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Gentyll Ene, this sport endyt and done,
Ontyl a fayr plane greyn passyt sone,
Quhilk was enveronyt al with hyllys hie,
Schaddowyt with woddys rank, and mony a tre.
Amyd the vale, in maner of cyrkyl rownd,
A playng place was markyt on the grond,
Syk as that clepyt beyn a theatry.
Thiddir the heir with mony thousand gan hy,
And evyn amydwart in hys troyn grete,
For hym arayt, takyn hes hyss sete,
Quhar, with rewardis seir, he dyd provoke
The curage and myndis of ȝong foke,
Syk as lykyt swyftly on fute to ryn,
Cum bayr the pryce away, and wageour wyn.
On athir half than gadderis hym about
Of Troianys sammyn and Sycilyanys a rowt;
And first come Nysus and the fresch Evrille,
Ewrillyus in grene ȝouth and luf sylle,
Maist eligant of person, for quhays frendschip
And tendyrnes come Nisus in falloschip;
Quham followis nixt nobyl Dyores the gude,
Cummyn of the stok of myghty Priamus blude;
And eftir hym thar followys sone onon
Twa othirris sammyn, Salyus and Patron,
Of quham the tane born of Epyria,
And the tother was of Archadya,
Cummyn of the blude of Tegea that cite;
Twa othir ȝong men syne of Sycille,
Helymus and Panopes, baith feris
Onto the kyng Acestes ald of ȝeris,
Hantyt to ryn in woddis and in schawis;
Seir othir come eik quhais namys onknaw is,
For that thai war of law stait and degre.
Amyddis of thame all, thus sayd Ene:
“Tak tent, frendis, remembir quhat I say,
Mark this in myndis glaidly, and bair away:
Neuer ane of al this falloschip,” quod he,
“Sal onrewardyt hyne depart fra me.
I sal ȝou geiffyn ilk man as efferis,
With brycht hedis, wrocht in Creyt, twa schort speris,
A syluerit ax alsso, to bair in hand;
For ȝou al equale salbe syk presand.
The thre formaste salbeir the pryce and gre,
Thar hedis crownyt with greyn olyve tre.
Quha cummys fyrst, and victour our the laif,
Ane horss with precyus harnessyng sal haif.
The secund, ane arow cayss of Amaȝon,
Ful of arowys of Trace, sal haue onon,
Hungyn by a braid tysche of gold ilke ioynt,
The bukkil claspyt with a iemmys poynt.
The thryd most go hys way, and stand content
Bot of this Gregion helm, lo, heir present.”
Quhen this was said, thar placis haue thai tane,
And, fra thai hard the takyn, sone onane
Richt swyftly on thar rasys gan thai tak;
The stand thai leif, and flaw furth with a crak,
As wyndis blast, etland to the rynkis end.
Befor thame all furth bowtis with a bend
Nysus a far way, start mair spedely
Than thud of weddir, or thundyr in the sky.
Nyxt onto hym, bot nocht neir be far way,
Followys Salyus, and, a space eftir thame tway,
Ewrialus was the thryd, quham syne infeir
Followyt Helymus, quhamto held evir neir
Dyores, quhidderand at hys bak fute hait,
Hys tays choppand on hys heill al the gayt,
Writhand with hys schuldir to haue thrung hym by,
And, had he anys won mair rowm, tho inhy
He suld ful sone haue skyppyt furth befor,
And left in dowt quha come fyrst to the skoyr.
Be this thai wan neir to the rynkis end,
Irkyt sum deill befor the mark weil kend,
Quhen that Nysus fallys, onhappely,
Apon the glotnyt blude, quhar as fast by
The styrkis for the sacrifyce, per cace,
War newly brytnyt, quharof al the place
And the greyn gerss bedyit was and wet.
As this ȝongkeir heiron tred and fute set,
Ioly and blith, wenyng hym victour round,
He slaid and stumryt on the slydry grond,
And fell at erd gruflyngis amyd the fen,
Or beistis blude of sacrifyce; ȝyt then
Forȝettis he not Ewrialus luf, perfay,
Bot kest hym evyn ourthourtyr Salyus way,
Grulyng as he mycht apon the slydry grene,
Maid hym lycht wyndflaucht on the grond onclene.
Furth sprent Ewrialus formest, and, by supple
Of his frend Nysus, the first place wan he.
With rerd and favorabil hailsyngis furth he sprang,
As oft befallys, syk tymys, commonys amang.
Helymus nixt onto the stand is cummyn,
The thryd place now and gre Dyor has nummyn.
Tho Salyus fyllys al the court about
With lowd ramyngis, and with mony a schowt,
And gan, in presens of the nobillys, pray
Restor hys honour by dyssayt stollyn away.
The favour defendis Eurialus of hys ferys,
And of hys eyn brysting the seymly terys,
Sched for dysdeyn he suld swa leyss hys pryce—
The vertew, eyk, mair gracyus at all devyce
Was haldyn, at come of sa seymly person.
That helpyt mekyl, and Dyores evir onon
Chydis for hym fast, for alsmekill as he
The thryd place than had wonnyn and the gre;
Bot all for nocht may he the last pryce beleif,
Gyf that to Salyus the fyrst reward beys geyf.
Than the rewthfull Eneas spak and sayd:
“Ȝour enterpryss, childeryng, beys blyth and glaid,
Remanys sovir to ȝou, for, owt of weir,
As fyrst was set the pryce, sal na man steir,
It moste be to me leful, rewth to haue
Of my frendis myschance, hys lak to save,
Quhilk in hys awyn defalt tynt not the gre.”
And sayand thus, to Salyus gave he
A bustuus lyonys skyn of Getuly,
With goldyn clewys, lokkerit and weghty.
“Ha!” than quod Nysus, “gyf syk reward salbe
Gevyn onto thame at fallys and tynys the gre,
Gif the lyst rew on syk, quhat gyft condyng
Wilt thou geif Nysus, ran swyft in a lyng,
And worthy was the fyrst croun tohaue caucht,
War nocht the sam mysforton me ourraucht
Quhilk Salyus betyd?” And with that word,
Hys face he schew besmottyrit for a bourd,
And al hys membris in mud and dung bedoyf.
Than lewch that ryal prynce on hym to goyf,
And bad do fech a rych scheild, wrocht quently
Sum tyme by ane Dodymaon maist crafty,
And by the Grekis alsso doun was dyng
Of Neptunys tempyll post quhar it dyd hyng;
This worthy ȝong man with that gyft soverane
Rewardis he, of syk geyr as mycht gane.