University of Virginia Library

Thus, hyddyrtyllys, warryn derenys seyr
Excersyt in wyrschip of hys fader deyr,
And in this tyme gan forton fyrst remove
Fra thame agane hir fykkill faith and lufe.
For, as Troianys dyd hallow on this wyss
By diuerss gemmys, as was tho the gyss,
Solemnytly, the seruyce anniuersar
Besyde Anchises graf, furth of the air
And hevynnys hie, Saturnus get, Iuno,
That gan of wreth and malyce nevir ho,
Not satisfyit of hir ald fury ne wrok,
Rollyng in mynd full mony kankyrryt blok,
Hess send adoun onto the Troiane navy
Irys, and, that scho suld go spedely,
The prospir wynd gan eftyr hir inspyre.
Thys virgyn sprent on swyftly as a vyre,
And throu the clowdis hir trace, quhar scho went,
Schupe lyke a bow of diuerss hewis ment.
Sone slaid sche doun, onseyn of ony wy,
Gret confluence of pepill dyd aspy;
Scho walkis about the costis of the see,
Havynnys and flote left dissolate fand sche,
And al the Troiane wemen dyd sche ken
Syttand on the schor, secret far fra men,
The gret loyss of Anchises regratyng sair,
And al togiddir gan to weip and rair,
Behaldand the deip seys sorowfully,
And, with a voce, sayand al halely:
“Allace! behald, samony stremys gray,
And of thir salt fludis sa braid a way
Remanys ȝyt, fortyl ourslyde and sayll,
By ws wemen irkyt of lang travaill!”
Thai al besocht God send thame sone, ilkane,
A cite or a town forto remane,
And tedyus thocht the seys laubour to bair.
Iris heirfor aspyis hir tyme best thair,
As scho that was in myscheif ful expart;
Amyddis of thame all in gan scho start,
Hir godly figur and hir weid laid by,
And bycame agyt Beroes inhy
In maner schap of symylitude and face
(That was Doryclus spowss, born of Trace,
Quhilk vmquhile was of hie genealogy,
Of gret renoun, and childir had mony),
And on syk wyss amang matronys Troiane
Transformyt entrys scho, and in is gane.
“O woful wrachit wemen all,” quod sche,
“Quhilk to the deth, vndir the wallys hie
Of ȝour natyve cite and kynd landis,
War not in batell harlyt by Grekis handis!
O pepill onhappy, to quhat myschewss end
Forton reseruys ȝou of this warld to wend?
Lo! sen the fal of Troy and dolorus weir,
Byrunnyn is the sevynt symmyr and ȝeir,
Sen that samony seys, and alkyn landis,
Sa huge wilsum rolkis, and schawd sandis
And stormys gret, ourdrewyn and sufferyt haue we,
Lo, thus saland throw out the mekill see,
Quhar that we chayss Itale, that fleys ay,
And we ly warpyt on the wallys gray.
Heir beyn the bredyrly boundis of Erix stowt,
Our frend Acestes is our host but dowt:
Quha wil wss warn to beild vp wallys hie,
And to our citesanys set heir a cite?
O natyve land, and kynd goddis al invane
Reft from our fays, sal nevir nane agane
Troiane wallys be namyt nor vpbeild?
Sal I nevir se, allace! in all my eild,
Hectoriane fludis, Exanth and Symois?
Haue done tharfor, and now with me, I wyss,
Thir fey onhappy schippys al bedene
Lat ws go byrn, for in my sleip ȝistreyn,
The figur of Cassandra, prophetess,
Gave me byrnand fyre brandis and said express
Heir suld we rest, bad seyk Troy na forthar—
Heir was our dwellyng place for euermar.
Now is the tyme ganand our wark to speyd;
To tary ma fatale syngnys quhat suld neid?
Lo! ȝondir beyn four altaris byrnand schyre;
Neptune the god thir hait brandis of fyre
Distributis to ws, and alsso hardyment.”
And sayand thus, to perform hir entent,
The peralus fyre first hynt scho forsably;
With flambys schynand on far thai mycht espy
Hir rycht hand rasyt, the blesys in tocast.
Of Troiane wemen the myndis worth agast,
And al thar hartis sum deil stupefak,
Quhen ane, the eldast amang thame al, spak,
Clepyt Pirgo, the quhilk had beyn, feil syss,
To mony of Kyng Priamus childir nuryss:
“O matronys, ȝon was nevir Beroys,” quod sche,
“Born a Troiane, and Doryclus spouss, traist me.
Considir of hir bewte syngnys dyvyne:
Behald so brycht as baith hir eyn doith schyne,
Quhat sweit savour and smel from hir spryngis,
Quhatkyn vissage hess scho; quhou thynk ȝe ryngis
Hir vocis sown, or quhat payss goys scho now?
My self left Beroes, as I come hyyddir rycht now,
Lyand seyk at hame, and ful ennoyit wight,
That scho alane suld want this ryal syght,
And, as scho wald, mycht not mak sacryfyce
In Anchyss honour and funerale seruyce.”
Thus said Pirgo, bot than the matronys all
Stude fyrst in dowt quhat thing tha do sall,
And with evil willy eyn the schippys behaldis,
On hovir betwix wrachyt desyre, thame haldis
Forto abyd within that present land,
And of the fatis, on the tother hand,
That onto othir realmys doith thame call;
Quhen lo, the goddes, in form celestiall,
With equale weyngis fleys vp to the hevyn,
And, in hir went, schup vndir the clowdis evyn
The figur of a raynbow huge grete.
Than pryncipaly begouth thar hartis bete;
Of syk wondris estonyst, thai al inhy
Cachit with wodnes begouth raym and cry,
And from the hallowyt ingill reft the fyre;
Part spulȝeis altaris of thar flambys schire,
And byrnand branchis, faggottis and fyre brandis
Into the schippys swak thai with thar handis;
The flambe vpkyndilling blesys braid at large
Throw hechis, ourloft, ayr and payntyt targe.