University of Virginia Library

The prynce Anchises son, Eneas, than
Twa evynly burdonys walyt, as cunnand man,
And equale armour, but dyversyte,
On schulderis and thar gardeys buklys he.
Than athir gan contrar othir styth stand,
With fyngeris fast faikand thar mace in hand,
Syne heich abufe thar hedis in the ayr
Onabasytly rasyt thar armys squair,
And from the straik thar nek drew far abak.
Now, hand to hand, the dynt lychtis with a swak;
Now bendis he vp hys burdon with a mynt,
On syde he bradis fortil eschew the dynt;
He etlys ȝondir hys avantage to tak,
He metis hym thar, and charris hym with a chak;
He watis to spy, and smytis in al hys mycht,
The tother keppys hym on hys burdon wycht;
Thai foyn at othir, and eggis to bargane.
Lychtar on fute and agil was the tane
And in hys lusty ȝouth sum deil ensuris;
The tother of lymmys byggar and corss mair stuyr is,
Bot hys faynt schankis gan for eild schaik;
Hys gowsty cost and membris, euery straik,
The febil braith gan to bete and blaw.
Thir hardy kempys, al in waist, leyt draw,
Athir at other, mony rowtis grete;
On holl sydis feill dowbill dyntis gan bete
And on thar breistis lychtis with huge sownd;
Oft in the ayr about thar hedis rownd
Thar handis waveryt, and the straik went myss;
Hard halffettis clappyt oft vndir the dynt, I wyss.
Entellus standis styf and grave of corss,
Not movyng from hys fyrst stand in a forss,
And, with hys body only and walkryfe e,
The strakis onfar enchewys and keppyt he.
Bot Darhes walkis about rycht craftely,
Of hys fyrst purposs frustrat, to espy
Sum avantage, with diuerss assaltis algait
Hym ombesetting sair and handland hait—
Lyke as by gret engynys quha sa wald
A strang cite assail or stalwart hald,
To wyn that strenth, or ȝyt by craftis sle
To mynde the castell on the rochys hie,
Lurkand in harness wachis round about;
Now this tocome, now by that way gan lowt,
Quhar best he may cum to hys purposs sone,
Avysand weil the place maist oportone.
Entellus raxit hym and hevis on hycht
Hys rycht hand for tosmyte in al hys mycht;
The tother, seand the dynt cum, gan provide
To eschew swyftly, and sone lap on syde,
That al hys forss Entellus gan apply
Into the ayr, so that hys grave body,
All hym alane, with huge weght and sayr,
Ruschyt flatlyngis to the grond with a rair—
So as, quhilum, the mekil kosch fyr tre,
On Erymanthus the mont of Archade,
Or in the wod of Ida, with a sownd
Vp by the rutis rent, ruschis to grond.
The ȝongkeris tho of Troy and Sycilly
Gan starting all on fut delyvirly;
The clamour rayss, quhil all the hevyn dyd ryng,
And fyrst to hym ran Acestes the kyng,
And for compassioun hess vphynt in feild
Hys frend Entellus, onto hym evyn eild.
Bot, nother estonyst nor abasyt heiron,
Mair egyrly the vaillyant campion
Agane to bargane went als hoyt as fyre.
Hys strenthys now encressis al of ire;
For schame, alsso, and for that weil he knew
Hys auld prowes, hys forss dowblyt and grew,
And ardently, with fury and mekil boist,
Gan Darhes kach and dryve our al the cost;
Now with the rycht hand, now with the left hand, he
Dowblys dyntis, and but abaid leyt fle,
That nother rest nor quyet may he tak.
Als fast as rayn schour rappys on the thak,
So thyk with strakis this campioun maist strang,
With athir hand, feil syss at Darhes dang,
And drave to and fra with mony rowt.
The prynce Eneas than, seand this dowt,
Na langar suffer wald sik wreth procede
Nor ferss Entellus mude thus rage and sprede,
Bot of the bargane maid end but delay,
And wery Darhes hess withdrawyn away.
With wordys hym to mesyng thus he said:
“Onsylle wight, quhou dyd thi mynd invaid
Sa gret wodness? Felys thou not ȝyt,” quod he,
“Othir strenth and mannys forss hes delt with the?
Seys thou not weil thi self at thou art fey?
Tharfor to God thou ȝeild the and obey;
The power of goddys ar turnyt in thy contrar;
Obey to God.” And with that word, but mair,
The bargane he dissolvyt. And than Darhess
Hys trew companȝeonys ledis of the press,
Harland hys wery lymmys dolf as led,
For sorow schakand to and fra hys hed,
And schaddis of blude furth spyttand throu hys lyppys,
With bludy gammys, led hym to thar schippys;
The helm and eik the sword with thame hess tane,
As thai commandyt war, and left alane
The bul ontil Entellus—sa was defynd.
He victour than, and abufe in hys mynd,
Prowd and reiosyt of this bull, gan say:
“Son of the goddes, and Troianys, I ȝou pray,
Behald, and knaw by this takyn and syng,
Quhat strenth was in my corss quhen I was ȝyng.
Se fra quhat ded Darhes is savyt onslane,”
Quod he, and standand the bullys face forgane,
Quhilk of thar dereyn was the pryce and gre,
Hys stern burdon behynd hys bak onhie
With hys rycht hand gan tayss and mesour swa,
It smait hym evyn betwix the hornys twa,
Persyt the harn pan, draif out the brayn inhy;
Down duschit the beist ded on the land gan ly,
Sprewland and flekkyrand in the ded thrawys.
And he abufe hym furth warpys syk sawys:
“For Darhes ded, Erix, lo, this,” quod he,
“A far mair ganand sawle, I offer the;
And victour eyk my craft and wapynnys fair
Vprendris heir, for now and evir mair.”