forschame!
Frawart me thou haldis; set thi courss innarmor;
Seik hard on burd endlang fast by the schor
And suffir that the palmys of our arys
Hyrsyl on the crag almaist, ilk rowth, and waris—
Lat the othirris hald furth the deip sey large.”
Quod Gyas. Bot Menetes, for hys barge
Of the hyd rolkis blynd sum deill afferyt,
Towart the deip fludis hyr stevin ay steryt.
“Quhar, dysmall, wilt thou now?” gan Gyas cry,
“Hald to the crag agane, Meneyt, fast by.”
And tharwith, lo, Cloanthus he dyd behald
Hard at hys taill, that gan the nar way hald,
For, rycht betwix the rolk and Gyas schyp,
On bawbord fast the innar way he leyt slyp,
And wan befor the formast schip inhy;
Now is he passyt the wittir, and rollys by
The roch, and haldis sovirly throu the see.
Bot than, God wait, quhat payn in hart gan dre
The ȝong Gyas—hym thocht al brynt hys banys!
The watir bryst from baith hys eyn atanys;
Forȝet was wirschip and hys honeste thar,
Forȝet was of hys falloschip the weilfair,
The ancyant treuth of Meneyt forȝettis he,
And swakkyt hym our schipburd in the see.
Hym self, as skyppar, hynt the steir in hand,
Hym self, as mastir, gan maryneris command,
And threw the ruddyr to the costis syde.
Be than the auld Meneyt our schipburd slyde,
Hevy, and al his weid sowpyt with seys,
Skars from the watir grond vpboltyt he is,
Syne swymmand held onto the craggis hycht,
Sat on the dry rolk, and hym self gan dycht.
The Troianys lauchys fast seand hym fall,
And, hym behaldand swym, thai keklyt all,
Bot mast, thai makyn gem and gret ryot,
To se hym spowt salt watir of hys throte.
Heir first gude hope arrayss to the twa last,
That is to knaw, Mynestheus and Sergest,
Gyas schyp thar by to ourcum wenyng,
That tareys sum deill for lak of gude steryng.
Tho Sergest gan the fyrst place occupy,
With schip approchand towart the roche inhy;
And, netheless, hail befor wan scho nocht,
Bot thrang hir forschip formast, as scho mocht,
So that Pistrys, hyr weryour, all the way,
Hyr forstam by hir mydschip haldys ay.
Than, rowmyng to and fra hys schyp our all,
Mynestheus gan hys feris exhort and call:
“Now, now, ȝe vailliant feris of worthy Hector,
Hail stoutly vp ȝour arys; thynk on ȝour glor;
Thynk quhou, the lattir rewyne of Troy, ȝou I
Haue walyt, and brocht with me in cumpany.
Now schaw that strenth, now schaw that hie curage,
Quhilk on the schaldis of Affryk, in stormys rage,
Ȝhe dyd excerss, and the ilk forss, I wyss,
Ȝhe schew betwix Scylla and Carybdys,
Quhar that Ioneum clepyt is the see,
And als forgane the styth stremys of Malee.
As to the fyrst place, now byd I nocht craif it,
Althocht I be Mynestheus, wont til haue it;
Nor I byd not to stryve and wyn the gre,
Howbeyt, wald God, that war a gloir to se!
Do lat thame bruke the mastry and the pryce,
Quhamto Neptune lyst grant at hys devyce.
Bot gret lak war to return altharlast:
Deir frendis, defend ȝou fra that kankyrryt kast,
And do ourset sa schaymful hard myschance!”
With al thar forss than at the vtyrance,
Thai pynglyt arys vptobend and haill,
With sa strang rowthis apon athir wail,
The mychty karvell schuddryt at euery straik,
Down swakand fludis vndir hyr brayd bilge of aik;
So clappys the braith in breistis with mony pant,
Quhil in thar dry throtis the aynd worth skant,
And swait down triglys in stremys our alquhar.
Betyd a chance that ilk tyme fell thame fair,
And grantyt thame that honour tha desyryt;
For as Serfest, with fers muyde half enfyryt,
Turnyt hys stevyn towart the rolk our neir,
Ontil a wykkyt place hys schip dyd steir,
Quhil on the blynd craggis, myschewsly,
Fast stykkis scho, choppand hard quhynnys inhy,
And on the scharp skelleis, to hir wanhap,
Smait with syk fard, the arys in flendris lap;
Hir forschip hang, and sum deil scoryt throu owt.
The maryneris start on fut with a schout,
Cryand, “Byde, how”, and with lang bolmys of tre
Pykyt with irne, and scharp roddis, he and he
Inforcis of to schowyn the schyp to save,
And brokkyn aris gadderyt on the streym thai haue.
Now quha was blith bot Mynestheus, ful ȝor,
Quhilk, for this chance, mair egyrly than befor,
With swyft fard of arys, and wynd at wyll,
The reddy way held our the fludis chyll,
And frakkis fast outthrow the oppyn see.
Als swyftly as the dow affrayit doith fle
Furth of hir hoyll, and richt darn wynnyng wayn,
Quhar hir sweit nest is holkyt in the stayn,
So fersly in the feildis furth scho spryngis,
Quhil of hir fard the howsys ryggyng ryngis;
And sone eftir, scherand the lownyt ayr,
Down from the hycht discendis soft and fair,
Not byssy weyngyt, bot planand esyly—
So slaid Mynestheus throu the sey in hy,
So followys Pistrys, was langeyr alltharlast,
With fellon fard furth swepand alsso fast.
And fyrst Sergest behynd sone left hess he,
Wreland on skelleys and ondepys of the see,
With brokkyn aris lerand to haist agane,
And cryand, “Help!” bot that was al invane.
Syne Gyas schyp, the fellon Chimera,
Persewys he fast, quhilk gave hym place allswa,
For scho was spulȝeyt of hir sterisman.
Thar restis na ma bot Cloanthus than,
Quham fynaly to persew he addrest,
And pynglys hir onto the vtyrmest.
The noyss and brute tho dowblys lowd on hycht,
For, on the costis syde, fast euery wight
Spurris the persewaris to roll bissely:
“Set on hym now! Haue at hym thar,” thai cry,
That huge clamour fordynnyt al the ayr.
The formast thocht thar awyn wirschip so fair,
And had disdeyn bot thai thar honour save,
To bruke it quhilk so hard wonnyn thai have,
Or thai thar lawd suld loyss or vassyllage,
Thai had far levir lay thar lyfe in wage.
The favorabill forton, and thar happy chance,
So gan the breistis of the otheris avance,
Thame thocht thai mocht thame wyn witht laubour lycht,
Becauss it semyt to thame at so thai mycht.
And peraventur, with equale stevynnys atanys,
The pryce thai suld haue baith caucht for the nanys,
War not Cloanthus in the fludis cauld
With devote prayeris baith his handis gan hald,
And on the goddis callys, and maid hys vow:
“O ȝhe goddis, quhays fludis I ryn throw,
Vndir ȝour empyre rewlyng the large see,
I sal glaidly on this cost syde,” quod he,
“A quhite bull offir in ȝour sacryfyce,
So I my vow may bruke, and wyn the pryce;
The entralis eyk, far in the fludis brak,
In ȝour reuerens, sal I slyng and swak,
And ȝet tharin the sweit liquor of wyne.”
And, be hys wordis warryn brocht to fyne,
Law fra the boddum of the seys deip
Hys prayeris war except—tharto tuke keip
The nymphis all, clepyt Nereydes,
And thai that followis Phorcus, all the press,
The maid alsso quhilk Panopea hait;
The fader of havynnys, Portunus, al the gait
With his byg hand schot the schip furth hir went,
That swyftar than the southt wynd on scho sprent,
Or as a fleand arrow to land glaid,
And in the deip port enterit but abaid.