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The hundreth gret durris of that howss, with this,
At thar awin willis warpit wide, I wys,
And brocht the prophetis ansuer to thar erys:
“O Eneas, that, eftir mony ȝheris,
Now finaly hess dryve to end,” quod sche,
“Sa mony huge gret dangeris of the see!
Bot on the land, I tel ȝou al and sum,
Far grettar perellis remanys forto cum.
The Troiane pepill to the realm of Lavyne
Sal cum (that is determyt be goddis dyvyne;
Out of thi mynde sik dowtis do away),
Bot forthirmor, I wil onto the say,
Quhen thai the grond of Italy haue nummyn,
Thai sal desyre neuer thiddir to haue cummyn.
Batalis, horribil batalis, to conclude,
I now behald, and Tibris, the gret flude,
For gret habundance of blude on spait walx reid.
Nowdyr Exanth nor Symois in that sted
Sal thou myss, nor ȝit the Grekis army.
Thou sal befor the fynd in Italy
Ane othir Achil, born als of a goddes,
Nor Iuno, Troianys persewar expres,
Sal neuer mair failȝe in ȝour contrary.
And quhen thou art thar, as thou waldbe cary,
Of succurss and of help al desolate,
Quhat pepill, and quhat citeis than, God wait,
In Ital salt thou beseik of supple!
Few sal remane onrequerit, trast me.
The causys of al this myscheif and pane,
Ane othir woman, a fremmyt gest agane
For the Troianys, is tobe spowss and wed,
A strange bride, or scho be brocht to bed.
Withdraw the from na perellis, nor hard thrist,
Bot evir inforss mair strangly to resist
Agane dangeris, than fortune sufferis the.
Ȝour first reskew of succurss and supple
Furth of a Gregioun cite salbe schaw,
Quhilk thou leste wenys, a wondir thing to knaw.”
Furth of hir secret closet, thus onane,
Sik sawis warpis this Sibilla Cwmane,
Horribil answeris, ful dowtsum to consave,
Quhar as scho sat rumysand in hir cave,
In subtel wordis of obscurite
Involupand the trewth and verite;
For on sik wyss Apollo hir refrenys,
Bridillis hir sprete, and, as him list, constrenys,
From hir hart pipis his fers brod withdrawing.
As the divyne fury gan first sessing,
And eik hir ragiand mowth begouth to rest,
Godly Eneas begynnys als prest,
And said: “Virgyn, na kynd of pane may ryss
Onknaw to me, of new that may me gryss;
Or now I am warnyt of al sik chance,
And hess thame rollit in my remembrance.
Bot a thing I beseik the and requeir;
Sen the entress and port, thai sai, bene heir,
Of the infernal king, and the layk dyrk
Of Acheron, gorgeit with fludis myrk,
Thocht it be rycht difficil, ȝit grant me
Thai quent realmys I may behald and se,
And cum onto my deir faderis sight;
Thiddir the passage, and al ways rycht,
Do teche me, and tha secret portis onschet.
I hym delyuerit amyd from flambis het,
And on thir schulderis careit him away,
A thousand speris followand to assay,
From myd ennymeis brocht him to salfte;
In my vayage, accumpaneit with me,
He went throu owt al seys and strange strandis,
All maner perrellis of fludis, stremys, and sandis,
And stormys of the hevin, thocht he was waik;
He sufferit and sustenyt, for my saik,
Ful huge pane, as he had beyn a page,
Abufe the strenth and common curss of age.
And forthir he me chargit and gan beseik
To the, lady, I reuerently suld seik,
And pass hiddir to thi sted and dwelling place.
Haue reuth now, haly woman, schaw sum grace
Baith to the son and fader, I requeir,
For thou may do all thing, I wait, but weir—
Ne not but gude resson, ful weil I knaw,
Beside Avernus, our hir hallowit schaw,
Proserpyn maid the patron and mastres.
Gif Orpheus mycht reduce agane, I gess,
From hell his spousis gost with his sweit stringis,
Playand on his harp of Trace sa plesand springis;
Or gif Pollux redemyt his broder Castor,
As he that was immortal get and boyr,
Partyng with him his immortalite,
Athir for other sufferand forto de,
That ych of thame, by coursis alternate,
Sa oft gais and returnys that gait;
Is it nocht anys lesum I pass that way?
Of Thesyus quhat nedis mair to say,
Or of the strang maste dowchty Hercules,
Quhilk thiddir went with sa gret forss and press?
Am I nocht eik discend from Iupiter?”
Sik prayer maid he, grippand the altar,
Quhil thus begouth the prophetess speke agane:
“Of goddis blude, Anchises son Troiane,
It is richt facil and eith gait, I the tell,
Forto discend and pass on down to hell;
The blak ȝettis of Pluto and that dirk way
Standis evir oppin and patent nycht and day:
Bot tharfra to return agane on hyght,
And heir abufe recovir this aris licht,
That is difficil wark, thar lawbour lyis.
Ful few thar bene, quhom heich aboue the skyis
Thar ardent vertu hass rasit and vphyeit,
Or ȝit quhom equal Iupiter deifyit,
Thai quhilk bene gendrit of goddis, may thidder attayn.
Al the myd way is wildirnes onplayn,
Or wilsum forest, and the laithly flude
Cochytus, with his drery bosum onrude,
Flowis enveroin rownd about that place.
Bot gif sa gret desyre and luf thou hass
Twyss til our sayll of Stix the dedly layk,
And twyss behald blak hellis pyt of wraik,
Or sa huge laubour delytis the,” quod scho,
“Harkyn quhat first behuffis the to do.
Amyd a rank tre lurkis a goldin bewch,
With aurial levis, and flexibill twystis tewch,
Onto Iuno infernal consecrate,
That standis lowkit abowt and obumbrate
With dirk schaddowis of the thik wod schaw.
Bot it is na wyss lesum, I the schaw,
Thir secret ways vndir the erd to went,
Quhil of the tre this goldin grayn be rent;
Fair Proserpyn hess institut and command
To offer hir this, hir awin propir presand.
Ane other goldin grane, to the ilk effect,
Thou sal nocht myss, thocht the first be down brek;
Incontinent evir of the sammyn mettall
Sik a lyke branch sal burgion furth withall.
The nedis, tharfor, to hald thine eyn on hight,
It forto serss and seik; syne all at right,
Quhen it is fund, thou hynt it in thi hand.
For, gif it list, esely that sammyn wand,
Of the awin will, sal follow thi grip fut hait,
Gif so the fatis wil thou pass that gait;
Or ellis be na strenth thou sal it ryve,
Nor kut in twa with wapyn, sword or knyve.
And mair atour, beforn the in the place,
At thou ne wait, of thi deyr frend, allace!
Onerdyt lyis of new the ded body,
That with hys corps infekkis al thi navy,
The self tyme slane thow askand our answer
And in this place remanys with ws heir.
First se that hym to hys lang hame thou haue,
And, as efferis, gar bery law in grave.
Til his funeral entyre, or sacrifyss,
Do bring the blak bestis, as is the gyss;
Lat tha be ȝour first expiationys,
And clenging graith, eftir ȝour serymonys.
So at the last, of Stix the cayrful schaw,
And realmys wilsum for levand men to knaw,
Thou salbehald,” quod scho, and tho gan sess,
Hir mowth clappit to giddir, and held hir pess.